AYURVEDA & GLUTEN INTOLERANCE

 

The food we eat is the source of energy of our body, but today world is growing fast and as the diseases. Gluten, one of the major part of our diet has become allergic to some individuals. They need everything Gluten free. Preparing meals and making food selections will mean radical changes in a life style. Gluten intolerance can develop at any age. If it is not hereditary, then do not worry; with Ayurveda you can still eat a variety of glutinous grains as part of a varied, crazy – delicious diet.

 

Avoidance of gluten - containing foods is the only treatment of gluten intolerance in modern medicine. As per Ayurveda gluten intolerance can be correlated with the concept that formation of Ama (undigested residue) due to deranged Agni (Digestive fire). Intake of incompatible food, untimely food, faulty diet habits derange the Agni (Digestive fire). This Agni thus deranged becomes unable to digest even the light food and the food being undigested gets toxic leading to formation of Ama.

 

What is Food Allergy?

 

After a meal all the partakers fall ill something was probably wrong with the food; but if only one person becomes ill then that individual is probably allergic. Humans can become allergic to almost anything. Allergy is caused by that ‘antigen’ which is something unfamiliar to the body. Ayurveda has a general term for all kinds of such antigenic material—ama. Every piece of improperly digested food that is absorbed into the system is ama. Antibodies are special proteins created by some of the white blood cells against specific antigens. The antibodies bind tightly to the antigens, and if the immune system is healthy, this antibody-antigen complex is swept away from the body.

Just as Ama created from improper digestion of food can disturb the alertness and agitate the emotions, disturbed emotions can undermine the digestion and create ama, which then incites the immune system to react against it. The continuous presence of ama in the system creates a condition of permanent immune alert called allergy.

Concept of Ama & Gluten Intolerance

According to Ayurveda, gluten intolerance symbolizes imbalance of Doshas and Agni. The body immune system can identify the source of each sort of ama - gluten. When one is exposed over and over again to the same ama, more and more antibodies are produced. Gluten is particularly difficult to digest and requires strong Agni (digestive fire) to process it. If there is weak digestive fire, the gluten passes through to the small intestine, undigested. Thia undigested or improperly digested gluten forms ama. In due time a gluten-like ama accumulates in you so that whenever a gluten touches your tongue your immune mechanism gets alerted, assuming that it too will be improperly digested. This reaction is so striking that you are made aware of it by some bodily or mental symptom caused as a side effect of the internal conflict. 

Don’t just replace your current diet of processed bread, pasta and cookies with a diet of processed gluten-free bread, pasta and cookies. It won’t do you any good in the long run. Ayurveda gives a new ray of hope for those who are suffering from gluten intolerance. Simple Ayurvedic advices, balanced diet, exercise, yoga help to enjoy better digestion and absorption whole life, thereby helps to overcome gluten intolerance.

Treatment of Gluten Intolerance in Ayurveda

1. Avoidance of food gluten containing food.
2. Eating timely and wholesome food in accordance with one’s Prakriti (Body type) 
3. Usage of herbs and Ayurvedic treatments stimulate enzyme secretions, improves digestion, absorption, and clear Aam (undigested material) from the digestive tract and correct Agni.
4. Slowly adapting to unsuitable food.

Okasatmya / Slowly adapting to unsuitable food

Okasatmya is the adjustment to a particular diet by practice. This is the practice of introducing foods, which are not suitable and may contain antigenic substances, in small amounts and / or at large intervals, so that these gradually become acceptable. This appears to be similar to the present concept of desensitization.

 

Ayurveda has time-tested treatments to counter the imbalance of body functioning where body has become his own enemy. More in-depth treatments like Ayurveda Panchakarma, specific diets and herbal medicines over a period of time are prescribed to overcome gluten intolerance. In Ayurveda, each and every patient is an individual entity and the treatment also differs from patient to patient. An Ayurvedic physician makes a clear picture of the individual by understanding a patient as a whole and also decides what kind of mode of preparation to be used for the patient. So patient suffering from gluten intolerance must take the medicine under the supervision of an Ayurvedic physician.