Present
Scenario of Sufferings and Remedies
= Pt. ShriRam Sharma
Acharya
Excessive
tension, depression, excessive sex, unchecked drainage of vital elements
because of sensual excitation, abnormal sleep (especially overrsleep),
excessive laziness etc are some of the causes of abnormal variations in normal
physiological and biochemical (including hormonal) functions which may lead,
among other diseases and disorders, to cancers. Cardiac problems (Heart
Diseases), Cancer, Hypertension, Diabetes, Liver Psoriasis, Hepatitis,
Tuberculosis, Encephalitis, and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are
among the major diseases leading to death of a significantly large proportion
of world population. Of these Heart Diseases and Cancer are among the most
dreaded challenges to healthcare in the developing as well as the developed
world today. Although many effective medicines have been discovered and are
available in the market to treat several kinds of cancer and the rate and
possibilities of cure have also improved during the last two decades, the
positive diagnosis of this disease continues to be traumatic for the patient
and his near and dear ones.
The major bottlenecks are the lack of early
diagnosis and the complexity of genomic variations and related biochemical
reactions in the cause, proliferations and control of cancers. Because of the
difference in genomic constitution and variations in the state of cell cycles
when the carcinogenic mutation might have occurred or when the drug reaches the
cells, etc, the same medicine might be very effective in certain kind of cancer
in one person whereas it might be slow, ineffective or even have sidereffects
(including progression of cancer in some other organ, etc) in some other
patient of the same disease. In modern medical terms the major types of cancers
are malignant tumors, neoplasm and carcinomas. The synonyms in Ayurveda are
arbudgranthi, adhimansa and karka-aburda. Unani medicine terms it as rasauli.
In simple terms cancer is a transformation of some cells in the body, which
have excessive growth rate and abnormal biochemical reactions. These cells
proliferate like 100% compound interest and suppress the growth of normal
cells.
This transformation may occur due to various
causes r prominent among them being mutations (due to eating chemically
synthesized stuff, or eatables kept in reprocessed polythene, etc), reactions
of certain chemicals (e.g. lead) rr especially pollutants in air and water,
thickening of some internal tissues, unnatural exposure to ultraviolet
radiations etc. Cancer can occur in any part of the body including internal
organs, bones, glands, flesh, blood, etc. The elements causing cancer are
broadly termed as carcinogens. Many of the modern medicines are found to
contain chemicals that prove carcinogens under certain conditions inrvivo.
Several antibiotics also cause malignant transformation of some tissues or
organs.
Hormone therapy is among prominent causes of
breast cancer in women. Some kinds of fungus on wheat, rice, maze and groundnut
etc are also identified as carcinogenic. Some toxic elements, which may not be
dangerous poisons, are found to be mutagenic, many of these are causes of
cancers. For example, the elements in aphlatoxin category are found to cause
liverrcarcinomas. Some varieties of mushrooms are also found to have
carcinogens. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is increasing
such risks in most of our vegetables and grains too. The danger is higher in
case of nonrvegetarian food as the pollutants, mutagens, infections and genetic
aberrations in the animals carry the disease or its cause in those who eat the
animal’s flesh or organs, etc. Tobacco or its smoke (in bidi and cigarette),
betel leaf (pana), betel nut, gutka or pana masalas, chewing gum, alcoholic
drinks, etc are high risk causes of cancers of the tongue, throat and GIrtrack.
Breathing tobacco smoke and polluted air may cause cancers of thoracic region
and lungs. Because of use of synthesized chemicals and preservatives etc,
chocolates, toffees, cold drinks, prercooked tinned eatables and junk food, etc
are also prone to cause cancers in different parts of the body.
Endocrine secretion of people working near or
under highrgrid power or high voltage circuits sometimes get so disturbed that
the new or perturbed hormonal secretions lead to abnormal transformation of
mental and bodily functions. The latter often lead to different kinds of
cancers. Ayurvedic experts give simpler, yet comprehensive description of
causes of cancers. These include, infection in wounds, eating infected flesh or
bones etc, indiscipline of snehan, vaman, virechan, persistence of dysentery,
piles, urine infection, vomiting, untreated acnes, infections of genitals or
uterus during pregnancy or in case of abortion, artificial diet (e.g. junk
food, chemically synthesized or preserved food), excessively spicy and pungent
food, smoking and consumption of alcohol, breathing impure (polluted) air, etc.
Medication not compatible with the prakrati (natural constitution in terms of
vat, pitta and kapha) of the patient, repeated surgery of an acne or wound,
incomplete removal of pus in a septic boil or its drying by use of chemicals or
medicines, repeated forced control of urination or excretion, are also regarded
in Ayurveda as among major causes of cancer. Excessive tension, depression,
excessive sex, unchecked drainage of vital elements because of sensual
excitation, abnormal sleep (especially overrsleep), excessive laziness etc are
described here as causes of abnormal variations in normal physiological and
biochemical (including hormonal) functions which may lead, among other diseases
and disorders, to cancers.
As per Ayurvedic scriptures, it is also likely
that some genetic abnormalities which occurred in the foetus get activated and
expressed at a later stage when specific extrarcellular or intrarcellular environment
is available and result in cancerous transformation of specific cells. (This is
significant in view of the latest research on cancerous phenotypes being very
specific to one’s genotypes). As tumors or abnormal growth in any part of the
body without pain or other manifestation happen to be most frequent cases of
cancers, let us look at these in a little more detail. Modern (Allopathy) as
well as ancient (Ayurveda) sciences of medicine classify tumors in two broad
categories r Benign (ordinary) and Malignant (cancerous). The benign ones are
removed by surgery and except for some precautionary measures, there is nothing
to worry. However, if left retained in the body, these may sometime turn
malignant. The malignant tumors, even in the initial stage, are dangerous as
they proliferate at abnormally rapid rate and become extremely painful. Not
only that, if left without any check, they may spread across the whole body and
gradually destroy all normal functions.
Moreover, after a certain stage, no amount of
surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy can uproot them completely. The
dangerous (viz, malignant) tumors are of two types: those generated by
epithelium (referred as upakala in Ayurveda) are called "carcinomas"
and those of the connective tissues (sanyoji utaka) are termed as
"sarcomas". Usually normal tumors are termed according to the
location or type of cells they are formed by. These include: Fibroma (tantu
arbuda), Lipoma (vasa arbuda), Xanthoma (pita arbuda), Chondroma (upasthi arbuda),
Osteoma (asthi arbuda), Myeloma (majja arubuda), Myoma (mansa arbuda), Myxoma
(slesma arbuda), Giloma (snayu arbuda), Neuroma (nasi arbuda), Odontama (danta
arbuda), Papilloma (twagankura arbuda), etc. Malignant connective tissue tumors
i.e., sarcomas most often grow in the bones, majja (marrow), and skin and are
named as Osteosarcoma, Myosarcoma, Fibrosarcoma, etc. Some tumors are also
named according to their visible forms, such as Adenoma. Most dreaded of the
malignant tumors are the carcinomas. These most frequently grow in the slesma
(phlegm or mucus) or outer sleshmic membrane of organs. Prominent locations of
these are in the lips, tongue, mouth, small intestine, large intestine,
stomach, liver, rectum, etc. Apart from these organs, the female organs more prone
to carcinomas are breasts and uterus and the male organs having high risk are
urinary organs (mutendriya) and prostate gland. Usually people above fortyrfive
years of age are more prone to these; however, the global records do show the
numbers of youngsters suffering from carcinoma are not insignificant. Not only
the painful growth, the profuse bleeding from matured carcinomic tumors makes
the patient’s condition most pathetic and miserable. In linguist terms, the
word meaning of cancer is crab, which is a creature of arthropod family of the
animal kingdom.
Carcinoma is a word of Greek origin r a
conjugation of "carcinos" (which means crab) and "oma"
(which means tumor). This means a gaantha (tumor) which is protruded like a
crab. The protruded back of the crab consists of a webr like structure of
veins. Similar is the appearance of a cancerous tumor. Crab spreads its paws in
all directions and is unpredictable which direction it might move ahead.
Similar is the case of the growth of a malignant (cancerous) tumor. It can
spread in any direction, no one can predict which one and how. Its roots are
hidden deep inside. More than forty types of carcinomas have been identified in
modern medical research so far. The ancient texts of Ayurveda refer carcinomas
as tridosaj gulma or mahagranthi (c.f. Charak Samhita) and sanghaatik arbuda or
tridosaj arbuda (c.f. Shushrut Samhita). As of today, in the modern approach,
surgery is supposed to be most effective measure against cancerous tumors.
However, even if a single fiber or cell is left behind, there are 100% chances
of recurrence. Prer and postr operative radiation therapies are therefore
necessary; however the side effects of these are no less painful. Moreover,
this works only if the particular type of cancer is radiationrsensitive. In
many cases, chemotherapy is therefore given as a necessary evil.
Leukemia or blood cancer is altogether different
and more complicated type of cancer, treatment of which requires chemotherapy.
In the bone marrow, spleen and other blood producing components start
generating excess of white blood corpuscles (WBC). Unless the drug type and
doses are compatible with the stage, type and cause of the disease and above
all, the genetic configuration of the patient, complete cure cannot be assured.
Nowrardays, some kinds of hormonal therapies are also tried but again, only few
expert doctors and therapists can do wonders. Anti angiogenerin drugs are
prominently used in chemotherapy, which block the supply of blood and oxygen to
the tumor cells. This way the tumor cells and hence the tumor itself is
gradually destroyed. Intensity modulated radio therapy, radio frequency
ablation, stereo tactic radiortherapy, etc are among the advanced techniques
used in treatment of cancers r especially in breast tumor, prostate tumor, neck
tumor, brain tumor, heart tumor, etc.
Hormone therapy is usually applied in treatment
of breast cancer. This works on the basis of balancing estrogen and
progesterone hormones. However, in spite of significant advancements in all the
modern methods, the expenses, the sidereffects of killing of the normal cells
and disturbance of metabolism, etc continue to limit their applicability at
large. With the rise in the frequency of occurrence of varieties of cancers and
complications in people’s liferstyle and mindrbody balance, one needs to look
at the support of alternative and complementary modes as well. Ayurvedic herbal
therapy offers an effective solution here. We are introducing an effective
method of yagyartherapy in this context in another article in this very issue
of "Akhand Jyoti r The Light Divine".
Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,
Shiv Sharma
