Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Polyphagia or hyperphagia is a situation whereby an individual experiences excessive and insatiable starvation which persists even after consuming meals. It typically seems within the type of a symptom of underlying well being situations. It’s a severe subject that requires medical consideration as in diabetes mellitus or hypoglycaemia. It is likely one of the important signs of diabetes mellitus.
When one eats extreme meals because of polyphagia, it could or might not trigger weight acquire. Quite the opposite, in some instances it will possibly even result in unexplained weight reduction. It is vitally essential to know and deal with the underlying situation for successfully managing polyphagia.
Associated Studying – Polyphagia
On this article we are going to attempt to perceive polyphagia from an Ayurveda perspective.
Polyphagia: Ayurveda Understanding
Primary Issues
Since there’s excessive and insatiable starvation in polyphagia and these signs additionally outline the talked about situation, it will possibly in easy phrases be correlated to situations talked about in Ayurveda akin to –
Pitta vriddhi / prakopa – irregular improve in pitta
Pitta is answerable for upkeep of warmth and digestive actions within the physique. When this pitta goes berserk on the higher aspect of the graph, it causes irregular rise in warmth, depth of digestive fireplace and digestion of meals in very fast time. This results in emotions of frequent need of meals, unsatiable starvation, meals craving, raised urge for food and frequent consuming of meals. This may find yourself in polyphagia.
Teekshnagni
When the digestive fireplace is influenced by excessive pitta, the hearth turns into intense and all-consuming in nature. The impression can be as defined in pitta vriddhi which additionally will result in manifestation of polyphagia.
Vishamagni
When the digestive fireplace is influenced and ruled by excessive vata, the hearth turns into erratic in nature. It typically is intense and typically weak. When intense it digests the meals in a short time and produces fast and frequent starvation. When weak, its motion can be reverse of this.
Bhasmaka
That is additionally a illness which is attributable to very extreme pitta. It’s a sophisticated and extra aggressive growth over teekshnagni. Bhasma means ash. Right here, the meals just isn’t digested, however is burnt into ash. So, the physique is depleted of diet and there’s an imbalance between demand and provide. The individual feels extreme and frequent starvation of a extreme kind compared to teekshnagni.
Anashana
Not consuming meals in any respect or overtly fasting might result in malnutrition or insufficient diet. This results in depletion of tissues which might end in imbalance between demand and provide. The physique would demand extra and frequent gas within the type of meals to compensate for the misplaced tissues. This manifests within the type of extreme and frequent starvation – polyphagia.
Ati Langhana or Apatarpana
Extreme administration of langhana – measures and therapies which might trigger extreme lightness within the physique or apatarpana – depleting measures will trigger related impression as that of Anashana. Anashana or Upavasa can be included among the many ten sorts of langhana.
Dhatu Kshaya
Large destruction of tissues may be attributable to vata improve or any illness like rajayakshma which might trigger destruction of tissues. It will possibly additionally occur because of extreme improve in pitta or extreme aggravation of each vata and pitta. Vata dries up the tissues whereas pitta causes burnouts. The combo of aggravated vata and pitta is deadlier, similar to a powerful breeze spreading an enormous fireplace. Tissues are the help system of the physique. Their steadiness defines endurance and immunity. The tissues are supported by the essence of meals we eat, that meals which is correctly digested by the digestive fireplace. When tissues are destroyed, there’s extreme demand for compensation and alternative. This manifests within the type of extreme and repeated starvation or crave for meals. That is polyphagia.
Medo Roga
It’s an excessive situation of fats metabolism gone berserk. This can be a syndrome attributable to errors of fats metabolism. On this situation, the elevated fats causes blocks in virtually all of the channels of transportation within the physique. This causes depletion of diet of all of the tissues. Solely fats tissue is nourished and enriched by the essence of meals, at the price of different tissues. This fats accumulates within the physique, channels and tissues and causes medo roga.
Ashtau Nindita
The ‘Ati Sthula’ talked about within the context of Ashta Nindita i.e. eight classes of despicable individuals, which implies ‘too fats or too stout’ could also be a resultant of polyphagia. Polyphagia on this situation could also be a trigger or impact.
The idea of agni and its relation to starvation and polyphagia
Starvation, in keeping with Ayurveda, is initiated when the agni i.e. the digestive fireplace within the abdomen will get ignited indicating ‘need of meals’ within the type of gas, as soon as the beforehand consumed meals has been correctly digested.
For the digestion of meals to occur an ideal steadiness between the central agni i.e. jathara agni or pachaka agni – intestine fireplace and the opposite peripheral agnis i.e. Bhuta agnis i.e. elemental fires and dhatu agnis – tissue fires are a should. That is the inspiration of an intact and balanced metabolism.
If there’s imbalance within the core or peripheral agnis, individually or comparatively, all the metabolism goes haywire and opens the gateways for a lot of metabolic and systemic problems to occur in future.
When the pachaka agni turns into intense and hyperactive, it additionally influences the opposite agnis via a suggestions mechanism. With hyperactive central agni, there will increase starvation and repeated urge for consuming and solely this intensifies with time. That is the fundamental core of understanding the idea of polyphagia.
Ayurveda has not talked about direct relationship or trigger and impact relation between Prameha beneath the umbrella of which Diabetes Mellitus falls and polyphagia, however has positively given and accepted the idea of hyperactivity and hypoactivity of agni i.e. imbalances of agni on both aspect of the graph as being causal for a lot of systemic and metabolic problems.
A deeper understanding of the idea of prameha, medo roga, ailments occurring because of errors of fats metabolism – medo pradoshaja rogas and ailments brought about because of contamination of rasavaha and medovaha srotas will give us an image of agni imbalances within the backdrop. We additionally perceive the identical after we dive deep into the idea of agni and its refined classification and the features contributed to agni.
All ailments are mentioned to be brought about because of ‘mandagni’, a time period which we are able to contemplate as imbalances of agni. So, an Ayurveda doctor would first attempt to discover out the gross and refined imbalances in relation to agni in whichever ailment that’s positioned at his disposal for scrutiny, analysis and therapy. All the basis of Kaya Chikitsa, the primary and elite department of eightfold Ayurveda lays on the idea of agni and measures concerned in balancing the agni firsthand in order to deal with many ailments manifesting and troubling the mankind.
Imbalances of digestive fireplace
The imbalances of digestive fireplace are primarily of three varieties. They’re –
Mandagni – Right here, the digestive fireplace is influenced by elevated kapha. The fireplace is sort of postpone and there’s hypo-functioning of digestive fireplace. The digestive actions additionally decelerate and the meals just isn’t correctly digested or is incompletely digested. Right here principally the affected person just isn’t consuming a lot meals. However then again, if we’re talking about polyphagia related to diabetes mellitus, which has been correlated with prameha, the idea which has not been defined by Ayurveda immediately, all of the pramehas have their roots in kapha aggravation, immaterial of the kind of kapha.
Teekshnagni – Right here the digestive fireplace is influenced by elevated pitta. Right here the digestive fireplace is so extreme that it shortly digests the meals and therefore the individual feels hungry typically and in fast intervals. Polyphagia is probably not current in all types or all levels of diabetes mellitus. But when polyphagia is predominant in diabetes mellitus compared to different signs, then the given situation could also be pittaja prameha. Because the core fireplace – koshtagni or pachaka agni which is within the type of pachaka pitta is intense on this situation, its affect on the tissue fires too can be extreme. Since there can be extreme tissue burnouts, the physique must compensate for the loss shortly. So, gas within the type of meals too is required in fast intervals. To point that the physique offers indicators within the type of frequent starvation bouts.
Vishamagni – Right here the digestive fireplace is influenced by elevated vata. The digestive fireplace on this situation is erratic. Typically the hearth is intense and typically weak. Typically the digestion capability is nice and typically it’s dangerous and so is the digestion of meals. This fluctuant nature and behavior of the agni is discovered within the polyphagia variants present in individuals of diabetes mellitus. If the digestion is erratic and the individual is skinny or is losing a few pounds or tissues and his or her consuming habits are additionally erratic in sync with the various behaviour of the agni, the given situation could also be vataja prameha or madhumeha. These individuals can have dietary imbalances and can be attempting numerous strategies and levels of compensating them. The tissues on the verge of harm would demand alternative and on this try the individual might eat extra meals, extra steadily however the graph is erratic.
The dosha axis and polyphagia
Well timed and proper kind of starvation and correct digestion of meals within the abdomen relies on the synchronous functioning of pachaka pitta, samana vata and kledaka kapha within the abdomen. When any a number of of those doshas are put out of steadiness, singly or comparatively, the digestion actions go awry. Hyperactivity of pachaka pitta or samana vata or each and simultaneous deterioration of kledaka kapha will result in extreme agni and its exercise resulting in polyphagia. This can be just like teekshnagni when pachaka pitta dominates and vishamagni when samana vata dominates the image.
The dhatu connection & diabetes hyperlink
As already mentioned firstly, tissue loss or destruction can occur because of many causes. Immaterial of trigger, tissue loss calls for compensation and alternative of the misplaced tissues. This may be completed solely by consumption of meals. Since there’s an excessive amount of tissue loss in some situations like rajayakshma, there’s extreme and frequent demand for meals which is introduced within the type of extreme and repeated starvation. The individual craves for increasingly more meals and therefore may be correlated to polyphagia.
‘Mahashanam kshiyamanam’ – getting emaciated (lack of weight because of tissue loss) in a extreme means despite consuming massive portions of meals, talked about within the context of incurability of rajayakshma, most likely denotes extreme type of polyphagia. It’s because on this dreadful illness it has been clearly talked about ‘kshiyante dhatavaha sarve’ i.e. there’s lower or deterioration of all of the tissues whereas they aren’t being compensated with. In the identical context it has been talked about ‘krichchrena bahu mehantam yakshma hantiha manavam’ i.e. extreme urination with issue. This will likely mirror the reason of an advanced and incurable kind of diabetes. The reason additionally offers us an image of polyphagia associated to diabetes defined in another context.
Ayurveda Administration of Polyphagia
Nidana Parivarjana
Following the golden rules of administration of any illness / ailments, the affected person ought to be suggested to avoid the etiological elements answerable for aggravation of doshas or ailments answerable for polyphagia. They embrace meals and actions which improve vata, pitta and meda.
Remedy Ideas
The primary dosha or illness within the backdrop of polyphagia, as a trigger or set off, ought to be addressed.
The therapy rules embrace dealing with the beneath talked about situations in an efficient means –
– Pitta vriddhi or prakopa
– Vata vriddhi or prakopa
– Teekshna agni
– Bhasmaka roga
– Vishama agni
– Dhatu kshaya
– Medo roga
Panchakarma Therapies
If there’s excessive pitta within the intestine which is inflicting polyphagia, virechana would be the most suitable option. It is usually one of the best in treating medo roga.
When there’s vata aggravation – within the colon, all the physique or tissues, Vasti is the perfect alternative. Nourishing, tissue constructing and strengthening enemas ought to be given when extreme aggravation of vata is inflicting tissue destruction.
Exterior Therapies
Udwarthana or Udwarthana together with Virechana is right in sthoulya and medo roga to take away the extreme fats accumulation and likewise to cleanse the blocks attributable to fats within the channels of the physique.
Different rules
The beneath talked about shall be included within the therapy protocol as and when wanted –
– Brimhana – bulk enhancing / selling
– Santarpana – nourishing
– Balya – strengthening
– Rasayana – medicines and meals which improve the standard and balanced amount of all of the tissues, mediate and improve immunity, acts as anti-ageing and rejuvenating brokers and as preventive medication
