Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient healing system that focuses on mental health, diet, and using spices and herbs. Ayurvedic medicine for prostatitis can offer a holistic approach to treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). Ayurvedic doctors consider a patient’s physical and mental health in addition to personality when diagnosing and treating disease.
This form of alternative treatment in the Western world is based on the idea that disease is caused by an imbalance in the body or karmic disturbances. Such imbalances can be the result of relationship problems or even failing to fulfill one’s life’s purpose. The word Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that comes from a combination of two words, “Ayuh” meaning life and “veda” meaning knowledge.
Ayurvedic medicine is native to the Indian subcontinent. Men in India enjoy some of the lowest prostate cancer rates in the world. Perhaps this good prostate health is related to their diet, lifestyle, and medicine.
How to Use Ayurvedic Medicine for Prostatitis
When a man takes an Ayurvedic approach to prostate health, he considers several contributing factors. These factors include:
- dehydration,
- a sedentary lifestyle,
- eating too much bitter and pungent foods,
- drinking too much alcohol
- drinking too much caffeine,
- not urinating when he has the urge,
- and not eating enough foods and spices that can purify the urine.
The answers to these problems would be to drink plenty of water, get more exercise, avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine, and use the restroom when the need arises.
Ayurvedic healing includes foods and plant-based supplements. One popular supplement and spice found in many Indian dishes is turmeric, which contains curcumin. The curcumin in turmeric gives curry its flavorful kick and color. People have long used spices in Eastern medicine in places like India and China to treat inflammatory health issues. Turmeric is a powerhouse of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it useful in managing both bacterial forms of prostatitis and nonbacterial CP/CPPS.
Ayurvedic medicine considers one’s diet, emphasizing achieving a healthy metabolic system. That includes good digestion and proper excretion. There are a lot of vegetables and sweet, juicy fruits in the Indian diet. Many people there eat plant sources of protein instead of animal sources, which is another positive move for prostate health.
Practicing yoga is another aspect of following Ayurvedic healing for prostate health. Yoga helps to reduce stress and improve circulation. Both yoga and meditation offer effective methods of stress management, which is very important because stress is one of the main contributors to prostatitis and pelvic pain. Meditation and yoga can help reduce the stress and anxiety that so often contributes to pelvic muscle tension and even makes pain worse or last longer.
Massaging with essential oils is another part of Ayurveda that has been growing in popularity in Western culture. People can massage their hands and feet or the head with essential oils of lemon and sweet orange, jojaba and sesame, and herbs such as winter cherry, white sandalwood, cardamom, Indian sarsaparilla, Orchis mascula, Tribulus terrestris, and sacred lotus.
Is Ayurvedic Medicine Safe?
If you are interested in using Ayurvedic medicine for prostatitis, it is safer to stick to its principles rather than specific products. Exercise caution in using Ayurvedic products that are made in South Asia. A 2004 study concluded that Ayurvedic products posed serious health risks. Researchers uncovered that 20% of the Ayurvedic preparations that were made in South Asia and sold in the U.S. contained toxic levels of heavy metals. A 2008 study also had similar results. They found that 20% of the remedies that were purchased online from both Indian and U.S. suppliers contained dangerous contaminants such as mercury, lead, or arsenic. In 2012 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked Ayurvedic drugs to lead poisoning.
It’s safe to take a ideas behind Ayurvedic medicine and skip the products. Ayurvedic medicine offers a holistic treatment approach that considers whole-body health. It looks toward a person’s diet, mental health, and exercise when treating CP/CPPS. Programs that offer a whole-body approach to treating prostatitis often are the most successful because they often include multiple therapies and recognize that many cases of prostatitis are caused by problems that originate elsewhere in the body.
If you are looking for an Ayruvedic practitioner, contact the International Society for Ayurveda and Health (ISAH). The ISAH recommends partnering with a practitioner who has completed training at a recognized Ayurvedic medical school and also holds a doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., Ph.D., or Phys.D.).
References for Ayurvedic Medicine for Prostatitis:
Ayurveda linked to lead poisoning in US women, The Financial Express, Washington edition (24 August 2012)
Ellin, Abby (17 September 2008). “Skin deep: ancient, but how safe?”. New York Times. “A report in the August 27 [2008] issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly 21 percent of 193 ayurvedic herbal supplements bought online, produced in both India and the United States, contained lead, mercury or arsenic.”
Saper RB; Phillips RS et al. (2008). “Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured medicines sold via the internet”. JAMA 300 (8): 915–923.
Szabo, Liz (26 August 2008). “Study finds toxins in some herbal medicines”. USA Today.
