Concept of Fasting Therapy in the Traditional Indian Medicine of Ayurveda

Abstract

Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medical practice, which has at its heart a subcontinent filled with diverse customs and ethos. Since ancient times, as considered in the Vedas, fasting has been considered to aid a man’s spiritual life as a means of purification. The body and mind constitute the substrata of diseases, and the imbalance of Vata, Pitta, Kapha, somatic Doshas, and Rajas and Tamas (mental doshas) results in various diseases. Derangement of metabolism (Agni) is a major cause of the imbalance in the abovementioned doshas. In Ayurveda, Agni refers to the complete process of metabolic activities, both at the levels of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and the tissues. Digestion, metabolism, and assimilation, that is, the entire process of biological conversion and utilisation, is symbolised by ‘Agni’. The concept of channels and microchannels (srotus) plays a major role in metabolic processes as particles are transported for various bodily functions through these channels. The concept of metabolic toxins (Ama) is very relevant in modern times, particularly in the treatment of many diseases including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, adiposity, hypercholesterolaemia, obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, oedema, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome, burnout syndrome, various skin diseases and psychiatric and psychosomatic diseases that occur due to weak digestion and tissue metabolism. The vitiated doshas in the body, particularly in the stomach, reduce the intensity of or impair digestive activity to cause digestive impairment and the production of metabolic toxins. They together block the channels in the body which result in various diseases. Fasting is the absence of food in the viscera or ensuring a controlled food intake and aids the digestion of metabolic toxins, kindles digestive enzymes, activates tissue metabolism, and removes the blockage in the channels.