What
is Cancer ?
It
is a term meaning malignanacy. It is the second most dreaded killer
after coronary heart disease in the world today.
Older
men and younger women are at a greater risk of developing cancer.
Tobacco has been identified a s a major causative agent. It is believed
to have a number of carcinogens( cancer causing agents ) in it.
Varying
factors are believed to be responsible for the aetiology of cancers.
These include food, light, tobacco, contraceptive pills and many other
things like viruses, bacteria, etc., but most of these have not yet
been confirmed. Modern science has come to accept a few things partially
about cancer which are coherent with the ayurvedic concept of health;
in the sense that climatic factors are essentially governing the health
of a person after the his own basic principals of vata, pitta and
kapha. Ayurveda does accept climatic factors to be one of the important
causes of cancer.
Even though there is no explicit mention of cancers in Ayurvedic texts,
the description of Granthi and Arbuda are very similar to that of
the malignant tumors. The prognosis of these tumors is described to
be dependent on the site of the tumor and associated signs and symptoms
with it. This fact to is very much in coherence with ayurvedic concepts.
What
are the Ayurvedic Principles of Cancer ?
Treatment offered by modern medical science should not be discontinued,
because, with the knowledge of the properties of the herbs and minerals
available to us today, Ayurveda is able to complement the therapy
of cancers, which is, most of the time, inadequate to address the
severity of the disease or its symptoms. For all the abnormal growths,
including tumors, various preparations made from Gum Gugul (Comiphora
mukul) and Shilajit are recommended. The more popular preparations
are Triphala Guggulu, and Kanchnar Guggulu.
What
should I do and What not ?
Do’s
Ayurveda prescribes a diet for patients of benign as well as malignant
tumors. It advises use of old Ghrita (clarified butter), food recipes
prepared from old rice, barley, green grams, pointed gourd (Padval),
and drumstick (Shevga).
Don'ts
Dairy products, meat, very sour, sweet, and heavy to digest food items
should be avoided, as these all the items vitiate the Kapha Dosha,
which is the main culprit in producing tumors. Some Ayurvedic scriptures,
interestingly, have described a disease under the title of 'Yoni Kanda',
whose symptoms resembles those of genital tumor.
