How to Improve Musculoskeletal Health with Ayurveda

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Leapfrogging exemplifies musculoskeletal health

We may appreciate the Vedic wisdom that our consciousness is the most important feature of our existence, but we still need a healthy musculoskeletal system to act in the world. Pain and immobility bring life down. The musculoskeletal system is the most common source of chronic pain. Close to 2 billion people are afflicted worldwide. Low back pain alone troubles about a quarter of these, exceeded only by all forms of arthritis combined.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

If we look into the common causes of musculoskeletal issues, we find accidents, strain, overuse, and misuse. For example, to avoid back strain, favor squatting over bending to lift with the legs rather than the back. Keep the load close to the body. Get help with bulky or heavy items. Don’t try to do it all at once. Rest when you begin to fatigue. Moreover, many accidents are avoidable. When the mind and body are alert and well rested from good sleep and regular meditation, we’re less likely to make the mistakes that lead to accidents. Also, major life-changing accidents might be foreseen and avoided with Jyotish, the eyes of Veda.

Regardless, the Ideal Daily Routine recommended by Ayurveda is a recipe for living comfortably and avoiding problems. Key practices include Yoga Asanas and regular physical activity.

If You Don’t Use It, You Lose It

A sedentary lifestyle and associated obesity are other major causes of musculoskeletal issues. In the modern understanding, regular use of muscles by engaging in weight-bearing activities produces forces that stimulate the body to maintain the strength of muscles and bones. Absent such activity, the body withers.

Ayurveda explains that muscle tissue has qualities of Kapha (e.g., solid, heavy) and bones have qualities of Vata (e.g., hard, brittle, porous). Those individuals who have a Kapha-dominant constitution will innately have strong well-developed muscles and commensurately large bones. If they want to stay healthy, they need to resist their associated tendency to become couch potatoes, accumulate weight, and thus appear fat and happy. This is how heavy people who should have strong bones paradoxically get osteoporosis and pathologic fractures.

In contrast, those who have a Vata-dominant constitution have less capacity for exercise. Since they are naturally fond of movement, they need to be careful that they don’t overdo it. Over-exertion is a major factor in tendinitis, stress fractures, and other repetitive motion conditions. What is more, Vata imbalance can also lead to osteoporosis. This is particularly true among the elderly and those with eating disorders.

Most Disease Begins in the Gut

Since the musculoskeletal system is a product of the digestion and metabolism of food, the strength of digestion, dietary choices as well as when and how to eat have an outsized impact. When we digest food properly, we make healthy tissues and a substance known as Ojas, which nourishes the body and upholds strength, vitality, and immunity.

Improper digestion produces toxins collectively known as Ama which clog the channels of the body, attract imbalances of the Doshas, and thus sow the seeds of disease. Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis are examples of conditions in which Ama plays a major role. In the former, it accumulates in muscles, and in the latter, in joints.

How to Cultivate Musculoskeletal Health

With this understanding, general Ayurvedic Guidelines for healthy living begin to make a lot of sense. They are the foundation for any condition-specific therapy. So, if you are suffering, first assess your Health Habits and check whether you have signs of Ama or digestive disturbance. Working on these opportunities for improvement may bring much benefit.

The basic formula is to favor Sattva in all things. Sattva is the force of evolution that moves life towards enlightenment and perfect health. Sattva is intimately connected with Ojas. Thus, by attending to Sattva, we can maximize Ojas and minimize Ama.

A lacto-vegetarian diet featuring freshly prepared dishes exemplifies Sattvic choices, particularly when food qualities and quantities follow the variation of digestive strength, which is linked to the Sun. Respect for Ayurvedic guidelines for milk, yogurt & cheese will enhance the benefits.

Nightshade vegetables are especially problematic for those with musculoskeletal issues. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and mature eggplants (the big purple Italian kind, not the little, skinny or round Asian varieties) are related to the tobacco plant. They are considered hard to digest, Ama-promoting, and Dosha-aggravating.

Herbal Therapies for Musculoskeletal Problems*

For sore muscles or joints, most people find that heat helps. You can enhance the benefits by massaging and herbalized oil over the area before. Mahanarayan Oil would be a good choice and so would Joint Soothe II Oil. Use up to 3 or 4 times a day. Limit the heat to about 20 minutes at a time. When it’s less convenient to apply heat or you prefer a topical agent with greater penetration, consider Muscle Balm or Joint Balm.

To help correct the underlying imbalances, one could also take a guggul-based compound like Joint Support tablets or Flexcel: 1-2 tablets about 8 AM and 4 PM with warm water. For full benefit, take for at least 3 months.

If you are aiming to support strong bones, consider Healthy Bones or Calcium Support. Take 2 tablets with lunch and dinner.

*If you order herbs or personal care products from Maharishi Ayurvedic Products (MAPI.com) using the links on my website, you will receive a 20% discount on most products except Amrit. I will receive a 20% commission. If you order products from Banyan Botanicals (banyanbotanicals.com) using the links on my website, I will receive a 15% commission. You can get a one-time 15% discount by using this code: EDWARDS15.

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Author: Marc Edwards

Marc is a Family Physician who has studied, practiced, lived and taught Ayurveda since 1984

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