We are in a time where there is an uprising risk of a third wave of Covid-19. We have been suffering from Covid-19 as a community for more than one year now, and yet we are in the process of finding the exact cure for this disease.
By now, we have realised that prevention is better than cure. Ayurveda always mentions the preventive aspect of any disease, and to prevent a disease, one should know the initial cause for a disease, mode of spreading, signs and symptoms, and the severity of the disease. As we all know, Covid-19 is an infectious disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. Diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.
In Ayurveda, an infectious disease is named “Janapadodhwamsa Vyadhi” and it literary means that these diseases affect or attack a whole community or country simultaneously, irrespective of their difference in prakriti (constitutional traits based on their epigenetic), ahaar (diet pattern), dehabala (physical strength), saatmya (congenial, suitability), mana (psyche), and vaya (age). This is equivalent to epidemic and pandemic diseases, where a particular pathogen is responsible for producing similar diseases in many peoples of a particular geographical area or a larger geographical area in the world.
The root cause for such diseases is adharma (unrighteousness, injustice, irreligious, demerit, wickedness, erroneous, and sinful acts) which lead to abnormal behaviour of nature including air, water, earth, and time (kaala, i.e. seasons). Their vitiated status will give rise to pathological changes and vulnerability to such epidemic diseases. The WHO too mentions that sanitation, water supply, and environmental and climate change can have an impact on causing infectious diseases.
Adharma or any apachaar (unwholesome or improper regimen, not following proper hygienic measures, avoiding cleanliness) will make humans more susceptible towards rakshoghna (raksha is to guard/protect and rakshoghna is a class of rakshasa), etc. like different bhutasamuha (bhuta refers to any living organism – divine, human, animals, plant, etc.) A deeper meaning can be perceived here about these entities likely to be protective to the human body, like intestinal bacteria.
We are usually surrounded by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. Some are invisible to the naked eye and cannot be seen. There are references found in ancient literature like Vedic texts about their existence as well as treatment measures to protect from their ill effect. If our body is not ready to fight against such causative factors, especially these pathogenic microorganisms, then our body fails and the disease wins. What “the body fails” means is that our immunity system does not function properly.
Impaired immunity is one of the reasons as to why we get infected. Ayurveda mentions immunity as “Vyaadhikshamatva”. As said by Acharya Charaka, “not each and every individual is capable of bearing or tolerating the disease”. There is protective strength inside the human body to resist disease-causing pathogens by making them submissive and unable to produce the disease. This can be understood in regard to the Vyaadhikshamatva concept. This power varies in every individual. It has subsets such as sahaja, kalaja, and yuktikruta, meaning as natural, time-dependent (seasonal, age, time factor), and acquired (by various measures of immunity enhancement), respectively.
In addition to bodily features, agni as digestive power is also mentioned for its very important role for making a strong and healthy individual who is not easily affected by diseases. Amongst the physiology of the body are tridosha (vata, pitta, kahpa), prakrita (natural/not vitiated), and vikrithi (diseased/vitiated). Kapha is responsible for bala (vyaadhikshamatva or immunity). For the maintenance of prakriti kapha, agni is expected to have good functional levels because otherwise, it leads to mandaagni/agnimaandya (a poor digestive fire), ajeerna (indigestion), and other disorders. An abnormal status of such kapha suddenly leaves its function as bala (immunity), giving rise to many infectious diseases.
Understanding the causes of infectious diseases and the immunity according to Ayurveda will help lay the foundation towards preventive measurements and to be safe not only from Covid-19, but from any other infectious disease.
(The writer holds a BAMS [Hons] from the University of Colombo and a Diploma in Panchakarma, and is currently reading for an Msc in Food and Nutrition from the University of Peradeniya)