Ayurvedic Medicine for Fibroids

By Robin Brain

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ayurvedic-Medicine-for-Fibroids&id=994960

Cleanse your blood. Ayurvedic medicine views fibroids as raktaja gulma-that is,
tumors resulting from the impurity of your blood. How your fibroids are treated
depends on your constitutional type, or dosha, explains Alakananda Devi, M.B., of
Boulder, Colorado. In general, Dr. Devi advises patients with fibroids to exercise
more and to reduce their intakes of dietary fat and alcohol. Dr. Devi also prescribes
several Ayurvedic herbs, including chitrak and ashoka. Chitrak helps eliminate
tumors, while ashoka relaxes the uterus, reduces menstrual flow, and shrinks
fibroids.

Medical Measures

"In general, if your fibroids are not causing much discomfort, you might decide to
just live with them until menopause shrinks them naturally," Dr. Simons says. "If
you have heavy periods, you can take iron supplements to reduce your risk of iron-
deficiency anemia."

For more troublesome fibroids, mainstream medicine offers two treatment options:
drugs and surgery. Drug therapy aims to suppress estrogen, which makes fibroids
grow. Two of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals are leuprolide
(Lupron) and nafarelin (Synarel). Both reduce estrogen by stimulating the secretion
of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or GnRH.

Surgery is usually reserved for the most severe fibroids. The most conservative
procedure, called myomectomy, removes just the fibroids and leaves your uterus
intact. But myomectomy may not be possible if you have lots of fibroids or if
they're hard to reach.

The other, more radical surgical procedure is hysterectomy. Fibroids are the reason
for about one-third of the 550,000 hysterectomies performed in the United States
each year.

With a hysterectomy, there's no chance of fibroids coming back, because your

uterus is gone. If your ovaries are also removed, you may notice a drop in your sex
drive afterward. That's because the ovaries manufacture androgens, the hormones
that fuel a woman's libido. Taking supplemental androgens can correct this
problem.

Hysterectomy is major surgery and should only be considered as a last resort.

Before agreeing to it, you need to carefully weigh its benefits and risks in
consultation with your doctor. Consider all of your treatment options and get
several opinions, so you can make an informed decision.

Red Flags

Both oral contraceptives and hormone-replacement therapy (HRT), which some

mainstream M.D.'s prescribe for women in or past menopause, contain estrogen.
The amount of the hormone is low enough that it shouldn't stimulate the growth of
fibroids. Still, you'd be wise to discuss the issue with your doctor before starting a
prescription for oral contraceptives or HRT.
If you've already been diagnosed with fibroids and you experience sudden sharp
pelvic pain, call your doctor right away. This may be a sign that one of your fibroids
has become twisted, cutting off its own blood supply. A strangled fibroid is serious
and potentially life-threatening. You may need immediate surgery to remove it.

Read out for Home remedies Check out brewing green tea [http://www.herbal-
home-remedies.org/green-tea/brewing-green-tea.html] and swedish massage
[http://www.massagediary.com/ayurvedic/swedish-massage.html]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Brain

The Maharishi AyurvedaSM Approach

to Fibroids and Endometriosis
http://www.theraj.com/fibroids/

The Raj program for fibroids and endometriosis is conducted under the
supervision of an Ayurveda Health Consultant and draws on knowledge from
Maharishi Ayurveda, the world's oldest and most complete system of natural
health care.

Through its unique assessment of causal imbalances at the basis of a condition

and its wide range of time-tested recommendations, Maharishi Ayurveda
provides the most comprehensive natural approach for fibroids and
endometriosis available today.

Ayurveda Assessment of Balance and Imbalance in Fibroids and

Endometriosis

The Ayurveda assessment of balance and imbalance does not simply identify
the gross physical abnormality and match up drugs to a symptom. This is
because people can have the same disease for different reasons. For example,
ten people could walk into a doctor's office with a headache and have it for ten
different reasons. Likewise not everyone has fibroids and endometriosis for
the same reasons.

Ayurveda evaluation determines the imbalances in the functioning modes of

the body and then prescribes treatement to restore balance. These underlying
imbalances are the root causes of a condition and must be removed if real
healing is to occur. By determining the causal imbalances at the basis of a
disorder, Ayurveda evaluation helps address the fundamental source of ill
health in the individual.

The Root Causes of Fibroids and Endometriosis

According to Ayurveda, medicine the following general types of imbalances

are at the source of most chronic conditions, including fibroids and
endometriosis.
 1. Toxins accumulating in tissues and blocking circulation.
2. Poor nutrition.
3. Poor digestion.
4. Imbalance of the nervous system.
5. Accumulation of physical and mental stress.
6. Lowering of natural resistance and immunity.
7. Disruption of natural biological rhythms.

The common modern medical approach to match drugs to symptoms does not
completely address many of these factors. As a result, modern medicine often
cannot fully remove the disorder and the condition becomes chronic. Chronic
means that the condition persists over time even with the best modern medical
treatment. Currently over 100 million Americans suffer from a chronic
condition, indicating that some new approach is needed in our health care

A Natural Treatment Program for Fibroids and Endometriosis

Following is a discussion of how The Raj program for chronic conditions

provides the most comprehensive set of natural recommendations available
today to address the true causes of fibroids and endometriosis. These therapies
are not only effective at removing the imbalances at the basis of chronic
disorders but also have no significant side-effects. The goal of this Ayurveda
approach is to enliven the body's natural healing and self-repair ability not
only to help cure fibroids and endometriosis, but also to prevent disorders and
create the highest state of health and well-being.

1) Removing the Buildup of toxins and impurities:

Most chronic disorders start when toxins accumulate in tissues and begin to
disrupt the delicate biochemistry there. Toxin buildup can also obstruct the
channels of circulation and elimination. This blockage prevents proper
nutrition from reaching the tissues and blocks the processes that cleanse them
of impurities.

According to Ayurveda, this process is at the basis of fibroids and

endometriosis. Chronic toxin accumulation in the reproductive tissue irritates
the tissues into responses that result in the slow accumulation of excess tissue
and fibroids. Without the toxin accumulation there would not be so much
excess tissue formation in these areas. It is vital to stop the processes causing
toxins to accumulate and improve circulation and eliminative function to these
areas so they may purify and heal themselves.

As we will see, accomplishing this approach involves improving many diverse

functions throughout the mind and body of individuals with the condition.
Your Ayurveda Health Consultants will provide natural recommendations to
remove and help prevent toxin accumulation from:

1. Hard-to-digest food
2. Poor digestion
3. Poor elimination
4. Improper metabolism
5. Mental and physical stress

Maharishi RejuvenationSM Therapy Treatments

The most powerful treatments for removing toxins and opening circulation are
the Maharishi Rejuvenation therapy treatments you receive each day of your
in-residence stay. This daily three-hour treatment program of massage, heat
treatment and mild herbal enema is the cornerstone of your in-residence stay
at The Raj. The combination of these three treatments received every day for 5
to 21 days creates the ideal internal physical environment for healing.

Maharishi Rejuvenation therapy treatments address the problem of toxin

accumulation through systematically:

1. Loosening impurities that have become embedded in

tissues and helping liquefy them for easy absorption into
the circulation and eventual elimination.
2. Softening and opening the channels of circulation and
elimination so proper nourishment can reach the tissues
and impurities can be more easily eliminated from them.
3. Activating the elimination process for the most thorough
cleansing of the entire physiology.

Herbalized Oil Massage

Herbalized oil massage is used both at home and in our in-residence

treatments to aid the cleansing process.

Your Ayurveda Health Consultant will choose a specific herbalized oil that is
individually prepared for your condition. You will also be instructed in the
technique of Ayurveda massage, which involves using specific strokes over
different parts of the body.

Herbalized oil massage provides a deeply soothing and balancing effect for
the entire physiology. The motion of massage creates heat and friction which
enhance circulation and help cleanse affected tissues of chemical impurities
that could be causing symptoms of fibroids and endometriosis. The oil and
herbs cleanse and nourish the tissues to aid their repair and development.
The various herbs that have been boiled into a base oil, and the oil itself, are
specifically chosen for their effect in removing the imbalances at the basis of
your condition. The oil helps the balancing process by allowing the herbs to
more deeply penetrate the affected tissues.

Your program involves two types of Ayurveda herbalized massage:

a. The home program involves herbalized self-massage

for 5-10 minutes in the morning before you take your
shower.
b. During the in-residence portion of your program, highly
trained Ayurveda technicians will give you a very
specialized massage each day using oils in which as many
as 50 herbs have been cured. These special oils are only
available as part of the in-residence program.

2) Proper Nutrition

Your Ayurveda Health Consultant will provide you with detailed

understanding of which foods to favor and avoid for your condition. Avoid
foods that are hard-to-digest, clogging to the physiology and aggravating to
the functioning modes that are already imbalanced in you. Favor foods that
are easy-to-digest, nourishing, cleanse the physiology, strengthen digestion
and balance your body's inner intelligence.

One of the great strengths of the Ayurveda dietary approach is that it contains
knowledge of how to have a light, easy-to-digest diet that still is both
satisfying and nourishing. Many individuals have easily followed this diet and
have improved their digestion and energy while also reducing their symptoms.

Proper food preparation

During your in-residence stay at The Raj you will also learn the basic
principles of Ayurveda cooking. The Raj cooking classes provide knowledge
of how to prepare foods in ways that create maximum nourishment for the
body while simultaneously preventing incomplete digestion and clogged
circulation.

Ayurveda Herbs

Herbs are considered nutritional supplements in Ayurveda. Their purpose is to

restore balance to the specific functioning modes whose malfunctioning is
causing your condition. During your personal interview our Ayurveda Health
Consultants will select the appropriate herbal formulas for aiding the healing
process, strengthening digestion and helping the body purify itself of toxins
and free radicals.
Free radicals are a specific class of chemicals that are highly irritating to the
physiology. Scientific research has found that free radicals contribute to a
wide variety of disorders. When appropriate, our Ayurveda Health
Consultants can recommend Ayurveda herbs that research has shown contain
powerful anti-oxidants and free radical scavengers. Two Maharishi Ayurveda
herbal preparations have been shown scientifically to have 1000 times more
anti-oxidant activity than either vitamin C or E. Ayurveda herbs can also have
a holistic influence of balancing and nourishing the entire physiology.

Traditional Ayurveda theory says that herbs are most effective after a person
completes an internal cleansing program. The cleansing and rejuvenation
treatments that you will receive daily are the main focus of your in-residence
stay. Once this program is finished, you are ready to gain maximum benefits
from your herbal program.

3) Creating strong digestion

Our ability to properly digest food is as important as what specific food we

eat. Incompletely digested foods create toxins and impurities that are
eventually absorbed, travel throughout the physiology, localize in tissues and
disrupt their functioning. This process plays a major role in a wide variety of
chronic conditions, including fibroids and endometriosis.

Your Ayurveda Health Consultants will provide recommendations for

strengthening digestion including information in the following areas:

 Proper use of spices and cooking oils.

 Herbal preparations for improving digestion.
 Important differences between breakfast, lunch and
dinner foods.
 A simple system to determine a balanced diet.
 Digestion-enhancing foods to favor.
 Digestion-depressing foods to reduce.
 Eating behavior for maximum digestion.
 Proper food combinations to avoid indigestion.
 Non-dietary regiments to improve digestive strength
including exercise, specific Yoga asanas and breathing
techniques.

4) Balancing nervous system activity

The nervous system controls most bodily functions, and almost every chronic
condition is affected in some way when the nervous system activity becomes
imbalanced. According to Ayurveda, the physiological principle at the basis of
nervous system stability and activation is called Vata. Because nervous
system imbalance contributes to fibroids and endometriosis, from the
Ayurveda perspective Vata imbalance is an underlying cause of the condition
and needs to be reversed.

Maharishi Ayurveda contains a wide variety of time-tested Ayurveda

recommendations to help balance Vata and remove the symptoms caused by
its aggravation. These include specific diets, herbs, cleansing programs, the
Transcendental Meditation technique, Yoga asanas and Yoga breathing
exercises.

5) Stress Management

Excessive mental, emotional and physical stress can worsen the symptoms of
many chronic disorders, including fibroids and endometriosis. This is due to
hormonal changes and other biochemical responses to stress that can
imbalance the nervous system and depress the healing ability of the body.

Enhancing the body's ability to recover from stress is an integral part of The
Raj's approach to health and well-being. The following Raj in-residence
programs help reverse the body's response to stress:

1. Instruction in the Transcendental Meditation® program

2. Ayurveda massage and heat treatments
3. Instruction in Yoga asana postures

If you choose to learn meditation during your in-residence stay at The Raj,
highly trained teachers of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program are
available to instruct you. The TM technique has a wealth of scientific research
verifying its effect on reducing many of the mental and stress factors
associated with fibroids and endometriosis. Research shows that TM practice
creates virtually the opposite physiological response that stress does and helps
the body recover more quickly from stressful stimuli.

Practice of the TM technique twice a day is a powerful mind-body healing

approach to the problems of fibroids and endometriosis. The TM program at
The Raj gets your practice off to a superb start, and your instructor will help
connect you with the local TM program center in your home area for any
follow-up that you may desire.

6) Lifestyle and Daily Routine

One of the most important factors for maintaining healthy functioning is to

have a lifestyle that does not disturb natural bodily rhythms. When we eat,
sleep and exercise in constantly fluctuating and disturbing patterns, the body
loses its natural balancing cycles and cannot cleanse or heal itself as
effectively. Therefore, regularity in our daily routine can be extremely
effective in reducing physiological imbalance at the basis of fibroids and
endometriosis.

Our Ayurveda Health Consultant will review your daily routine and provide
the information you need to create a daily schedule that will increase balance
in your physiology and aid in healing your body.

7) Exercise and Flexibility Education

Maharishi Ayurveda considers proper stretching and flexibility exercises to

have a very positive effect on circulation, nervous system function, the body's
healing response and the treatment of many chronic conditions.

During your in-residence stay at The Raj, we offer Yoga classes every day and
teach you a simple but profound set of postures that can be practiced daily to
improve circulation and create a healthy flexibility throughout the body. We
also instruct you in individualized Yoga breathing practices that create a state
of restful alertness in mind and body.

These in-residence courses give you knowledge that you can continue to apply
after you leave The Raj to maintain your progress in alleviating the symptoms
of fibroids and endometriosis.

8) Strengthening the body's natural healing and self-repair

mechanisms

Ultimately every treatment approach must depend on the body's natural

healing ability for a real cure of the condition. Maharishi Ayurveda's approach
is not to attack the disease with something from the outside, like drugs or
surgery, but to attempt to enliven the innate healing response of the body.

The healing response is one of the most complex and coordinated activities
within the human physiology and often cannot be strengthened significantly
without a comprehensive natural approach like that provided at The Raj.

Taken together, all the Maharishi Ayurveda programs described above aim to
create the ideal mental, physical and behavioral environment for healing.

For detailed information on program structure and fees see Program

Overview.

Wishing you perfect health,

The Raj
Uterine Fibroid and Ayuveda
http://ayurworld.blogspot.com/2007/06/uterine-fibroid-and-ayuveda.html

Hysterectomy is now last option in modern science too; after many

having lost their lives on surgery table. Of course this state of
affacirs was 20 years ago. Colon and uterus are seats of "Prana" the
life force which keeps us alive, forms new cells after surgery and
drives our breath. Hysterectomy is seen to disturb the balance of
hormones, causing obesity and other post-menopause symptoms later.
e.g. one woman aged 44, put up 7 kg in just 4 months, and now
suffering from total lack of sensation in pelvic area, constant
fatigue and inflamations in calf muscle, thighs etc.

Nowadays a number of women suffer from formation of fibroids.

The fibroids can be dissolved by Yoga, diet and lifestyle. This is indeed very
encouraging addition to present Ayurvedic knowledge.

According to Acharya Bhavprakash, Aloe Vera dissolves the tumors

like fibroids. Hence in problems like uterian tumors: fibroids,
ovarian cysts, the formulations of Aloe Vera become useful. In
moderate and simple fibroids/cysts (less than 10 mm size),
Kumari Aasav alone 15 ml with equal warm water after meals should be
taken for three months and then check can be performed. While MD will
detect using sonogram, the experienced Vaidyas can judge
the progress by manual checks. Ayurveda did not have any complex
testing required by modern medical science. The hardness of the organ
to the touch and other symptoms were used to diagnose most complex
diseases.

The wide specturm of action of aloe vera is already discussed in many

other posts, including one by this author. The Aloe Vera also acts on
liver, spleen and enliven their function
to higher efficiency. Increased hunger, digestion are first results
to be seen. Increased efficiency of large intestines including colon
aids the excreation process, relieving the patient from constipation.
Some Vaidyas from Amritsar and Surat (in India) prepare a pickle of
Aloe Vera to give to Anorexia patients. Those who can not obtain
Kumari Aasav, Aloe vera pulp can be taken along with 1/4 tsp turmeric
powder and a pinch or two saindhav salt, early morning empty stomach.
Kanchnar Guggulu, 2 Tabs each 250 mg, slight chew and swallow after
meals is also a helpful suggestion. If you decide to take "ayurvedic" route, do it under
supervision, as more tuned and focussed protocol can be formulated.

For both fibroids and painful/irregular menses, Apan Vata management

can be done by following naturopathy aid. In 'NO Medicine' approach,
this can be tried, but long time is needed to balance the Vata.

Use castor oil or Arka oil. Light massage on below navel area. Put a
thin butter paper over this area. Lie down. Cover the area with
heating pad or sea salt bag previously heated over hot plate, and let
temperature be what you can easily bear, without
discomfort. Enjoy heat for about 30 minutes daily, preferably on
empty stomach. Along with this, some patients will need cold hip bath also interspersed in
this fomentation program.

One patient of the author used this method to get rid of fibroids
totally (upto 2 cms size). She used "Christian science" or faith healing simultaneously,
which also may have contributed equally.

Endometrial ablation in modern science may be the modernised version of this old
technique.