The original lifestyle medicine

DR MANAS S. KSHIRSAGAR

Ayurveda is the original lifestyle medicine. It teaches that the body is an information and energy field. The body is not a structure but a process that is ever evolving and responsive to what you do to it and with it. With some education and awareness, one can change one’s body and one’s relationship to one’s body. This is important because it means that the patient is in the driver’s seat. The patient can control his or her destiny in terms of health with the right support and instruction.

This ayurvedic understanding is overdue for a resurgence because we are currently in a lifestyle crisis. According to the Centers of Disease Control, 67 per cent of adults in the US are overweight or obese, while 32 per cent have high blood pressure, a condition that often correlates with obesity. The CDC estimates that in the US one out of three adults – 84 million people – have prediabetes and about 90 per cent of those don’t yet know that they have it. About 71 million adults in the United States suffer from dangerously high cholesterol levels, and less than one-third of these people have their condition under control. It’s estimated that 70 per cent of mortality is caused by these lifestyle factors.

The human body is part of nature, even if we pretend it isn’t. And Western science has begun to discover the body’s master clock, its circadian rhythm. Any bundle of cells inside the hypothalamus, called the SCN (suprachiasma=c nucleus), controls the rhythm of the body’s systems. It dictates daily fluctuations in blood pressure, bowel function, hormonal regulation, glucose uptake in the liver, even cell division. Scientists are still discovering all of the things this center helps to regulate and control.

Perhaps the most important of these is the body’s sleep cycle.

One important thing the SCN does is to signal the brain to release melatonin about 60 to 90 minutes before you usually go to bed. Melatonin is the body’s natural sleep aid.

Unfortunately, as recent studies have discovered, the blue light emiting from televisions and ereaders – and especially cell phones – fools the body into thinking that night hasn’t started yet and delays the brain’s release of melatonin. This is why my patients tell me they can’t fall asleep before midnight, even when they know they have to get up early the next morning. This chronic sleep deprivation is a direct cause of weight gain in many people. We say that sleep is the miracle drug, because we need those deep cycles of sleep in order to stay healthy. The simple cure for this insomnia is to set aside electronic gadgets at least 90 minutes prior to bedtime. My patients argue with me about this, but it works. If they can restrict electronic stimulation, they fall asleep earlier and without any effort. They are also able to set aside any need for sleep aids, which they all want to do. This is a revelation for those with a vata constitution who are openly plagued by insomnia and the weight gain that comes with it. But it also helps pita types who keep working until the late hours and then wonder why they can’t immediately fall asleep. Kaphas don’t tend to struggle with insomnia, but they do reach for mindless snacks in front of late night TV, and having a set bedtime routine without electronics helps them to nurture themselves without eating.

Within a few weeks of implementing these simple changes, most of my patients find that they sleep better, lose weight and feel much more energetic. They also have a greater ability to make good food choices. This can happen without the use of herbs or other treatments. The lifestyle itself is the treatment, and it works regardless of body type.