Lifestyle diseases, as the name suggests, are linked to the lifestyle an individual follows. If you are reading this article, you should probably have an idea of how alarmingly common these diseases are across the globe. We are witnessing children as young as toddlers sometimes suffering from lifestyle disorders like diabetes and obesity. After the pandemic, many researchers established that we would collectively see the long-term effects on our immune system.

 You might have already heard the proverb, “Prevention is better than cure.” Most of us can’t afford a drastic change in our lifestyle or the environment we are settled in. But we sure can make small changes, right? This is where holistic practices like Ayurveda and yoga are relevant. In this article, we are going to discuss how we can improve our way of life by combining Ayurveda to prevent lifestyle disorders.

Common lifestyle disorders and their causes

The most common lifestyle diseases are type 2 diabetes, arthritis, atherosclerosis, respiratory ailments, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, hypertension, and stroke.

Smoking and alcoholism contribute to lifestyle disorders, too. These habits can lead to a reduction in an individual’s stamina over time, which in turn increases the risk of developing numerous diseases. A lack of sun exposure and an insufficient diet, resulting in a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, cause diseases like osteoporosis.

Skipping meals, overeating, and consuming sugary and oily foods lead to a lack of proper nutrition. The absence of physical activity can lead to obesity and other related disorders. Poor sleeping habits increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeats, and stress, which leads to many other lifestyle disorders.

Most of us who live in urban areas and do regular office jobs are exposed to all kinds of pollutants. We often resort to eating unhealthy fast food and over-processed food items; regular exercise or healthy sleeping habits are alien to most of us, but it’s never too late to change your unhealthy habits. Now, let’s look into Ayurveda’s solution for all of this. 

The notion of Ayurveda

When we talk about integrating Ayurveda into our lifestyle to prevent diseases, we should also be mindful of the notion of Ayurveda. Ayurveda recognises our body as an exceptionally complicated system. Unlike modern medicine, Ayurveda focuses on the root of the problem and attempts to cure it rather than giving temporary relief for ailments and symptoms. Ayurveda also believes that an ideal state of health can be achieved by maintaining the equilibrium between your body, mind, and consciousness. Ayurveda is a holistic practice that considers the whole body.

Ayurveda is also of the belief that prevention is better than cure; thus, it suggests a certain lifestyle that will keep your body and mind’s health in check. Regardless of your age, following the Ayurvedic lifestyle will benefit you in the long run and prevent a number of lifestyle diseases.

The Ayurvedic lifestyle

Ayurveda offers several regimens you can follow, like ahara and dinacharya ( diet and daily routines) and ritucharya ( seasonal regimens). There are famed Ayurvedic therapies like panchakarma (which removes toxins and impurities from your body and mind) and rasayana (rejuvenation).

Diet: An unbalanced diet can be the prime reason for a lot of lifestyle diseases. Everything in our body functions with the energy that we get from our diet. A wholesome diet will promote the health of your body and mind. Avoiding overly processed food is advised. Make sure you meet your nutritional needs accordingly, and be mindful while you consume the food. It will improve your relationship with food and help with weight loss. Ayurveda has detailed suggestions on hita-ahara (wholesome diets) and viruddha-ahara ( incompatible foods); following these suggestions is an excellent way to improve your overall health.

Daily routines: Maintaining the biological clock is as important as a healthy diet. Regular bathing and carrying out the body’s natural urges in a timely manner are very important. An early dinner will promote good sleep. Remember to make exercise part of your daily routine. You don’t necessarily have to undergo stressful exercise practices; instead, Ayurveda suggests exercising until you reach 50 percent of your tolerance and slowly increasing it over time. If you can’t adopt an exercise routine, you can consider doing regular yoga asanas. Going on walks, bicycle riding, or whatever physical activity you can think of is also a good alternative. Remember that Ayurveda recommends exercising during the kapha time (6 to 10 in the morning or evening).

Seasonal regimens: Ayurveda recommends Ritucharya/seasonal regimens as a lifestyle and diet routine to manage the effects of seasonal changes on the body and mind. Ritucharya helps us enhance our physical strength and mental capacity to fight many seasonal ailments. Apart from that, it maintains balance among the three doshas and promotes fitness and health throughout the year. There are also many popular Ayurvedic therapies you could do during certain seasons.

Ayurvedic therapies: Apart from diet, exercises, and other routines, there are Ayurvedic therapies like panchakarma, consisting of five treatments that will purify your whole body, remove toxins, speed up the metabolism, open blocked channels, rejuvenate tissues, relieve stress, boost immunity, and relax the body and mind. Another popular Ayurvedic therapy you could consider is rasayana, which is a rejuvenation therapy.

Supplements and other suggestions: Making use of warm medicinal oil massages and herbal teas instead of resorting to smoking and alcohol during stress is another good alternative. Many people suffer from vitamin-deficient disorders, so taking vitamin supplements as the physician’s suggestion is ideal.

If you are someone who’s suffering from common ailments too often, it might be directly signalling to your weak immune system. Herbs like dry ginger, basil, cinnamon, curcumin, and turmeric help boost your immune system. An easy alternative is Qaadu’s Immunatural, formulated with natural herbs to enhance your overall health.

In conclusion, you can integrate Ayurveda to prevent lifestyle disorders by taking small steps according to your comfort level. But the first step should be the conscious decision to commit to a healthy lifestyle!