1.11.12

Conceptual Understanding Of Tridoshas Through Modern Physiology / Tridosha & physiology


-: Conceptual Understanding Of Tridoshas Through Modern Physiology:-
Author : Dr. Chethan Jagalur. BAMS. MD(Ayu) MSS&C,(Pshy) BPH (Pranic)
                              Secretary of Shree Ujwala Ayurdhama®
Shree Ujawala Ayurvedic Hospital.
Shree Ujawala Ayurveda Pharmaceuticals.
Post office Road, Jagalur-577 528
Davangere (Dist), Karanataka.
Phone  No. 09844606423.

On-line Consultation Timing:- 9Am to 7Pm (Phone calls or Whatsup)


Contact:- 9844606423

Dr. Chethan Jagalur Consultation:- ISHAYU (Shree Ujwala Ayurvedic Hospital) BANGALORE Malleswaram every THURSDAY.  

DGM Ayurveda Hospital GADAG Every SATURDAY. From 9AM to 3PM

Ganesh Nursing Home KAKAPURA Every 2nd Thursday


rest of the days in Jagalur Branch



                                
Key words: - Vata, Pitta, Kapha, Modern Physiology, Cytology, Biochemistry.
Objective:-
·         To understand the mode of action/function of Triodshas (Tridosha karma) through Human Physiology.
·         To understand the mode of Action/function Of Triodshas through the cytology (Cell function/physiology).
Introduction:-
The way of understanding of Tridoshas concept in Ayurveda through modern physiological perspective is at most important for beginners as well as all Ayurvedic scholars.
Dosha Dhatu Mala Mulam Hi Shareeram // Shareera is made up of Tridoshas, Saptadhatus, Trimalas this indicates the Anatomical & Physiological components of the body. The normal functioning of these components are considered as physiology of the body.
Tridoshas are Vata, Pitta, Kapha which perform their own function & maintain the normalcy of body like moon, sun & wind which are maintaining the balance of the world through energy generation, energy utilization & energy distribution.
Vata plays a major role, as it can move on its own & also causes the movement of kapha & pitta. Pitta helps in metabolism including Digestion, kapha helps in the maintenance & integrity of body tissues. The existence of the doshas can be understood at both the macro molecular & micro molecular levels in the body. Doshas are present in every cell of the body & attain to their different functions.

Mode of action/function of vata dosha through physiology of organ system
·         Tamuchvasa nishwasa utsaha praspndana indriya patava vega pravarthanadibhih vayaur anugruhati// (A.S.SU.19/3)
·         Tama chalaha utsaha uchvasa nishwasa chesta vega praspndanaihi/     
Samyagatya cha dhatunamakshanam patavena cha //
Anugrunyad vikrutha….. / (A.H.SU.11/1-2)
Chala: – All the voluntary & involuntary movements of the body is due to chala guna. Voluntary motions are completely under the control of an organism like walking, jumping etc. Involuntary motions are completed without any conscious recognition & effort of organism like heart beat & reflex actions etc. in psychologically a part of body in relation to emotion, thought or sense. Sometimes these movements can provide us with valuable information as to what an individual is thinking or feeling & sometimes these movements can be nothing more than an involuntary spasm, a physical reaction to stress or emotional strain.
Uchwasa: - The act of breathing air out, during uhvasa the diaphragm relaxes & moves upward, causing compression of the lungs & an outward flow of air.
Niswasa: - The act of taking breath in, Niswasa results from the negative pressure in the lungs caused by contraction of the diaphragm, which causes it to move downwards & to expand the chest cavity. The resulting flow of air into the lungs restores a pressure equal to that of the atmosphere.
Utsaha: – utsaha uses were confined to a belief in religious inspiration or to intense religious fervour or emotion. Building up rhythm & loudness of speech from slow & soft to fast & loud tends to catch listeners up, their own heartbeats increasing in rapidity along with the speech rhythm to produce a feeling of excitement.

Praspandana: – praspandana is a process in which specialized sensory receptor cells transduce peripheral stimuli either physical or chemical into nerve impulses which are then transmitted to the various sensory centres in the central nervous system & also the physiology of praspandana includes the arterial & venial pulsation a Pressure waves generated by the heart in systole moves the arterial walls. Forward movement of blood occurs when the boundaries are pliable and compliant. These properties form enough to create a palpable pressure wave.

Indriya Patava: – Indriya Patava is the main function of cranial nerves. (indriyanam udyojakaha- motor function) There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Some cranial nerves are sensory nerves, some are motor & some are mixed nerves i.e combination of sensory & motor nerves. Function of individual cranial nerve includes:-
I cranial nerve (Olfactory) concern to the functions of nose i.e smell sensation.
II cranial nerve is Optic nerve concern to the functions of vision.
III cranial nerve (Oculomotor) eyeball & eyelid movement also maintain lens shape.
IV cranial nerve is Trochlear - eyeball movement its function is proprioception.
V cranial nerve is Trigeminal it a branch of ophthalmic nerve its function is to sensations of touch & pain from facial skin, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, proprioception motor control of chewing.
V cranial nerve is Trigeminal nerve is a branch of maxillary nerve mainly concern to sensations of touch & pain from facial skin, nose, mouth, teeth, & tongue, proprioception motor control of chewing.
VI cranial nerve is Abducens concern to the eyeball movement its function is proprioception.
VII cranial nerve is Facial nerve concern to the movement of facial muscles its function is tear & saliva secretion, sense of taste & proprioception.
VIII cranial nerve is Vestibulo-cochlear is a branch of cochlear function of hearing & sense of equilibrium.
IX cranial nerve is Glosso-phayrngeal nerve its function is sensations of taste, touch, pain from tongue & pharynx, chemoreceptors that monitor O2 & CO2, blood pressure receptors, movement of tongue & swallowing, secretion of saliva.
X cranial nerve is Vagus, it is a function of parasympathetic sensation & motor control of smooth muscles associated with heart, lungs, viscera, secretion of digestive enzymes.
XI cranial nerve is Accessory nerve concern to the head movement, swallowing, proprioception.
XII cranial nerve is Hypoglossal nerve it’s a function of tongue movement, speech, swallowing & proprioception.
Vega Pravrthana – The contractions occur in wave patterns traveling down short lengths of the GI tract from one section to the next. The contractions occur directly behind the bolus of food that is in the system, forcing it toward the anus into the next relaxed section of smooth muscle. This relaxed section then contracts, generating smooth forward movement of the bolus at between 2–2.5 cm per second. This contraction pattern depends upon hormones, paracrine signals, and the autonomic nervous system for proper regulation.
Mode of action/function of pitta dosha through physiology of organ system/ Physiology of Pitta
·         Paktoshmabhilasha kshud pipasa prabha prasada, darshana medha shourya mardvadibhihi pittam// ( A.S.Su.19/3 )
·         ……………Pittam paktoshma darshanaihi/
Kshud trut ruchi prabha medha dhi shourya tanu mardavaihi/ (A.H.Su.11/2-3)
Pakti:- Digestion is a process of enzymatic hydrolysis in which covalent bonds of the food are broken down to form monomeric units. The component of the normal diet includes carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. Out of these constituents water, vitamins, minerals, free monosaccharaides & free amino acids can be absorbed interest of body absent such. However, complex carbohydrates, lipids and proteins are high molecular weight substances. These substances cannot be absorbed till these are structurally simplified into absorbable molecular forms. This chemical conversion of these molecules into their simpler forms is called digestion. In mammals digestion is extracellular absent it occurs in the lumen of various parts of the alimentary canal.
Oshma:- Core body temperature is one of the most tightly regulated parameters of human physiology. The temperature of the body is regulated by neural feedback mechanisms which operate primarily through the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus contains not only the control mechanisms, but also the key temperature sensors. Under control of these mechanisms, sweating begins almost precisely at a skin temperature of 37°C & increases rapidly as the skin temperature rises above this value. The heat production of the body under these conditions remains almost constant as the skin temperature rises. If the skin temperature drops below 37°C a variety of responses are initiated to conserve the heat in the body & to increase heat production.
Abhilasha:- Human desire is the fundamental motivation of all human action. Desires arise from bodily structures, such as stomach which needs food, blood needs oxygen & so on, on the other hand, emotions arise from a person's mental state. Humans experience desire & fear as psychological opposites, they share the same brain circuit "The Neural Correlates of Desire" showed that the human brain categorizes any stimulus according to its desirability by activating three different brain areas: the superior orbito-frontal, mid-cingulate, & anterior cingulate cortices. Dopamine is the brain's "pleasure chemical". Orbitofrontal cortex has connections to opioid & dopamine systems than stimulating this cortex is associated with subjective reports of pleasure.
Kshuda:-  When blood glucose is low stomach, intestines & the liver sends signals to the brain which will then motivate you to eat. The hunger controls were within the hypothalamus. There are two centres in the hypothalamus that helps to control eating. The lateral hypothalamus brings hunger; if the area is destroyed, even a starving person will not eat. The ventromedial hypothalamus depresses hunger; it is the opposite of the previous part of the hypothalamus mentioned.
Trushna/Pipasa:-  Pipasa is important for maintaining body fluid homeostasis & may arise from deficits in either intracellular or extracellular fluid volume. Neural signals arising from osmotic & hormonal influences on the lamina terminals may be integrated within the brain with afferent information relayed from intra-thoracic baroreceptors via the hindbrain to generate thirst.
Prabha:- A person's complexion is a biological trait. The protein molecule known as melanin causes variation in tone. Melanocytes insert granules of melanin called melanosomes into the other skin cells of the human epidermis. The melanosomes in each recipient cell accumulate a top the cellular nucleus, where they protect the nuclear DNA from mutations caused by the sun's ionizing radiation. The human body tends to protect itself against harmful surroundings. The epidermis of the body, very sensitive & delicate, reacts almost immediately to most outside effects. People whose ancestors lived for long periods in the regions of the globe near the Equator generally have more active melanocytes & therefore larger quantities of melanin in their skins. This makes their skins very dark & protects them against high levels of exposure to the sun. In areas of the globe closer to the poles, people have far less need for protection from ionizing radiation, so their skin is usually lighter.
Darshana:- Rays of light go through the cornea very quickly. Being broken at the bulge of the crystalline lens of the eye they get through the vitreous body & reach macula at retina of the eye ground. The light-sensitive receptors turn the impulses of rays of light focused here into biochemical information that get to the visual area of the brain through the retina. Information is co-ordinated & becomes a clear picture.
Medha:- Neuroscience is contributing to an understanding of the biological bases of human intelligence differences. This includes two empirical fronts: genetics quantitative & molecular and brain imaging. Quantitative genetic studies have established that there are additive genetic contributions to different aspects of cognitive ability especially general intelligence and how they change through the lifespan. Molecular genetic studies have yet to identify reliably reproducible contributions from individual genes.
Structural and functional brain-imaging studies have identified differences in brain pathways, especially parieto-frontal pathways that contribute to intelligence differences. There is also evidence that brain efficiency correlates positively with intelligence.
Shourya:- shourya is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. “Adrenalin” is the main chemical which responsible for shourya.
Tanu mardhava:- In elasto hydrodynamic lubrication, sliding of soft uneven surfaces generates hydrodynamic pressure which smoothness, roughness & redistributes fluid from thick to thin fluid regions, promoting a more uniform fluid layer Computational work based on fluid dynamic models shows that the pressure distribution depends on the roughness wavelength & the elastic properties of the surface. Microscopic studies of quick-frozen chests reveal pleural surface asperities with widths ranging from tens to hundreds of microns. The degree to which these asperities are smoothed by hydrodynamic forces & thus the likelihood that elasto hydrodynamic lubrication characterizes pleural tribology depends critically on the value of the elastic moduli of the pleural surfaces. Analytic & parametric studies show that tissue softness enhances the lifting force during sliding, thus increasing the minimum fluid thickness. Importantly, maintaining a uniform liquid thickness requires pleural deformation at length scales comparable to the fluid layer itself.

Mode of action/function of kapha dosha through physiology of organ system / Physiology of Kapha
·         Sleshma stiratva snighdatwa sandhibanda ksamadi bhihi/ (A.Hru 11/3)
·         Stairya sneha sandhi banda vrushata kshama dhi druthi bala aloulyadibhi: sleshma// (A.S 13/5)
Stiratwa: - Homeostasis is the regulation of the body to a balance by single point tuning such as blood oxygen level, blood glucose or blood pH. For example, if a person walking in the desert is hot, the body will sweat they will quickly become dehydrated. All stasis is adaptation but in regard to a more dynamic balance. In dehydration, sweat occurs as only a small part of the process with many other systems also adapting their functioning both to reduce water use & to support the variety of other systems that are changing to aid this. In this case, kidneys may reduce urine output, mucous membrane in the mouth, nose & eyes may dry out; urine & sweat output will decrease; the release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) will increase; veins and arteries will constrict to maintain blood pressure with a smaller blood volume.
Snighdatwa: - snighdatwa is a mechanism of physiological lubrication is proposed to explain how low-viscosity synovial fluid prevents articular surfaces from contacting & wearing. The new mechanism is based on the hypothesis that the hyaluronic acid chains in synovial fluid bind to the cartilage surfaces through electrostatic charges, with the phospholipid layer on an articular surface supplying the necessary attractive charges. The stationary hyaluronic acid network causes a large hydrodynamic resistance to outward flow from the gap. To determine the effectiveness of the network in preventing contact, squeeze-film flow between two incompressible, permeable disks is analysed when a constant load is suddenly applied & the solvent-synovial fluid minus the hyaluronic acid-escapes through the network & through the permeable disks. The analysis yields the approximate time for the gap distance to decrease to asperity size. For realistic physiological parameters, the time for the surfaces to contact is a minimum of several minutes & likely much longer. The role of albumin in the synovial fluid is included because the large protein molecules are trapped by the small openings in the hyaluronic acid network, which increases the flow resistance of the network & thereby delays contact of the surfaces.
Sandhi Banda: - joint integrity Joints serve as links between structures; in this case, bones in the human body. There are numerous joints in the body that act to stabilize & control bony segments. One example is the knee joint, which joins the femur & tibia. This joint allows the lower leg to swing freely but also to be stable during the stance phase of gait. Some joints provide the body with stability, while others provide it with mobility. However most joints provide both stability & mobility.
Kshamatha/Bala: - The immune system is a complex system that is responsible for protecting us against infections & foreign substances. There are three lines of defines: the first is to keep invaders out (through skin, mucus membranes etc). Second line of defence consists of non-specific ways to defend against pathogens that have broken through the first line of defence such as with inflammatory response & fever. Third line of defence is mounted against specific pathogens that are causing disease (B cells produce antibodies against bacteria or viruses in the extracellular fluid, while T cells kill cells that have become infected). The immune system is closely tied to the lymphatic system with B & T lymphocytes being found primarily within lymph nodes.
Vrushatwa: - In proportion as the human being makes temporary gratification of mere sexual appetite his chief object & overlooks happiness arising from spiritual communion, which is not only purer but more permanent & of which a renewal may be anticipated in another world - does he degrade himself to a level with brutes that perish.
Dhi: - Functional neuroimaging permits exploration of neural correlates of complex psychological attributes such as those proposed to comprise wisdom. The prefrontal cortex figures prominently in several wisdom subcomponents ex:- emotional regulation, decision making, value relativism, primarily via top-down regulation of limbic and striatal regions. The lateral prefrontal cortex facilitates calculated, reason-based decision making, whereas the medial prefrontal cortex is implicated in emotional valence & prosocial attitudes/behaviours. Reward neuro circuitry (ventral striatum, nucleus acumens) also appears important for promoting prosocial attitudes/behaviour. Mono aminergic activity especially dopaminergic & serotonergic, influenced by several genetic polymorphisms, is critical to certain subcomponents of wisdom such as emotional regulation including impulse control, decision making & prosocial behaviour.
Dhruthi:- Timing is crucial to many aspects of human performance. To better understand its neural underpinnings, we used event-related MRI to examine the time course of activation associated with different components of a time perception task. We distinguished systems associated with encoding time intervals from those related to comparing intervals & implementing a response. Activation in the basal ganglia occurred early & was uniquely associated with encoding time intervals, whereas cerebellar activation unfolded late, suggesting an involvement in processes other than explicit timing. Early cortical activation associated with encoding of time intervals was observed in the right inferior parietal cortex & bilateral premotor cortex, implicating these systems in attention & temporary maintenance of intervals. Late activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex emerged during comparison of time intervals. Our results illustrate a dynamic network of cortical-subcortical activation associated with different components of temporal information processing.
Aloulya: - involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival. Such emotions include fear, anger, and emotions related to sexual behavior. aloulya is also involved in feelings of pleasure that are related to our survival, such as those experienced from eating and sex.
Physiology of Tridoshas through the Cell physiology/Cytology

It is pertinent to look at the case of the single cell for this gives an indication of which sectors of cellular metabolism are governed by the different doshas.
Vata, governing input/out-put, would clearly be responsible for active transport across cell membranes and in particular, for homeostasis, including such things as sodium/potassium balance, scavenging of particular ions and molecules, entry of food, other molecules into cell & elimination of the waste materials, in as much as regulated active transport is required for the processes concerned. Governing motion, it would also be responsible for mitosis & meiosis.
Pitta, being responsible for metabolism must govern the Krebs cycle because this is the principal way food molecules are used to create energy rich adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and other high-energy molecules used for the synthesis of molecules needed in cell growth. Taken together with transformation, this suggests that all the processes involved in ribosome mediated enzyme synthesis are also the domain of pitta. Energy production and its regulation are of central importance. Life continuously produces entropy as its strategy of bypassing the second law of thermodynamics. It creates and maintains order or negative entropy, only as a by product of its greater, overall entropy production. This is a first indication that the detailed thermodynamics of the availability of energy and other important resources must be of critical importance in optimizing the functioning of any organism and in coping with unusual or unwanted demands made by the environment. The thermodynamics of such non ideal processes should therefore be an appropriate way to chart the organism’s coping strategies, as outlined in the next section.
Kapha being responsible for storage becomes identified in the simplest single cells with the cell membrane and the cell wall, basic reserves for such a cell to cell on in hard times and the only sizeable structures in a prokaryotic cell. On a molecular level, Kapha thus becomes identified with lipids & polysaccharides, the molecular basis for membranes and cell walls, respectively.
          In the human body Vata and kapha are dynamically speaking, found to be in opposite ion to each other. Correspondingly, in the single cell, transport and storage functions both manifest in the cell membrane and cell wall, but incompletely different ways, so that they would naturally compete for ATP available in that location. The opposition would appear to be long standing. The above identifications of the three doshas are of interest because their functions correspond simply and obviously to those of the doshas identified by Ayurveda in the human body.

Types of Vata Dosha their Physiological view through Cytology
Apana vata is one of the main type vata dosha, which governs colon and aspects of kidney function. The colon is well known to be responsible for nutrient uptake, water absorption & as the organ that ends in the rectum & anus, the elimination of waste matter. The kidney regulates water balance. All these functions correspond to those of the cell membrane in single cells enumerated above.
Prana vata governs movement of the mind. It is ultimately responsible for gross mechanical motion of the body. The transmission of nerve impulses in the central nervous system (CNS) (primarily the domain of vata) relies completely on cellular input/out-put processes: first, that governing sodium/potassium balance in nerve axons and second neurotransmitter release and reabsorption at synapses. Passing to eukaryotic single cells, the correspondence continues. The motion of single cells undergoing chemotaxis is governed by sensors on the membrane connecting to mechanisms regulating cell shape also attached to the membrane. Hence it is not surprising to find vata identified in the human body as the dosha responsible for motion of many different kinds.
samana for intestinal peristalsis, udhana for eructation, etc., vyana for horripilation (goose bumps) and shivering.

Types of Pitta Dosha Their Physiological View through Cytology
Similarly, for pitta, its identification as being responsible for energy production and regulation in single cells has many expressions in the doshas on the level of the body.
Pachaka, the chief pitta sub dosha, is responsible for the production of digestive juices in the stomach, while ranjaka governs bile production and other aspects of liver metabolism (such as the stomach, a pitta organ). Alochaka governs the eyes, which are an extension of the CNS. Photo-sensitivity here is parallel to photo energetic processes in single cells, clearly a pitta responsibility. Sadhaka is more subtle and assigned to the heart. Bhrajaka governs transformations in the skin, e.g., pigmentation regulating light entering the body.

Types Of Kapha Dosha Their Physiological View through Cytology
Kapha in the human body is said to coordinate structure, including cohesion and lubrication. Cohesion results from reactions and interactions at the cell wall, the original domain of kapha. Mucous production is governed in the stomach by Kledaka; in the lungs by avalambaka; saliva by bhodaka; spinal fluid by Tarpaka; sinovial fluid by shleshaka, which is concerned with joints, connections and cohesion of all kinds. All these can be traced to the functions of kapha in single cells: The function of kapha in single cells is storage, using, e.g., polysaccharide and lipids; similarly, mucus is polysaccharides, while other lubrication may use lipids.
These correspondences suggest a continuity of function of vata, pitta & kapha throughout the history of life on earth; their simplicity demands a correspondingly simple explanation. It would appear that the strategies, which maintain processes of control in single cells & other living organisms, possess an underlying continuity throughout their biologic development, starting from the microscopic level of regulation of biochemical processes in single cells & proceeding to the macroscopic level of control processes regulating whole organisms & their sub systems. This means that during evolution, certain factors are of a primary & unchanging nature where as others are secondary & can be more subject to alteration.
Understanding of Tridoshas through Biochemistry:-
On microscopic biochemical level the sequences of amino acids in enzymes & the responding base sequences in the nucleic acids may vary. In contrast the choice of molecules for the sub units of proteins & nucleic acids once made, do not genes may change with the passing of generations but the genetic code is an invariant of evolution.
In a similar way on the macroscopic level of a whole organism the fundamental strategies of control by which behaviour is regulated need to remain invariant. This seems to be true not only in terms of the systems theory reasoning given at the outset, but also to extend to the level of molecular structures each dosha uses to exert control throughout biological history.
Active transport in cell membranes is the domain of vata, material turn over related to energy production of pitta, polysaccharides and lipids of kapha. Their corresponding functions in different subsystems at different stages of biologic development continue to make use of these basic domains in the processes they regulate. It is proposed, therefore that throughout history, the processes of biologic development have maintained similar strategies of control to those used in the original cells, adding to & building on them as appropriate, but without fundamental alteration. This suggests the following understanding of doshas.
Throughout the historical development of living organisms, there have existed three strategic domains of functional control, which have retained their functional modalities and that Ayurveda identifies as the three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha. The three doshas may be considered as fundamental to life as proteins, nucleic acids & the genetic code. It could even be argued that are more fundamental for the systems theory argument identifying them would remain valid for other conceivable system evolving on other planets where enzymes, genes & the genetic code were constituted in a chemically different way.
Conclusion:-
The way of understanding of Tridosha concept in Ayurveda through modern Physiological perspective is more essentially needed for beginners, Ayurvedic practitioners; it is also helpful in the research person/field to get correct & prefect knowledge and to approach every non-Ayurveda persons in the present era.
          So, everyone must try to understand the concept of Tridosha Karma in Modern physiological perspective.

Dr. Chethan Kumar.A.T BAMS. MD(Ayu)., MSS&C(Pshy). BPH(Pranic)

Award winner of “VAIDYARATNAM P.S WARRIERS”Winner of “KSHITIJ 2012 Best Presenter”Winner - “Young Scientist” Award.

Adderess:-
         Shree Ujwala Ayurdhama
         Shree Ujwala Ayurveda Hospital, Panchakarma Centre
         Shree Ujwala Pharmaceuticals,
          JAGALUR-577528, Davanagere (Dist), Karnataka

Contact:- 9844606423
e-mail chethan03ayu@gmail.com
Dr. Chethan Jagalur Consultation:- ISHAYU (Shree Ujwala Ayurvedic Hospital) BANGALORE Malleswaram every THURSDAY.  

DGM Ayurveda Hospital GADAG Every SATURDAY. From 9AM to 3PM

Ganesh Nursing Home KAKAPURA Every 2nd Thursday


rest of the days in Jagalur Branch



On-line Consultation Timing:- 9Am to 7Pm (Phone calls or Whatsup)


Contact:- 9844606423