“Prevention Is Better Than Cure”
With the advent of a new era, westernization and reservations for women, women are working hand in hand with men and her status has reached a new horizon. She is getting busier and her routine is getting hectic. Such a demanding lifestyle made her to compromise her health care routines and some physiological factors troubled the lady to slow down the race.
The word “artava” is used to denote menstruation in Ayurveda. Meaning of artava is related to seasons. It may be due to the presence of ritukala (ovulation period) and rajakala (menstruation period) in women. Classics used the word ‘artava’ to denote the menstrual cycle. In ancient times women during menstruation was considered untouchable, now also this is followed in certain parts of the country. Menstruating women are not allowed to enter temples or participate in any auspicious ceremonies .In Upanishads it is said that gender difference plays an important role in manifestation of diseases.
Menstruation is a specific event to characterize women hood, but at times it troubles women in form of Kashtartva (painful menstruation), Atyartva (excessive menstruation) artavakshaya (scanty menstruation) etc.
FORMATION OF ARTAVA
Ayurveda explains the human body by the three controlling energies called tridoshas – vata, pitta and kapha. These doshas control all tissues of the body and are categorized under seven dhathus – rasa, rakta, mamsa, meda, asthi, majja and shukra. These dhathus have upadhathus also.
Artava is said to be the upadhathu of rasa dhathu. The food we intake is digested in the stomach and intestines and from the digested food ahara rasa is formed. This ahara rasa helps in the formation of all dhathus (rasatoshukra) in chronological order. Thus ahara rasa gives nourishment to rasa dhathus and rasa dhathu takes part in the formation of raktha dhathu in the presence of rasadhatvagni as a catalyst. A part of the rasa dhathu is used for the local nourishment, another part moves to the nourishment of rakta dhathu. Artava and sthanya are the byproducts and kapha is the waste product of this metabolic process.
The artava thus formed goes to the uterus and changes its soumyabhava to agneya in course of time by the action of ranjakapitta and gets eliminated during the monthly periods of a woman for 3 to 7 days.
ARTAVA SWAROOPA (Characteristics of Artava)
Artava is having agneya swaroopa and its lakshana is that of rakta (blood). Artava is formed from rasa dhathu having soumyaguna, so initially artava is having soumyaguna. It is changed to agneya by the action of ranjakapitta.
ARTAVA MATRA (Quantity)
Artavaparimana is four anjali. Due to variation in desa (geographical areas), kala (time or season), ahara (food habits), vihara (life styles), prakriti (constitution) etc, the quantity of menstrual blood also changes. That is, the amount of blood loss during menstruation which is normal for one lady may be abnormal for another lady.
Each soaked normal sized sanitary pad holds approximately 5ml of blood. That is, it is normal to soak 8-16 normal sizes pads or tampons in a whole period. Flow more than 80ml per menstrual period is considered menorrhagia.
ARTAVA SRAVA KALA (Duration of Bleeding)
In classic, different opinions are for this duration. It is said as 3 days, 5 days and 7 days according to differentAcharyas. However, slight flow without any other symptoms of abnormality,persist even for 16 days may be considered as normal. It means the duration of menstrual bleeding also varies according to individuals.
MENARCHE AND MENOPAUSE
Onset of menstruation is called menarche and cessation of menstruation is called menopause. Onset of menstruation is at the age of 12 years and cessation is at the age of 50 years. According to Ayurveda these ages are taken as an average. It can be influenced by ahara and arogya of the lady. Slight variations can happen.
The changes occurring to the girl around the age of menarche are listed in Ayurveda as growth of pubic and axillary hair, gradual development of breast, uterus and vagina with vulva.
Till menarche the reproductive system of females is under developed and by maturation of dhathus menarche occurs.
Different similes are given in classics to explain this concept. Example, the fragrance and beauty of a flower is not present when it is a bud or when it is in a decaying stage. Similarly, the fertility of a woman is from menarche to menopause.
REGIMENS TO BE FOLLOWED DURING MENSTRUATION
Ayurveda helps women to gain better health and quality to her life by following certain charyas like rajaswalacharya, ritumaticharya, garbhinicharya, sootikacharya etc.
Rajaswalacharya is explaining the do’s and don’ts during the times of menstruation. It helps a woman to adapt to changes occurring in the body during menstruation and prevent the occurrence of diseases. It also helps in conceiving a healthy pregnancy.
RAJASWALA CHARYA
From the first day of menstruation the lady should avoid sex, sleeping during day time, application of kajal, crying, bathing, anointing, massaging, pairing of nails, fast racing, laughing, talking too much, listening to too many types of topics, combing, fast windand excessive exercise.
She should sleep on a bed made up of darbha (a type of sacred grass having medicinal property (spread over the ground. She should eat havisya (meal made of ghee, shali rice and milk) or yavaka (meal made of barley and milk).She should eat food either directly from the palm or a utensil made of clay or leaves. She shouldn’t adorn herself with ornaments, use of inhalation, sudation and emesis is contraindicated.
In order to get her body slightly emaciated and the digestive system purified, she should take less quantity of food and avoid spicy, pungent, salty and hot food. And always concentrate on good and auspicious thinking.
By analyzing these dos and don’ts it can be understood that during menstruation women are advised to take rest by avoiding physically strenuous works and eat good nourishing food. She is not allowed to do any decoration to body or wear ornaments. It may be due to social customs that a menstruating lady is untouchable. Nasya, vamana etc should be avoided because she needs rest. The anulomaavastha of vata should not be disturbed
But in the modern era, women are not able to follow this charya and the media is misleading. In order to show the soaking capacity of the sanitary pads, the advertisements mislead the newer generation to run, jump and do vigorous work during menstruation..
This will surely cause some diseases related to the reproductive system. When we are going through the modern gynecological texts, the causative factors for many diseases are written as unknown. But in Ayurveda, we can explain the cause in terms of nidanapanchaka. When we normalise the tridoshas and the dhathus, upadhathus and malas reach a normal stage the diseases get cured.
So it is better to avoid these causative factors rather to treat a well manifested disease.
