Dr. Venugopal and CVD

[Guest guest]

On 22-Aug-05, at 3:41 AM, ayurveda wrote:

 

> I think Dr. Venugopal has very effectively separated the two schools

> when he requested this list to discuss the concept of cardiovascular

> disease based upon ayurvedic terminology alone.

 

 

i must have missed this thread...

 

anyway, i would agree that if we want to consider CVD from an Ayurvedic

perspective we should first remove any discussion of medical terms and

diagnostic methods - it simply confuses the issue

 

at the same time, i think it is similarly helpful to expand our notion

of CVD and recognize the kind of metabolic changes that occur prior to

specific "disease" states such as hypertension, angina pectoris,

truncal-abdominal obesity etc. etc.

 

to borrow a computer term, in order to "port" CVD into Ayurveda, we

need to look at the various signs and symptoms represented by it and

its larger syndrome (syndrome X, metabolic syndrome) - but we do so

knowing that of course this is an artificial process, because in truth

Ayurveda always looks at the individual, not a disease or group of

symptoms

 

nonetheless, what we call CVD/metabolic syndrome does manifest signs

and symptoms that are clearly recognized in Ayurveda, some of these

resembling aspects of the hrdaya rogas (heart diseases), as well as

more specific entities such as medo roga (obesity), madhameha

(glycosuria), shotha (edema), udara roga (abdominal enlargement), vata

vyadhis (nervous system disorders: neuropathies), svasa (dyspnea: SOB),

etc etc

 

the way I look at it, CVD is caused by a number of different factors,

although I think there are some general causes that are very clear,

e.g. poor diet, lack of exercise, nutrient deficiencies etc. - this in

turn aggravates any 1, 2 or 3 doshas (given the specific factors and

prior history), each responsible for the differing signs and symptoms

seen in CVD

 

as CVD is essentially a disease of the blood it is by nature associated

with pitta, but because rakta arises from rasa we need to look to kapha

as well - vata represents the long-standing, degenerative aspects of

the disease, or otherwise specific vattika symptoms

 

i also think its important to look at specific factors in the blood,

which by some traditions in Ayurveda acts as its own dosha, i.e. the

fourth dosha (note that this becomes very similar to the four humors of

Unani)

 

an assessment of rakta (blood) is determined by a number of parameters

including the constitution of the blood (inferred from diet/digestion,

elimination, skin), its movement (inferred from a myriad of factors

including systemic/local temperature, pain, fatigue, SOB, arrhythmias,

vertigo, etc.), and blood vessel integrity (inferred from factors such

as chronic bleeding/ bruising, varicosities, retinopathies etc.) -

apart from case history analysis, physical observation, urinalysis etc.

other assessments might include pulse (to determine the overall balance

of vitality and specific doshic influences), tongue (to determine

digestion), and even therapeutic venesection (i.e. noting the features

of the blood, its color, smell, how it oozes etc ) - (in this respect,

leeches can thin the blood, dissolve clots and reverse sclerosis...)

 

evenually, what is needed is a therapeutic framework for a pop'n of CVD

patients based only on Ayurvedic principles, using medical parameters

such as BP, blood, ECG etc.

 

the model would need to be standardized in the sense that it

encompasses all the parameters an Ayurvedic physician might likely

observe in such a population, but not so that it becomes too expansive

that it becomes meaningless - we could call this the "Ayurvedic CVD

Intervention Program," with each lakshana correlated with a medical

symptom/sign

 

i suggest a long term 2-3 year study, self-reporting questionnaires and

biannual medical testing

this could then be compared with a simialr pop'n receiving conventional

treatment - and we will see what the results are

it could be that any differences in them not only suggest the

effectiveness over one or the other, but elucidate possible differences

in the very nature of the two systems

 

that is, if there are any silent and incredibly wealthy benefactors on

this list that would like to fund such an endeavour, i am available ;-)

 

 

todd caldecott

 

Caldecott

todd

www.toddcaldecott.com