Introduction to Ayurveda

Our local Yoga news is doing an Ayurvedic series and this is an introduction to the discipline that I did for the News  Lifestyle behaviors can produce genetic harmony in our lives or interfere with that harmony and the Ayurvedic discipline outlines for us guidelines that can produce genetic harmony  Another word for genetic harmony is balance but one of the keys to helping shapeshift our DNA is through healthy lifestyle patterns of behavior

These kinds of behavior patterns are foundational to the management of any disease including the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia)

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IC and DMSO: An Energy Science Clue to the Cause of IC

In essence if we want to direct our lives, we should take control of our consistent actions. 

It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives but what we do consistently.           Anonymous author

As I have written in a past blog the origin of IC from an energy science point of view is the pelvic quality expression of hot, sharp, mobile, light, dry, rough, spreading, soft, cloudy, and sticky  In the past I have simplified these qualities to hot and mobile because they are so dominantly expressed but you should be aware that there is the potential for these other qualities to produce their symptoms as well in the physiology  For example it’s not uncommon for patients to report a sharp, spreading, and stabbing pain in parts of the perineum or pelvic area

As I have written the pelvic nerve involvement is the common pathway to the symptom complex of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, and fibromyalgia) and from an energy science perspective the above qualities become involved in the nervous tissue of the pelvis leading to this perplexing group of symptoms

DMSO and Its Role in IC

DMSO bladder instillation has long been known to produce symptom relief in some of those with the IC bladder pain syndrome and there are published results of its effectiveness  The reason for the symptom improvement is unclear or unstated from a matter science point of view  But if we look at DMSO’s properties it has specific skin or mucosal permeability characteristics which has made it an ideal vehicle to carry various materials into the anatomy  Much of the urologic concern around safety of use has been focused on bladder wall damage particularly for concentrations greater than the recommended RIMSO 50  It has been suggested that high concentrations of DMSO can lead to permanent bladder wall damage that might eventuate in surgical removal of the the bladder

DMSO has a predilection for nervous tissue and has been shown in an animal model to produce cell death in developing nervous tissue  This cell destruction is probable in its human use from what we know from animal models  Nonetheless the important observation is that DMSO can seek out pelvic nervous tissue as a target and has potentially damaging effects on that tissue

It is clear that there is systemic absorption from the garlic like odor that is elicited in patients receiving DMSO bladder instillation therapy  So it’s quite reasonable to consider that DMSO’s mode of action in the case of IC is to penetrate the bladder mucosa and infiltrate the local pelvic nerves to in effect numb or even destroy the pelvic nerves leading to transient symptom relief

DMSO as Evidence of the Cause of IC

In previous blogs I have discussed the energy science’s explanation of how the IC bladder pain syndrome occurs  Vata Pitta and even Kapha qualities move from the colon  The Vata qualities have a predilection for nervous tissue as many of the qualities of Vata are shared by those of the nervous system tissue  The energy science also tells us that the Vata quality of mobile carries the qualities of Pitta and Kapha into the pelvic nerve tissues as well

The stage is then set for these qualities to begin causing the characteristic symptoms of IC  Urinary urgency and frequency(mobile), burning on urination(hot, sharp, spreading), dull ache(slow/dull, heavy, sticky,dense), generalized sporadic pain(cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle)  These symptoms occur not only in the bladder and general pelvic area but also lead to those in the vagina and prostate  The colon may also have symptoms from the buildup of these qualities and would be interpreted as IBS

So the use of DMSO numbs or destroys the pelvic nerves and gives relief  It also serves as an anti-inflammatory which is know to be present energetically in the pelvic nerves  But unfortunately it becomes a bandaid which does not address the basic underlying imbalance which remains  The pelvic qualities like phantom pain still remain  It’s well known that cystectomy and/or prostatectomy does not clear the symptoms of IC or chronic prostatitis  This is because the causative qualities are still present in the remaining tissues

Energy Science Solutions for Symptom Relief in Acute Flares

There are points in therapy after nutrition and basic lifestyle behavior patterns are completed that basti management as previously described can be instituted to create a reduction of the qualities in the colon so that the qualities in the pelvis can come back to the colon for elimination

Another avenue for temporary relief from symptoms is lower rectal lidocaine administration using basti technique  This is routinely done in urologic practice through bladder instillation with the use of other drugs such as steroids and heparin  Labeled as bladder rescue instillations the urologist is essentially treating the pelvic nerves not the bladder  My patient experience suggests that the rectal route is more effective than the bladder route but both are temporary at best  The rectal administration also lasts longer and when the pain does come back it is typically not as severe as before the lidocaine

Our understanding of the etiology of IC with the help of the mechanism of action of DMSO completely supports the energy science model of how the IC bladder pain syndrome evolves

IC and Chronic Prostatitis: A 5 Step Plan of Attack

Chronic prostatitis is a nonbacterial inflammatory condition of the male pelvis and can be considered male intersitial cystitis  It is a member of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, and fibromyalgia) because the cause is the same as its other members  Imbalances of qualities in the bowel caused by primarily the foods consumed and lifestyle choices that provoke the energy physiology lead to dissemination to the peripheral tissues  Like IC itself invariably the pelvic nerves become involved with the qualities of light mobile dry rough and hot leading to observed symptoms

The presence of fever is a key differentiating feature between acute and chronic prostatitis  This is very important because the treatment of acute prostatitis is completely different  If a man has chills and fever of 100.5F or greater with symptoms of acute prostatitis then he should be on antibiotics and in severe cases hospitalized because the cause is bacterial

Acute Flares of IC and Chronic Prostatitis

It is estimated that greater than 90% of those with chronic prostatitis are of nonbacterial origin, that is, there is no bacteria or infection in the prostate tissue  Sounds a lot like IC doesn’t it?

Chronic prostatitis is not associated with fever and similar to interstitial cystitis occurs acutely as flares lasting 2-3 weeks  Urological workups including cultures, xrays, and endoscopy are negative  In uncommon situations cystoscopy may show bladder mucosal lesions that biopsy negative and are typically not characteristic of Hunner’s ulcers(which are unusual even in IC)  Prostatic calculi may produce a chronic bacterial prostatitis but this is unusual There  is no association between chronic prostatitis and prostate cancer epidemiologically in the allopathic literature

There is no agreed upon best treatment from the molecular or allopathic model of healing but it is typically treated with antibiotics initially  These courses usually last for 3-4weeks or more based on the resolution of symptoms and/or recurrence of symptoms   This is often the case since the cause is nonbacterial  As the chronicity develops in the clinical course men are often kept on antiinflammatories or even short courses of steroids have been used

Anatomically the prostate lives at the base of the bladder and as you can see by the accompanying picture the urethral tube passes from the bladder to the outside through the penis  So the symptoms of prostatitis mirror those seen in women with interstitial cystitis  Suprapubic pain, perirectal or perianal pain , low back pain, testicular pain, pain referred to the base or the tip of the penis, pain with ejaculation, urinary frequency, urgency, small volumes of urine passed, and a feeling of incomplete emptying predominate when the man is having an acute flare

Due to the hot quality inflammation like IC produces the symptoms of burning on urination and because the prostate is innervated by the same use nerves affecting bladder function there can be pain with ejaculation  This latter symptom may also be caused by the prostate itself becoming involved by the hot quality  Sometimes the prostate becomes so inflamed that blood may be seen at the tip of the penis at the end of urination

An Energy Science Approach To Chronic Prostatitis

As in IC there should be a division in treatment based on whether one is treating an acute flare or trying to do maintenance therapy  This has been covered in a previous blog post  Here are some basic foundational things to do

1 As always use a nutritional format appropriate for one’s energy pattern and avoid incompatible food combinations

2 Consistent daily pranayama practice specifically using kapalabhati can have symptom controlling benefit  It has been shown in an Italian study of 231 sedentary men with chronic prostatitis that routine exercise helped symptoms  Pranayama is an excellent combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise that stresses the pelvic floor hence strengthening this area of the anatomy which is involved in chronic prostatitis

3 Herbal formulas can be helpful even in the acute stage or flare and gokshuradhi guggulu can be effective in reducing congestion when the gland is involved

4 Basti therapy in both acute and chronic phases can be very helpful in treating the pelvic nerve imblances

5  Lidocaine as in interstitial cystitis transrectally can be helpful in reducing the acute symptoms of chronic prostatitis

Like the IC bladder pain syndrome chronic prostatitis can be healed from an energy science perspective but it requires a disciplined approach and based on how long symptoms have been present determines the length of time of recovery

IC and The Care of the Energy MindBody: 5 Fundamental Methods For Detox

When we discuss the energetic management of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, and fibromyalgia), a different world of healing is entered  We leave behind our thinking about the body as a collection of molecules that can be manipulated by surgery and Pharma and begin seeing our mindbodies as energy fields  This has great value since all disease begins in the energy field way before it becomes manifest in the world of molecules

The energy science of Ayurveda not only gives us a vocabulary(Vata, Pitta, Kapha, Agni etc) by which we can talk about our mindbodies as energy fields but it also gives us lots of ways to take care of our energy mindbodies  When’s the best time to get up in the morning or to go to bed, what’s the best time to eat our biggest meal….all based on the concept that we are energetic expressions of Nature Herself  The icdiet and the VPK nutritional formats are based on this energetic concept

 5 Fundamental Energy Daily Practices

These practices could be called “healthy” lifestyle behavior patterns because they induce detoxification of the energy mindbody

1 Get up with Nature and go to bed with Nature  This means we should be getting up early(between 5 and 7a) and go to bed between 930 and 11p

2 Biggest meal at noon Nature’s most active time of the day is at noon and this is when our digestion is the strongest(even if it’s lousy it will the least lousy at noon time) and so we should take advantage of this simple concept

3 Improve your digestion  Using foods that are energetically suitable for us; avoid snacking(fruit is an exception); avoid incompatible food combinations; only consuming what you can hold in your 2 hands at any one meal; using CCF tea and other spices routinely; NEVER eat if you’re not hungry

4 Have a morning routine  Splash cold water into the eyes(wakes up the nervous system) do a sesame oil swish(draws Kapha energy in the form of mucous from the nasal passages), use of a neti pot to draw Kapha energy, brush the teeth, and every 2 weeks place garlic oil in the ear canals to prevent wax accumulation  Then number 5…..

5 Exercise daily  This improves our digestive strength and enhances the upward and downward energy of the mindbody  Kapalabhati is a specific energy breathing technique that is very powerful  10 pushups(improves upward moving energy) and 10 situps improves downward moving energy

The Biological Energy Science: Changing the Way You Think

So there is a deeply rooted understanding of our relationship with Nature and this then helps direct our choices  This is what is fundamentally missing with our current matter science discipline of healing…..a lack of philosophy…that is, a way of thinking  The energy science of Ayurveda is part of a greater system of thinking which is a philosophy of life

It defines our relationship with that which is around us, that is, our world  According to this way of thinking we are part of Nature Herself and Nature is discussed in terms of energy patterns of VPK  Then we understand that everything is defined in the visible and invisible world as VPK(that is, there are VPK times of day, VPK seasons, and VPK institutions and companies…..because they are nothing but collections of VPK)

This makes the energy science system of healing different than today’s way of healing