Chronic Disease Conditions And The Ayurvedic Road To Recovery

Chronic illness does not spring up overnight. Frequently the foundations are laid over a long period of time, sometimes over many years, and therefore their treatment may be a multi-stage process. Sometimes the chronic disease patient will feel worse at the outset then experience an improvement, only to suffer another relapse further down the line. Others feel much better very soon after beginning treatment, but just when they think they may be cured there is a sudden deterioration and chronic disease symptoms worsen for a while. These relapses are generally brief, sometimes only lasting for a few hours and rarely for more than a few days, but unfortunately they sometimes discourage the patient, to the extent that they abandon their chronic illness treatment program and go seeking alternatives.

I sometimes tell my patients to think of an army fighting a series of battles. One battle after another is won until suddenly their progress comes to a halt. They meet an obstacle, perhaps a blocked road or a broken bridge, and they have to take time to stop and carry out repairs. Once this is completed progress can be resumed.

This is exactly how the healing process works. At some point the chronic disease treatment will come up against an obstacle such as damaged tissue which needs to be repaired before any further progress can be achieved. Ayurvedic medicine works gradually and systematically on all the organs and tissues which have been damaged during the progress of the illness; the healing may be effected from the inside or from the outside.

For this reason I take care to ensure that every patient has realistic expectations when embarking on a treatment program of Ayurvedic medicine & Ayurvedic Diet, and to be prepared for the occasional apparent setback. Without this understanding they might otherwise be inclined to think their treatment is not working and lose confidence in their program.

If you are following a treatment program for chronic illness or chronic diseases and experience setbacks along the way this should always be discussed with your practitioner, so that they may help you understand the reasons for your chronic condition symptoms and reassure you in regards to the course of your treatment.