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SKIN DISEASES
Ayurveda has considered all skin diseases under "KUSTHA ROGA". The literal meaning of Kustha in Sanskrit is "Sariram Kushnati Kuschitan Karoti" means the roga which causes discoloration, disfiguration, bringing disgrace upon the bearer. This simple definition of all Kustha roga emphasis its social implication and how both the Vaidya and the patient should put in utmost efforts to cure the diseases from its roots. It also emphasis skin is the reflection of the underlying metabolism of the body. The more the skin is disfigured in color, texture, touch and radiant; the more we get the hint of a serious faulty metabolism going on inside the body. Skin as we all know is the largest organ of our body. The skin has functions in thermoregulation, protection, metabolic functions sensation, absorption, and excretion. It is the only organ which is directly exposed to all the elements of the outer environment. Our skin has an exceptional ability to protect and heal itself. Let's take a quick review of our Skin : Four Layers The top layer, the one you can see and feel, is called the keratin layer. It's made of dead cells that protect the more delicate layers underneath. It is constantly being worn away and replaced by new cells that move up from the layer below. The layer below is called the epidermis. It is made of living cells. It also contains the pigment that gives the skin its color. The epidermis is nourished by the blood vessels in the layer below, which is called the dermis. The dermis is a lot thicker than the epidermis and is very elastic, so your skin is able to stretch and move. The sweat glands in the dermis have tiny tubes leading to the surface of the skin. It also contains hair follicles-the bulb-like structures that hairs grow from. The nerve endings that sense heat, cold and pain are also in the dermis. The bottom layer of the dermis is called subcutaneous tissue. Fat is stored there, which keeps you cool when it is hot and warm when the outside air is cold. The fat is also a shock absorber and stores extra fuel for your body. Ayurveda Ayurveda has also mentioned briefly about Twak (Skin) being an Upadhatu (Sub-tissue) of Rasa Dhatu and has been categorized to 7 layers taking in account the different types of skin diseases involved in different layers of the skin. Twak is the end organ of the body; derives all the nutrients needed for a flawless skin from Rasa dhatu. All the 18 types of skin diseases described by Charka; involves the 3 dosha and 4 Dhatus; Vata, Pitta, Kapha along with Twak (Skin tissues), Rakta (Blood), Mamsa (Muscle) and Lasika (Lymphatic). The Chronicity and difficulty in the treatment of Skin diseases depends on the number of dosha and the Dhatu involved. Sushrut has described some Skin diseases under the Miscellaneous chapter called the "Khyudra Roga", where he documented many skin lesion where there is minimum involvement of dosha and dhatu resulting lesser symptoms and easy to treat. Some Common Skin diseases described under "Khyudra Roga" Darkening of skin : Pigmentation of the skin can be due to a variety of causes. The commonest is the darkening of the forehead, cheeks & chin occurring in chloasma. Chlosama most often occurs in women during pregnancy or in those who are taking birth control pills. It may sometimes also affect men. The second type of pigmentation is freckling, a problem which is inherited. It is more commonly seen in fair individuals, particularly in those with red hair & blue eyes- so it is common in European & America countries. Both chloasma & freckling can be treated successfully with Ayurvedic herbal medications. The third type of pigmentation is the darkening seen under the eye due to late night work, stress, anemic, deficiency of Vit. E. Remedy : Darkening of skin is due to excessive Vata. Vata has the capability to change the normal color of the skin to darker shades. Oleation with natural herbal Oil application specially made from Kesar will help in pacifying Vata at the same time help bring back the natural glow of the skin. Digestive formulary having Hingu are very helpful for releasing the toxins formed by imbalanced Vata from the alimentary tract. Panchakarma treatment such as Sirodhara or Sirobasti will help for stress and insomnia problems indirectly helping the body to recoup from imbalance state of doshas. Infections :Boils : Its summer now; boil is a common skin lesion due to hot and humid environment. Boils are formed over the skin involving the blood capillaries and the underlying nerve endings of the skin. Hence, they can be very painful and if they appear in crops, they may be accompanied by fever. Some people have a tendency to develop boils. Ayurveda understands this disease to be over accumulation of Pitta in the skin along with aggravation of Kapha and Vata dosha. Infection leads to Pus formation in boils. It is better to have herbal medicines from the ancient Ayurvedic treasure house rather than "Antibiotics" to treat boils. Remedy : Ayurvedic herbs such as guduchi (Pitta samaka) Haldi (blood purifying) Kadira (infections) etc are used in Ayurvedic

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formulations and powders to be applied as paste for local relief from inflammations as well as internal application to pacify the aggravated Pitta. Neem Oil is very effective in preventing infections in boils and also prevents spreading to local areas through contamination with pus. Patients are also advised to take less oily, fried, processed foods, salt and too much sugar. If you have been getting crops of boils repeatedly, it is worth while to get your blood sugar tested your boil may well be a sign of diabetes. Fungal infections : Several species of fungi attack the human skin in a variety of ways. Ringworm one type fungi cause ring shaped infections of the skin which causes irritation and itching. The groin is the site most commonly affected with ringworm. In women the waist, is frequently involved. In children, ringworm can cause baldness of the scalp & this problem is quite contagious. On the feet, fungi cause athlete's foot. There is scaling, itching and maceration in between the toes. Fungi can also affect the nails. Another type of fungus causes light colored spots on the skin this is called pityriasis versicoles. Remedy : It is better to treat them by herbal medications than synthetic & chemical oriented ointments. Ayurveda offers excellent Ointments, Oils and herbs with mineral formulations helps increase the immunity and treats the root cause for chronic fungal infections. Ayurvedic medicines include herbs such as Bidanga, Palasa, Tulsi, Kampillaka etc. These herbs are excellent Krumighana. Patients are also advised to take boiled fresh vegetables or less spicy oily, vegetarian diet. Avoid stressful conditions and sleep well. Warts : A wart is a very common problem. At any one point, 10% of the population will have a wart or two on their bodies. Some times the warts will be very inconvenient, or particularly embarrassing or painful or spreading rapidly. Warts on the feet tend to be painful because they get trodden on. Ayurvedic medication is safe & effective for the treatment of warts. A simple home remedy involves the application of Cut Onion piece over the wart and tie with a cotton bandage overnight. Repeat this procedure for a couple of days to shed of the wart. Cold sores : Cold sores occur most commonly on the lips, though they can develop on any part of the body. They are the result of a virus herpes simplex. In adults this virus, sometimes, also affects the genitalia. This type of infection is spread by sexual intercourse and forms one of the many sexually transmitted diseases. The virus of cold sores generally lies dormant in the body, but can be activated by colds, fevers, stressful conditions, emotional upheavals or any serious illness. It is best to avoid intimate contact with an individual who is having an attack of herpes. Doshic imbalances involve Vata + Kapha. Remedy : Avoid all types of dry, cold, fermented, heavy, spicy food. Avoid all processed food from the market. Eat boiled vegetables and fruits as much as possible. Eat freshly cooked warm food. Ayurvedic formulation for cold sore included metallic prepared formulation which works on Vata to pacify the pain. Mahataleshwara rasa is a very effective formulation for such skin disorders. Scabies : Few diseases carry so much social stigma as scabies. Most people openly express resentment when they are told that their itching is due to scabies. Actually any body can get scabies of any social status. It is a highly contagious disease. Scabies is passed on from one person to another through intimate contact, infected bedding and cloths or by sharing a bed. The itching is more severe at night. Soon a rash appears on the body this rash is not seen on the face and is most prominent on the hands, the waist, and the abdomen and on the genitalia. Dosha involvement in scabies or Kachu roga is Kapha dominant, leading to excessive itching. Remedy : If you apply the Ayurvedic Oil; BhruhatMarichyadi Taila, scabies is easily treatable. Home remedies involve application of Neem Leave paste over the effected part for 1 hour before bathing. Eczema : Eczema is a rough red oozy rash that comes in patches. The fluid, which has oozed then, dries up to form a hard scab. Because the area is itchy, it often gets scratched and may become infected. Eczema can develop in a number of ways: Irritation of the skin can lead to eczema; the common causes are over exposure to water, soaps & detergents. Just about anyone can develop an irritant eczema, nut the problems is much more common in people with dry skin. Allergic reactions to substances, which come in contact with the skin, can also result in eczema. This could result from contact with metals (jewellery) vegetables, plants & medicine. Eczema can also result from eating certain foods or taking certain medicines. Almost any foodstuff can cause eczema, but the ones that most commonly cause problems are eggs & dairy products. Inherited eczema or what the doctor would call "Atopic Eczema" is a problem seen most commonly in small children. The eczema tends to improve as the child grows up. it is less frequently seen in children who are breastfed close relatives of children who are suffering from atopic eczema may have asthma or skin problems. A few of these children may also develop asthma when they grow up. Remedy : All these varieties of Eczema have been successfully treated by Ayurvedic Formulations. Sulfur, Tin, Ferrous sulphate are the main mineral used in combination with herbs to give excellent results. Gandhaka rasayan is very effective for emaciated people with chronic eczema. Patients are also advised to take lots of fruits and fresh vegetables. Avoid sea fish, prawn, meat, salt and other Non vegetarian food. They should also avoid stale, fermented, sour food including curd. Discoloration of skin : Charka has described Swetra Kustha in a completely separate chapter under Kustha Roga. Leucoderma is the area of skin, which has lost its color, when it occurs without any preceding disease it is called vitiligo. Sometimes it follows burns & injuries. Some women develop it after the use of stick on 'Bindis' and after wearing plastic footwear. This loss of color is due to hazardous chemicals present in the plastics. Patches of leucoderma can be of variable sizes & shapes. They can occur just about anywhere on the body. In fair individuals, leucoderma often goes unnoticed, but on dark skinned people it can be very visible and causes severe embarrassment. Leucoderma does not cause any health problems it is not contagious or dangerous at all. There are a number of misconceptions regarding the availability of treatment for leucoderma. With Ayurvedic herbals medicines, there is actually plenty of hope for vitiligo leucoderma patients. The results with our treatment are excellent. They are more excellent if the treatment is taken at early stages within 3 months of onset of disease. The patches of leucoderma which occur in

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areas of the skin which are naturally hairless, like the palms and soles, take long to improve. Ayurvedic treatment involves both internal medication and external applications for better results. Panchakarma is also recommended if the patients are diagnosed to have toxin accumulations in large intestine (Vata dosha) or mucous accumulation in Stomach (Kapha dosha) or (Pitta) aggravation in Blood. The Panchakarma treatment helps cleaning the channels (Shrotha) so that the medication which is taken by the patient reaches the affected parts. All patients should open up their minds to accept this method of treatment at the onset of any skin lesion and should not hide it or expect it to be cured on its own or take harmful chemicals including steroids of conventional therapy. Skin diseases take fewer times to get completely cured when you take Ayurvedic medicines from a knowledgeable Ayurvedic physician at the earliest. Conclusion on the causes for skin disorders : Diet consisting of too much hot, spicy, oily, sour, fermented, non vegetarian, sea food too much salt and sugar contribute to skin diseases. Lifestyle such as unhygienic personal and surroundings, daytime sleeping, irregular diet, stressful life, other chronic diseases, worm infestations, Mentally Depression, unhappiness, frustration and underlying psychosomatic issues are related to cause various skin diseases in Humans. For more Information's and Guideline to Follow a Healthy Life, Please contact us : Dr. Anita Misra, dr.anita@naturenatural.com (Nature Natural, A-41, Ashok Nagar) Phone : 91-674-2535509
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