Monsoon Season……….. We all have mixed feelings about this one. Many of us just love rainy showers and call it romantic, while others are worried about water logging, dirt and health issues that follow. As The old saying goes, 'each to his/their own'. And this year, fear of Corona infection is one more reason for people to worry more. Ever since cyclone Nisarga has stricken western coasts of maharashtra, number of cough-cold-fever cases have increased due to sudden climate change, making people to be more concerned about their diagnosis. If We wish To keep such minor health issues at bay,we need to prepare our body to deal with them early. with the same intention, ayurvedic texts have explained the concept of Rutucharya (Ayurvedic regimen of every season). Though it has been raining for the past few days, the monsoon has not yet set in fully. This period is known as Rutusandhikala ( transition phase between two rutus). Ayurveda has advised us to change our lifestyle from grishma rutu regimen to varsha rutu regimen. This adaptation should take place gradually.
Condition and constitution of Tridoshas in this season -
Vata dosha is already in the accumulation phase due to increased ruksha and ushna gunas of Greeshma rutu which is then further vitiated by rains causing prakopa (increased vata dominant health complaints). Also lowered temperature,increased humidity,seeping moisture can cause kapha dominant diseases like respiratory issues ( asthma, cold-cough,fever). Rainy showers tend to make water muddy and feculent. Plants are newly grown and have amla rasa (sour taste) predominance which causes natural accumulation of pitta in the body. This imbalance in vata-pitta-kapha causes digestion and metabolism to slow down causing low body strength (vigor) and low immunity. Hence loss of appetite, indigestion, bloating , sometimes constipation or diarrhea/dysentery can also be seen. Low vigour makes one feel weak and fidgety. Also cloudy weather, muddy water and constant humid-moisture environments can cause several epidemic outbreaks. (e.g. malaria,dengue, lepto, chikungunya and other virals-bacterial infections as well). All this highlights the importance of ayurvedic rutucharya once again. Lets see, what is the regimen that we have to follow this season,
Routine Habits -
Make sure to keep your home and office space dry and ensure there is no leakage or moisture seeping. This helps to prevent any fungal growth.
Use ayurvedic dhoopa to fumigate your space every evening. Dhoopana (Ayurvedic fumigation ) is proven to keep insects at the bay. (people with respiratory complaints, recurrent headaches and eye complaints should consult a nearby vaidya to know which herbs can be used for dhoopana.)
Avoid getting wet in rainy showers. Always carry a raincoat/umbrella or take cover under the shed for the time being.
Even if you get wet for some reason, dry yourself ,especially your head thoroughly. And if possible change into dry clothes.
Cover your neck and chest with a scarf or a jacket.
Always use dry and clean clothes. Change your innerwear timely to avoid the possibility of fungal infections, itching-redness in the private region.
Use tall and closed rainy shoes to minimize contact with muddy water. Avoid walking in feculent-muddy puddles or logged water. It helps to avoid insect and rodent bites thereby reducing risk of waterborne infections.
Always practice Gargling with warm water every morning.
Make sure you avoid vigorous exercise but do perform mild to moderate form of work out daily.
Body massage (Abhyanga) with vata pacifying oils is beneficial.
Avoid late night or sleeping during daytime.
Diet -
Scarcity of fresh and green vegetables usually lead to increased usage of pickles and condiments like bharawa mirchi, sandge, papads, chutneys. Non-vegetarians resort to dry fish and meat.
But such dried condiments are heavy to digest. Also it contains more salt,oils and spices which doubles up as preservatives. Hence we should use it in moderation.
People usually resort to tangy-tasty condiments but it’s better rock salt (sendha namak), ginger or lemon juice.
Moong dal or moong dal flour can be used bengal gram ( chana dal) or besan ( chana dal flour).
Use aged grains instead of fresh grains. Or roast grains slightly before using.
Avoid using fermented food. (idli, medu vada,uttapam, dhokla,bread etc) in case of unavailability opt for nicely toasted bread slices or thin dosa.
Raw food is heavy to digest , saute or steam a bit.
Milk may cause flatulence or gastric troubles in some, it is better to add a pinch of sonth (dried ginger powder) or turmeric powder before boiling.
Buttermilk is a good digestive and an appetizer so one can consume it after lunch with cumin powder and salt in it.
Butter and ghee are big ‘NO-NO’ nowadays but both are very good vata pacifiers, do use homemade ghee and butter daily. ( but make sure that you use it directly on your roti,paratha,chillas,thalipeeth,dosas or rice,khichdi. Do not increase intake of fried food)
Avoid consuming stale food.
Don't eat forcefully if you do not feel hungry, use alternate warm and liquid diets like soups, rice water, porridge , kanji etc.
Always use boiled water and drink it warm.
We have given a detailed description of many consumables in tabular form, at the end of this article. Please read it thoroughly and feel free to ask your queries in x.comment box.
Panchakarma -
Bastikrama is a treatment of choice in varsha ruru.
Vata vitiatioon is this season causes many vata dominant diseases and symptoms like knee pain, backache, tender heels, sciatica, elevated uric acid. Basti gives a very good therapeutic treatment for all these complaints.Flatulence (gases), constipation can be relieved by basti.
Nasya is another very effective panchakarma treatment which is used in various vata disorders.
All these panchakarma procedures are needed to be carried out by qualified vaidyas only.
Do’s and Don'ts of Diet -
Note - *please make sure that you are taking advice from qualified and registered ayurvedic practitioners* .
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Dr. Snigdha Churi-Vartak.
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(disclaimer - this article was first published by Dr Snigdha Churi-Vartak on blog https://samanwayayurved.blogspot.com/2020/06/varsha-rutucharya-ayurvedic-regimen-for.html on 21st June 2020 . All rights are reserved to the author. Kindly forward/share without making any changes in writing.)