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 usually seems within the type of a symptom of underlying well being situations. It’s a critical subject that requires medical consideration as in diabetes mellitus or hypoglycaemia. It is among the major signs of diabetes mellitus.
When one eats extreme meals attributable to polyphagia, it might or might not trigger weight acquire. Quite the opposite, in some instances it could possibly even result in unexplained weight reduction. It is rather vital 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 may be excessive and insatiable starvation in polyphagia and these signs additionally outline the talked about situation, it could possibly in easy phrases be correlated to situations talked about in Ayurveda equivalent to –
Pitta vriddhi / prakopa – irregular enhance in pitta
Pitta is chargeable for upkeep of warmth and digestive actions within the physique. When this pitta goes berserk on the higher facet 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 will 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 affect will probably 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 will probably be reverse of this.
Bhasmaka
That is additionally a illness which is attributable to very extreme pitta. It’s a complicated and extra aggressive improvement over teekshnagni. Bhasma means ash. Right here, the meals will not be digested, however is burnt into ash. So, the physique is depleted of vitamin and there may be an imbalance between demand and provide. The particular person 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 vitamin. 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 affect 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 enhance or any illness like rajayakshma which might trigger destruction of tissues. It might probably additionally occur attributable to 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, identical to a powerful breeze spreading a large fireplace. Tissues are the assist 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 fireplace. When tissues are destroyed, there may be extreme demand for compensation and substitute. 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 nearly 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 suggests ‘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 accordance 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 may be 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 undoubtedly given and accepted the idea of hyperactivity and hypoactivity of agni i.e. imbalances of agni on both facet 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 attributable to errors of fats metabolism – medo pradoshaja rogas and ailments induced attributable to contamination of rasavaha and medovaha srotas will give us an image of agni imbalances within the backdrop. We additionally perceive the identical once we dive deep into the idea of agni and its delicate classification and the capabilities contributed to agni.
All ailments are mentioned to be induced attributable to ‘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 delicate imbalances in relation to agni in whichever ailment that’s positioned at his disposal for scrutiny, prognosis and remedy. The whole 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 sorts. They’re –
Mandagni – Right here, the digestive fireplace is influenced by elevated kapha. The hearth is sort of postpone and there may be hypo-functioning of digestive fireplace. The digestive actions additionally decelerate and the meals will not be correctly digested or is incompletely digested. Right here principally the affected person will not be 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 straight, 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 particular person feels hungry usually and in fast intervals. Polyphagia will not be 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 will probably be extreme. Since there will probably 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 provides 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. Generally the hearth is intense and typically weak. Generally the digestion capability is sweet 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 particular person is skinny or is shedding 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 individuals may have dietary imbalances and will probably be making an attempt numerous strategies and levels of compensating them. The tissues on the verge of harm would demand substitute and on this try the particular person might eat extra meals, extra incessantly 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 will probably be just like teekshnagni when pachaka pitta dominates and vishamagni when samana vata dominates the image.
The dhatu connection & diabetes hyperlink
As already mentioned at first, tissue loss or destruction can occur attributable to many causes. Immaterial of trigger, tissue loss calls for compensation and substitute of the misplaced tissues. This may be finished solely by consumption of meals. Since there may be an excessive amount of tissue loss in some situations like rajayakshma, there may be extreme and frequent demand for meals which is offered within the type of extreme and repeated starvation. The particular person craves for increasingly meals and therefore may be correlated to polyphagia.
‘Mahashanam kshiyamanam’ – getting emaciated (lack of weight attributable to tissue loss) in a extreme manner regardless of consuming massive portions of meals, talked about within the context of incurability of rajayakshma, most likely denotes extreme type of polyphagia. It is because on this dreadful illness it has been clearly talked about ‘kshiyante dhatavaha sarve’ i.e. there may be lower or deterioration of all of the tissues whereas they don’t seem to be being compensated with. In the identical context it has been talked about ‘krichchrena bahu mehantam yakshma hantiha manavam’ i.e. extreme urination with problem. This will likely mirror the reason of a sophisticated and incurable kind 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 / ailments, the affected person ought to be suggested to avoid the etiological elements chargeable for aggravation of doshas or ailments chargeable for polyphagia. They embody meals and actions which enhance vata, pitta and meda.
Remedy Ideas
The principle 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 beneath talked about situations 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 may be excessive pitta within the intestine which is inflicting polyphagia, virechana would be the best option. It is usually the most effective in treating medo roga.
When there may be vata aggravation – within the colon, all the physique or tissues, Vasti is the best 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 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
