Page 32 - May 2024

surprisingly, jives with modern accounts. incompatible foods; dry, rough, stale,
Menstruation is the upadhatu, or
subsidiary tissue, of rasa dhatu. So, the
function of the menstrual cycle depends
on ahara rasa (the essence of digested
food) which directly nourishes rasa
(plasma), which in turn, nourishes rakta excessive sexual activity or physical
dhatu (blood tissue). Per Sushruta (Su.
Su.14/19), ahara rasa is not capable of
supporting the reproductive tissues
responsible for menstruation as the
female body ages, the expression of
which is seen as depleted levels of the
female hormones (decreased pitta
dosha), reduced kapha dosha, and
increased vata dosha.
In our modern and hectic world, which
vibrates with feminist hashtag “metoo”
throngs, vata often gets aggravated early on during the perimenopausal years. Later,
in life. We see evidence of this worldwide,
as fertility clinics crop up left and right,
due to increasing difficulty conceiving
among women. And, on the opposite end
of the spectrum, vata dosha manifests
as premature menopause. The latter is
termed akaalakrita, menopause before the
appropriate age, as per Ayurveda.
In addition to high stress, improper food
and lifestyle habits, and the ease with which
surgery is offered in modern times to remove
the uterus (hysterectomy) and other female
reproductive parts, vata is further aggravated and other symptoms of menopause as
leading to early menopause.
Excessive and long-term consumption
of sour, salty, and pungent foods;
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and cold foods; heavy and hard to digest
foods which obstruct the body channels;
and irregular mealtimes can all cause
vata aggravation. Lifestyle factors which
vitiate vata dosha in women include
exercise, overconsumption of alcohol,
and regularly taking naps during
the daytime. Experiencing excessive
emotions such as anger, grief, fear,
confusion, and exhaustion can also give
rise to vata vitiation.
The appearance of wrinkles on the
skin, grey hair, mood changes, loss of
memory, and tiredness are all evidence
of these habits which are the purva rupa
(preclinical features) that start to appear
as aging (jara) continues, these symptoms
of dhatupradoshaja vikara (vitiation of
tissues) due to dhatu kshaya (tissue loss)
increase and become visible signs of:
decline in tejas (luster) of the hair and
skin, loss of enthusiasm, reduced physical
strength, and lowered immunity. The loss
of natural estrogen also causes reduced
lubrication in the synovial joints of the
knee and hips, stress or urge incontinence,
and loss of libido, too.
The table below summarizes these
described by Acharya Sushruta, Charaka,
and Vagbhatt [(Su. Sa. Sutra Sthana
15/9), (A.H. Sutra Sthana 11/17-20),
(Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 28)].