Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Keeping the 'Digestive Fire' burning

Shellsbells,
Firstly, I don't think I thnked you for your lovely reply to my Naturopath experience..it helped a great deal.
You sound to be keyed up in Ayurveda. You're right about the 'air principle'. In food terms, air foods are things like broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens - in other words insoluble fibre. And what does the air principle and these foods add to that digestive fire? Wind, bloating, cramping and then the psychlogical feelings of anxiety, irritability, fear.
In Ayurveda, the principle of air is developed even further. There are said to be five principle movements of air in the body which move in different directions and in terms of digestion, the two most important are the centrifugal movement situated in the solar plexus (samana) and the downward moving air situated in the colon and lower part of the body (apana). These airs must be kept moving in the right direction or else constipation, diarrhea, bloating etc occurs. And how to keep them balanced? In terms of food, samana is kept moving through guess what? Stimulative herbs like fennel and fresh ginger, cinnamon and dill. And apana? Similarly with herbs and spices, though alittle more pungent ones (in small doses) such as black pepper, dried ginger, and a fantastic spice called asafoetida or hing. This indian herb is related to garlic and smells very strong. I use it whenever I have gas and I can tell you it works every time. You need the tiniest bit with a pinch of dried ginger and it works a treat (especially followed by some fennel tea). Otherwise, correct, abdominal breathing is absolutely essential for the correct movement of these airs in the body.

Ayurveda is so rich in it's description of the human body in terms of the elements and as I said before, I think it really helps to think of our digestive system in terms of a burning flame which must be kept alive. Yoga and ayurveda go hand in hand and if you use them both, I promise you, they can work wonders.
I'm not saying that ayurveda has cured me, but it has turned my IBS from being a condition where I had profuse diarrhea and occasional constipation, bloating, cramping to having a firm(ish) stool every morning (at the same time - 6am!). I am calmer than I was and though I have a long way to go in other ways (in terms of getting over anorexic thinking about food and exerting too much control over my life) I am so grateful for having discovered such a very logical way of thinking about my body and mind. I still use 'traditional' remedies from time to time (digestive enzymes and friendly bacteria) but when a full blown attack occurs, I feel reassured by the ayurvedic theory of digestion and the human body in general.

Take care,

Claire

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator