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 circumstances. It’s a critical concern that requires medical consideration as in diabetes mellitus or hypoglycaemia. It is without doubt one of the fundamental signs of diabetes mellitus.
When one eats extreme meals as a consequence of polyphagia, it could or could not trigger weight acquire. Quite the opposite, in some circumstances it could possibly even result in unexplained weight reduction. It is rather vital to grasp 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
Fundamental Concerns
Since there’s excessive and insatiable starvation in polyphagia and these signs additionally outline the talked about situation, it could possibly in easy phrases be correlated to circumstances talked about in Ayurveda equivalent to –
Pitta vriddhi / prakopa – irregular enhance 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 hearth 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 could find yourself in polyphagia.
Teekshnagni
When the digestive hearth is influenced by excessive pitta, the fireplace turns into intense and all-consuming in nature. The impression will likely be as defined in pitta vriddhi which additionally will result in manifestation of polyphagia.
Vishamagni
When the digestive hearth is influenced and ruled by excessive vata, the fireplace 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 will likely be reverse of this.
Bhasmaka
That is additionally a illness which is brought on by very extreme pitta. It’s a sophisticated and extra aggressive improvement over teekshnagni. Bhasma means ash. Right here, the meals isn’t digested, however is burnt into ash. So, the physique is depleted of vitamin and there’s an imbalance between demand and provide. The particular person feels extreme and frequent starvation of a extreme sort compared to teekshnagni.
Anashana
Not consuming meals in any respect or overtly fasting could result in malnutrition or insufficient vitamin. This results in depletion of tissues which might end in imbalance between demand and provide. The physique would demand extra and frequent gasoline 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 comparable impression as that of Anashana. Anashana or Upavasa can be included among the many ten sorts of langhana.
Dhatu Kshaya
Huge destruction of tissues could be brought on by vata enhance or any illness like rajayakshma which might trigger destruction of tissues. It could actually additionally occur as a consequence of extreme enhance 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 a large hearth. Tissues are the help system of the physique. Their steadiness defines endurance and immunity. The tissues are supported by the essence of meals we devour, that meals which is correctly digested by the digestive hearth. 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. It is a syndrome brought on by 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 vitamin 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 fat 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, based on Ayurveda, is initiated when the agni i.e. the digestive hearth within the abdomen will get ignited indicating ‘want of food’ within the type of gasoline, 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 hearth 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, the complete metabolism goes haywire and opens the gateways for a lot of metabolic and systemic issues 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 underneath the umbrella of which Diabetes Mellitus falls and polyphagia, however has undoubtedly 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 issues.
A deeper understanding of the idea of prameha, medo roga, illnesses occurring as a consequence of errors of fats metabolism – medo pradoshaja rogas and illnesses precipitated as a consequence 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 capabilities contributed to agni.
All illnesses are mentioned to be precipitated as a consequence of ‘mandagni’, a time period which we are able to think about 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, prognosis and remedy. Your entire 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 illnesses manifesting and troubling the mankind.
Imbalances of digestive hearth
The imbalances of digestive hearth are primarily of three sorts. They’re –
Mandagni – Right here, the digestive hearth is influenced by elevated kapha. The fireplace is nearly postpone and there’s hypo-functioning of digestive hearth. The digestive actions additionally decelerate and the meals isn’t correctly digested or is incompletely digested. Right here mainly the affected person isn’t consuming a lot meals. However alternatively, 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 instantly, all of the pramehas have their roots in kapha aggravation, immaterial of the kind of kapha.
Teekshnagni – Right here the digestive hearth is influenced by elevated pitta. Right here the digestive hearth is so extreme that it rapidly digests the meals and therefore the particular person feels hungry typically and in fast intervals. Polyphagia will not be current in all types or all phases of diabetes mellitus. But when polyphagia is predominant in diabetes mellitus compared to different signs, then the given situation could also be pittaja prameha. For the reason that core hearth – koshtagni or pachaka agni which is within the type of pachaka pitta is intense on this situation, its affect on the tissue fires too will likely be extreme. Since there will likely be extreme tissue burnouts, the physique must compensate for the loss rapidly. So, gasoline within the type of meals too is required in fast intervals. To point that the physique provides indicators within the type of frequent starvation bouts.
Vishamagni – Right here the digestive hearth is influenced by elevated vata. The digestive hearth on this situation is erratic. Typically the fireplace is intense and typically weak. Typically the digestion capability is nice and typically it’s unhealthy and so is the digestion of meals. This fluctuant nature and behavior of the agni is discovered within the polyphagia variants present in folks of diabetes mellitus. If the digestion is erratic and the particular person is skinny or is reducing weight 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 folks may have dietary imbalances and will likely be attempting varied strategies and levels of compensating them. The tissues on the verge of injury would demand alternative and on this try the particular person could eat extra meals, extra regularly however the graph is erratic.
The dosha axis and polyphagia
Well timed and proper sort 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 will likely be just like teekshnagni when pachaka pitta dominates and vishamagni when samana vata dominates the image.
The dhatu connection & diabetes hyperlink
As already mentioned in the beginning, tissue loss or destruction can occur as a consequence of many causes. Immaterial of trigger, tissue loss calls for compensation and alternative of the misplaced tissues. This may be carried out solely by consumption of meals. Since there’s an excessive amount of tissue loss in some circumstances like rajayakshma, there’s extreme and frequent demand for meals which is introduced within the type of extreme and repeated starvation. The particular person craves for increasingly meals and therefore could be correlated to polyphagia.
‘Mahashanam kshiyamanam’ – getting emaciated (lack of weight as a consequence of tissue loss) in a extreme manner regardless of consuming giant portions of meals, talked about within the context of incurability of rajayakshma, in all probability denotes extreme type of polyphagia. It is 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 may occasionally replicate the reason of an advanced and incurable sort of diabetes. The reason additionally provides 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 / illnesses, the affected person ought to be suggested to avoid the etiological components answerable for aggravation of doshas or illnesses answerable for polyphagia. They embody meals and actions which enhance vata, pitta and meda.
Therapy Rules
The primary dosha or illness within the backdrop of polyphagia, as a trigger or set off, ought to be addressed.
The remedy rules embody dealing with the under talked about circumstances in an efficient manner –
– 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 the perfect in treating medo roga.
When there’s vata aggravation – within the colon, the complete physique or tissues, Vasti is the best selection. 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 brought on by fats within the channels of the physique.
Different rules
The under talked about shall be included within the remedy 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 drugs
