Ayurveda for Vitiligo
We are living in the era of technology and living like a machine. Often we are only experiencing when the day starts and when it ends. We don’t take care of what we are eating, how we are eating, proper exercise or the proper time to sleep and wake. The result we all know is lifestyle oriented diseases which are increasing every day.
According to medical science, vitiligo or leucoderma is an autoimmune disorder but in Ayurveda it is categorized under kustha. The most common causative factor is inappropriate food combinations or virudhdha aahar (‘opposite diet’) which is the result of our fast-paced lifestyle.
Leucoderma, also known as vitiligo, is a skin disorder that affects nearly 2% of the world’s population.
Ayurvedic classical literature Charak Samhita describes leocoderma as ‘white leprosy’ which is known as svitra or kilasa.
Leucoderma is a chronic disorder of the skin where the skin stops producing pigments that color the skin. As a result white patches appear randomly at different locations on the skin. These patches are white in color and as time passes may increase in number and size.
Leucoderma is not a medical term. It is only a substitute name for vitiligo. Vitiligo is a more common name for this disease in the west where as in Asia ‘leucoderma’ is used more. According to modern science vitiligo involves focal areas of melanocyte loss.
According to Ayurveda, leucoderma is caused by the aggravation of pitta dosha. Pitta is an Ayurvedic humor which symbolizes heat or fire, and is manifest in the skin. Aggravated pitta leads to accumulation of ama (toxins) in deep layers of the skin, leading to the condition of leucoderma.
Pitta is of five types; one of them is bhrajak pitta which gives coloration to skin. In the case of leucoderma, bhrajak pitta is in an imbalanced state, and therefore, the skin starts losing its color and white patches appear. Along with pitta dosha, deeper body tissues like rasa dhatu (nutrient plasma), rakta (blood), mansa (muscles), lasika (lymph) are also involved in the disease.
Treatment consists of pacifying imbalanced body energies, cleansing the blood and administrating herbs that restore the skin’s natural color. Poor digestion is the root cause of this disease, as it causes the build-up of toxins in the tissues. An essential part of treatment, therefore, is restoring digestion. The patient is advised on the correct diet and lifestyle adjustments to prevent recurrence of the disorder.
the primary causes for Vitiligo according to Ayurveda
a. Improper hygiene
b. Inappropriate food combinations
c. Junk foods and drinks
d. Excessive exposure to insecticides, pesticides, erosive chemicals
e. History of jaundice, sannipata type of fever (Typhoid)
f. Misuse of Ayurveda detoxification therapies
g. Suppression of natural urges
h. Excessive physical exercise in hotter climate, exposure to heat
i. Intake of cold items after exposure to heat or physical exertion
j. Stress and trauma
k. Intake of fatty, spicy foods and drinks during indigestion
l. Psychological qualities like untruthfulness, ungratefulness, insulting the preceptors, sinful acts, past life deeds
m. Incompatible foods and drinks
n. Ayurveda does agree that this condition can also have hereditary factors
Vitiligo is curable when…
•The hair color on the patches is not white
•The patches are in less number
•The patches are not connected with each other
•The patches have recently occurred
avoid these causative factors
3. irregular lifestyle
Questions? Please leave them in the comments below!
Before & After
Vitiligo patients with successful Ayurvedic treatment, before and after.
After:
The moral of this is if the patient of vitiligo follows all the treatment including all diet and lifestyle recommendations given by a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner, he or she shall get excellent results.
