Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

How to spot bad mole?
How to spot malignant mole? This morning you took a bath. The warm water feels so nice during the cold winter day. There was some funny skin itching on you back. You looked in the mirror, turned this way , that way. There is small mole on your back...

Men's Skin Care is as important as Skin Care for Women
You've probably made this observation several times before... A couple walking along and you thinking: "he must be taking his mother out to lunch" only to discover that the couple is married... This is because the skin of men ages differently...

Millions Of People Are Dying With Tension – Medicine Free Solution
Tension is crushing millions of people to death every year. Most of the people are dying in developed countries. Various researches all over the world have proved that severe tension generates scores of serious diseases like heart-trouble,...

MIRACLE HERB FOR DIABETES
Salacia oblonga Indian herb also known as Ponkoranti. It has been used by Indian natives since ancient times to effectively manage Diabetes. This is a effective cure for type 2 diabetes. Reduction in blood sugar levels can be observed within 5...

Worst Software Bugs in History
In 1945, engineers found a moth in Panel F, Relay #70 of the Harvard Mark II computer system, which caused errors in its math functions. The moth was removed and taped into the computer's logbook with the words: "first actual case of a bug being...

 
Preventing Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy through Ayurveda

Definition:

Benign prostatic hypertrophy is swelling of Prostate gland. The prostate is a walnut sized gland that is only present in men. It is located just below the bladder and top of the penis. This gland surrounds the urethra ( the tube through which urine flows from the bladder and out through the penis ).

It is a very astonishing fact to know that the condition BPH has been explained in ayurveda long back. The anatomical position of prostate gland, symptoms of BPH and its remedies are explained by Acharya Sushruta.

The anatomical position of prostate gland is described in ayurvedic classics as follows In Yogaratnakara it has been described as -- " NAABHERADHASTHAATSANJAATAHA SANCHAARI YADI VAACHALAHA | ASHTEELAAVAD GHANO GRANTHIROODHWAR MAAYATA UNNATAHA || "

Which means " Below umbilicus (NAABHI), there is a hard gland which is little bit bulged and changes its place some times and some times stays stationary. This gland is like "Ashteela" (A small stone used to sharpen swords). This gland when affected by vitiated vata causes a disease called "vataashteela" (or benign prostate hypertrophy)

Sushruta explains the structure , anatomical position of prostate gland and symptoms of BPH as follows.

"SHACRANMAARGASYA BASTHESHCHA VAAYURANTARAMAASHRITAHAI ASHTEELAAVADGHANAM GRANTHIMMOORDHVAMAAYATA MUNNATAM|| "

Which means - the place between rectum and bladder is occupied by vitiated vata it affects the easy flow of urine, stools and semen by enlarging the gland " Ashteela".

The prostate gland enlarges in all men as age advances. BPH is very common and affects one third of men who are over 50. A person suffering from BPH does not have the increased risk of prostate cancer.

Functions of Prostate gland

One of the main functions of the prostate is to produce a fluid, which contribute to the liquid portion of semen and this liquid allows the sperm to move freely.

The gland is divided into peripheral, transitional and central zone. The overgrowth takes place in central zone which leads to BPH. Effects of BPH Prostate gland surrounds urethra. When prostate gland enlarges, it constricts the urethra reducing the urine flow. The emptying of bladder becomes very difficult because of this. Causes of BPH According to present medical concepts the actual cause of prostate enlargement is unknown.

But the causes of BPH are very well explained In ayurveda which is based on tridosha theory.The causes of vataashteela or BPH are explained as follows

Causes for vataashteela according to dosha theory: vataashteela is caused by vitiated vayu and apaana vayu ( a subcategory of Vayu)

( APAANA VAYU is located in two testicles, urinary bladder, phallus, umbilicus, thighs, groins, anus and colon.

Functions of apana vaayu are Ejaculation of semen, voiding of urine, stools, elimination of menstrual blood and expulsion of fetus. )

. The vitiation of vayu and apaana vayu is caused by 1. Controlling the urge of urination 2. Controlling the urge of defecation 3. Over indulgence in sex. 4. Consuming dry, very cold and less quantity of food 5. Old age 6. General weakness 7. Indigestion 8. Physical and mental


overexertion.

Symptoms of BPH

* Difficulty in starting to pass urine ( hesitancy ), * A weak stream of urine, * Dribbling after urinating * The need to strain to pass urine, * Incomplete emptying of bladder. * Difficulty to control the urination urge. * Having to get up several times in the night to pass urine, * Feeling a burning sensation when passing urine. * Passing urine mixed with blood (indication of infection) Symptoms of vatashteela are described as follows.

" VINMUTRAANILA SANGASCHA TANNAADMAANAMCHA JAAYATE| VEDANAA CHA PARAA BASTOU VAATAASHTEELETI TAAM VIDUHU || "

The vitiated ashteela gland when enlarged is called as "vatashteela". This enlarged gland causes 1. Obstruction to easy flow of urine. 2. Obstruction to Easy passage of stools and gas 3. Bloating of Stomach. 4. Pain in bladder. When the above mentioned symptoms are noticed then one should seek proper medical advice.

Diagnosis

A digital rectal examination will be performed to examine the size of prostate by inserting a finger into the rectum. A distended bladder can be felt per abdomen. Ultra sound examination will be done to determine the amount of urine left in the bladder after urination. Routine urine test will be done to rule out infections. A prostate gland tissue may be collected using a needle to check for cancerous cells

Ayurveda tips for SELF-CARE

If symptoms are mild, the following methods can be tried for relief: 1. Vata gets vitiated when natural urges are controlled. Hence do not control the natural urge of passing urine. Urinate when you first get the urge. 2. Go to the bathroom even if you do not have urge. 3. Alcohol, tobacco, coffee increase vata and vitiate it. Hence avoid alcohol, tobacco and coffee, especially after dinner. 4. Vata gets normalized and vitiation comes down when body is warm. This can be accomplished with regular exercises and keeping the body warm. 5. Mental exertion leads to increase of vata. Avoid mental exertion at work place and at home. 6. Avoid foods which cause constipation as constipation causes vitiation of vata..

Other general tips

1. Avoid drinking fluids from two hours before going to bed. 2. Avoid cold and cough medications that contain decongestants or antihistamines. These medications can increase BPH symptoms. 3. Avoid drinking excess amount of liquids. Distribute the intake of fluids throughout day. 4.

Prevention

BPH can be prevented by - 1. Consuming low fat diet 2. Including lots of fiber in diet ( fruits and vegetables which are rich in fiber). 3. Visiting your family physician as soon as you notice any symptoms while passing urine. Apart from these many effective herbal remedies have been mentioned in Sushruta samhita and Yogaratnakara.

About the author:

Dr.SavithaSuri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper. http://www.ayurhelp.com email doctor@ayurhelp.com


 

National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine offers access to health information for consumer, patient, and physicians ...
www.nlm.nih.gov
 
Health and Medical Information produced by doctors - MedicineNet.com
Doctor-produced health and medical information written for you to make informed decisions about your health concerns.
www.medicinenet.com
 
Medicine in the Yahoo! Directory
Collection of sites for health professionals, with sections on specific disciplines, organizations, continuing education, conferences, publications, ...
dir.yahoo.com
 
MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine
Health information from the National Library of Medicine. Easy access to Medline and Health topics, medical dictionaries, directories and publications.
medlineplus.gov
 
Medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Medicine is a branch of health science and the sector of public life ... The practice of medicine combines both science as the evidence base and art in the ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Journal Home - Nature Medicine
Nature Medicine has a vacancy for a Locum Assistant Editor for six months. The position involves working in all aspects of the editorial process, ...
www.nature.com
 
The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on ...
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial ...
content.nejm.org
 
eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base
eMedicine features up-to-date, searchable, peer-reviewed medical journals, online physician reference textbooks, and a full-text article database in 62 ...
www.emedicine.com
 
Open Directory - Health: Medicine
the entire directory, only in Health/Medicine. Top: Health: Medicine (11429). Description · Medical Specialties (4888); Surgery (2265) ...
dmoz.org
 
the www virtual library biosciences medicine
www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/wwwvl/ - Similar pages
 
Medicine - home
Bimonthly journal covering the latest results in clinical investigation relevant to hospital and office practice.
www.md-journal.com
 
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health.
www.iom.edu
 
ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News
Medical Research News. Health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. Full-text, images, updated daily.
www.sciencedaily.com
 
Google Directory - Health > Medicine
Search only in Medicine Search the Web. Medicine. Health > Medicine, Go to Directory Home. Categories. Alternative Medicine (6308) Basic Sciences (66) ...
www.google.com
 
the world wide web virtual library biosciences medicine
www.mcb.harvard.edu/biopages/medicine.html - Similar pages
 
PLoS Medicine - A Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journal
PLoS Medicine is a peer-reviewed, international, open-access journal published ... Every issue of PLoS Medicine contains a selection of readers' responses. ...
medicine.plosjournals.org
 
Medicine On-Line - Medicine Online -The International Medical Journal
Medicine Online - independent and peer reviewed journal published by Priory Medical Journals - priory.com.
www.priory.com
 
Entrez PubMed
PubMed is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
Stanford University School of Medicine
Home Page of the Stanford University School of Medicine.
med.stanford.edu
 
Medicine OnLine
Meds.com offers medical information and education on cancer (lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia) and HIV / AIDS for patients, ...
www.meds.com