Depression or Stress
Depression & Stress problems are a major challenge for the whole world. These are very common problems for the last ten years and according to a medical survey, 06 out of 10 people suffer from depression or stress problems in their lifetime. Depression is a state of mind in which a patient feels low in their mood and wants to live alone. Sometimes suicidal tendencies are found and sometimes patients cry or hurt themselves. He feels very negative about life and does not want to attend social gatherings. These all are symptoms of mental disturbance and this is due to some chemical imbalance in mind. In Allopathic medical science, patients have to take medicines for years and there is only symptomatic relief.
In Ayurveda, depression & stress problems are related to mansik dosha and treatment is done accordingly. There are lots of madhya medicines available in Ayurveda and with these rasayana medicines and panchkarma treatment helps in better and safe recovery from this disease without any side effects.
Cause of Depression/Stress Problem
- This problem can be due to very hectic lifestyle, due to any loss of a close family member, financial loss, job issues, marriage conflicts, exam failure, broken love affairs, any chronic disease or due to irregular sleeping habits etc. depression can also occur due to addictions of alcohol, smoking, gutka, drugs, etc. for a long time.
- Dhatu ksahya can also cause mental issues and due to kashya, patients feel less confident and the energy level is very low.
- If the patients are taking more fast food, cold drinks, fried items, hotel food, packed food, etc. in their diet, that also causes ama in our body and can affect manodosha raga & ama dosha.
- Physical dosha affects mansik dosha. Vata, pitta, Kapha are physical dosha and satva, raga & ama are mansik dosha. If we are eating more spicy food, fried food, hot items, tea, coffee, etc. it affects our mansik dosha, and raga guna is aggravated.
- If we are eating more of stored food or preserved food, cold drinks, non-veg food, pizza, packed food, etc. it increases the ama dosha of mind. As it is a very famous saying- "Jaisa khaya ann vaisa hoga mann." So these mansik rog depression/stress etc. are aggravated by bad food habits.
- Too much involvement in watching or reading irrelevant talks, fighting news, bad news, or anti-social articles, listening to aggressive music, playing video games, etc. affects our mind very badly and dosha prakop occurs which causes mansik roaa.
Diagnosis
Depression or psychiatric problems can be diagnosed by symptoms of the patient. According to symptoms, we can differentiate various psychiatric disorders of bipolar disorder eg depression, OCD, Hyperactivity disorder, Anxiety disorder, etc.
Symptom of Depression/Stress Problem
In depression and stress problems, the patient feels negative about himself, wants to live alone, feels low confidence and he is always irritated. Sometimes a patient feels very sad and also has suicidal behavior or may hurt himself. These psychiatric problems have different names in medical science as- hyperactive state, bipolar disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression etc. In Ayurveda, these mansik rog are related to dosha prakop and dhatukshya condition. If pitta, vata or raga guna is more, in that condition the patient is hyperactive, tensed, irritated, aggressive, negative or disturbed mind, double mind state.
If Vata, kapha or ama guna is aggravated, the patient is lazier, wants isolation, doesn’t want to speak with anyone, feels sad, sleeps for late hours and is inactive. He has low confidence and does not want to face public or social events. So these are symptoms of mansik ragas according to dosha condition.
Stress or Depression Treatment in Ayurveda
In Allopathic medical science, lots of medicines are there which suppress the mind and give symptomatic relief. The patient feels good but he became totally dependent on medicines. Patients are taking medicines for years but their problem is not solved and is not able to stop the medicines.
In Ayurveda, by understanding the dosha condition, and by working on the root cause of disease we can solve the problem with very minimum chances of recurrence. In Ayurveda, detoxification of the body is done by various panchkarma e.g. vaman karma, Virechana karma, nasya karma, basti chikitsa and snehan svedhan, Shirodhara, etc. By panchakarma treatment, the body is detoxified and rejuvenated and with this, rasayan medicines and madhya medicines are given to pacify the dosha prakop and give nourishment to the brain cells and rejuvenate our body with these medicines. Proper diet plan and yoga, pranayam, meditation, exercise are also advised for relaxation of mind and help to increase the positive energy. Patients are advised to take medicines for 04 to 06 months minimum because in Ayurveda, we are treating to cure the disease and these medicines also recover our body from side effects of Allopathic medicines.
Precautions and Lifestyle Changes
- Patients of mansik rog should avoid all types of fast food, junk food, cold drinks, packed food etc. and should include more fruits, salads, fresh juices in their diet.
- Avoid excess or unnecessary use of internet, mobile, TV etc. and give time to nature, and family, kids & parents. Patients should play with kids, enjoy their hobbies, and try to live in the present.
- Daily exercise, yoga, pranayam, meditation is very important for fast recovery from stressful mind condition.
- Spirituality also helps to increase positivity in our mind, so do some mantra jap or prayer to God to make us healthy and happy daily.
- Do not compare with others. Thank you always to God for whatever you have and live with full energy and faith.
- Give time to your family, parents and try to help them for their better life.
- Avoid all types of addiction e.g. alcohol, smoking or any type of toxic drugs etc.
Home Remedies for Depression/Stress
Along with the depression treatment in Ayurveda, here are some natural remedies for stress/depression
- Patients should take more fruits, salads, green vegetables, sprouts etc. in their diet.
- Soak 8-10 almonds in water for the night & take them in the morning.
- Take cow ghee in a diet daily with a minimum of 1 spoon (5gm). add cow ghee of badam rogan 2-2 drop in both nostrils.
- Patients can do head massage with ksheerabala oil or coconut oil. It helps to reduce stress and also helps in having good sleep.
- Always take freshly prepared food at home.
- Shankhpushpi Syrup, Brahmi sharbat, Badam Pak etc. are good brain tonic and can be taken for good memory and stress relief.
Summary
Stress, depression and other psychiatric problems are very common nowadays in the whole world. These problems are due to hectic lifestyle & irregular daily routines and also excessive use of electronic gadgets, internet use or social media, lack of exercise, yoga, etc. are a common cause for this problem, taking more of ready-made food, packed food, junk food etc. are aggravating factors for these problems. In Allopathic medical science, treatment is done by antipsychiatry medicines with lots of side effects, drug dependence and the patient becomes addicted to those drugs. People are taking medicines for years but the disease is not cured.
In Ayurveda, the approach of treatment is mainly the root cause and disease is treated by proper history & by finding the root cause. Patients can be cured. patients are treated by various panchkarma therapies and with specific medhya medicines and rasayana medicines. With these medicines and panchakarma therapies, the body is detoxified and balances the dosha. With these procedures; yoga, pranayam, meditation and exercise is very important. Regular counselling is also done for positive energy and better confidence. This is a part of Ayurvedic satva jaya chikitsa. By Ayurvedic medicines and panchkarma therapies e.g. shirodhara, nasya karma, basti chikitsa, vamana, virechana karma, side effects of Allopathic medicines are also cleared from the body. So, be confident and try to find the root cause of your stress, depression or any other psychiatric problem and follow Ayurveda with a proper diet plan and yoga, exercise with full faith and patience for better recovery with no side effects.