Treatment of chronic alcoholism with Ayurveda

22.03.2019

Causes of alcoholism

Chronic alcoholism develops differently according to the age at which the frequent drinking of alcoholic beverages has started, the intensity of consumption, the resistance of the organism, potential genetic predisposition, etc. If, for example, a given person drinks alcohol frequently in the teen years, /usually for "teenage self-esteem"/, the risk of a person getting addicted to alcohol and getting diagnosed with alcoholism as adult increases by 40 per cent. If one of the parents was an alcoholic, the risk of getting the disease increases up to 4 times.

Excluding any genetic factor, the causes of alcoholism are personal and psychological. They depend on the way a person perceives and reacts to situations and events in their personal lives, professional path, and overall social realization. Very often everything starts "innocently" – just to relax in the evening with colleagues or with other company afer the tense day.

Gradually, however, this becomes a habit, there is a need to consume also during the day, more frequently and more as a quantity. In addition, people often seek "salvation" of their problems in alcohol. These may include personal tragedies /for example, death of a relative/, problems in work /for example, misunderstanding with the boss/, inability to fit in society /people feel alienated and rejected for some reason/.

Another option is to seek inspiration – the intoxication and euphoria of alcohol "free the spirit". All this, however, is deceptive – alcohol generally damages brain cells, affects the brain, increases anxiety, and leads to depression. At the same time, a general poisoning of the organism occurs, and in addition to the damage of the brain, other organs also get damaged – the liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, pancreas, and so on.

The risk of development of different types of cancer also increase, for example, cancer of the throat, breasts, etc. ultimately, alcoholics also develop physical addiction – without alcoholic beverages they experience crises with shaking, cold sweat, chest tightness, raised blood pressure, and so on.

Treatment of alcoholism with Ayurveda | Ayurvedasofia.bgTreatment of alcoholism with the help of Ayurveda

Thousands of years ago, Ayurveda identified alcoholism as a serious illness. Moreover, in the concept of Ayurveda, alcohol itself is included in the list of foods of ignorant people, and is considered to be a poison that leads to intoxication of the entire organism.

The cells are damaged, the function of various organs is disturbed, and disease processes occur. Therefore, in alcoholism, the Ayurvedic rule is especially very important, namely to cleanse the body – internally and externally – of the poisons. The external cleansing includes herbs – rubbing, sauna, inhalations, as well as pouring with healing oils and massages. The herbs are used also internally in the form of spices, teas, powders, pills, syrups, and so on. Some of the oils can be used also internally. The internal cleansing includes mainly herbal and oily potions with laxative and cleansing effect.

An essential part of the treatment is also the Ayurveda diet – types of food, way and specific time of consumption, combinations of products. Since in alcoholism the psyche and way of thinking are highly affected, it is also very important for the treatment to practice yoga with focus on meditation. The overall goal is to restore the harmony in the person – physical, emotional and spiritual.

The three Doshas – energy forces in the body must be restored in their initial balance, which is set by nature at birth in a unique proportion of energies for every person. In alcoholism, the imbalance is between Vata and Pitta dosha. Usually, this also leads to imbalances in the third dosha – Kapha, which causes a combination of diseases related to different organs and systems.

Among the foods that are beneficial for Vata are milk, Basmati rice, quinoa, wheat, oats, red beets, asparagus, carrots, zucchini, peas, and so on. The recommended fruits are raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, fresh figs, mango, pineapple, and so on. the suitable spices are garlic, cumin, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. The most beneficial oils include flax, sesame, hemp and ghee. Pitta dosha can be balanced with the help of buckwheat, wheat, Basmati rice, sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, and the recommended spices are cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, dill, etc. 

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