The human body is very like a computer in many ways.  It has long been known that our physical, mental and emotional patterns are not random, but undergo cyclical changes. This is the science of biorhythms. The body knows because of its built-in software exactly what it needs to do and when to do it, in order to maintain the healthy operation of all its systems, and with the help of its internal clock it creates a number of perfectly natural urges to alert us to the need to perform certain actions.

Ayurveda lists thirteen of these urges which it states should never be resisted or ignored. Hunger, tiredness and the need to urinate or defecate are four of the most obvious. Unfortunately, for social reasons or purely for convenience people often suppress these calls from nature and the pattern begins to be lost. An artificial program then takes the place of the natural urge; the body will eventually cease to send out its own signals.

In Ayurveda the first line of treatment in all illness is to ‘avoid the cause’. It therefore follows that any illness that can be caused by suppression of the various natural urges can be prevented simply by not suppressing any of them.

A natural urge to go to bed will normally express itself at around 10 p.m. If this is ignored the tiredness will usually pass, perhaps in about ten minutes. On finally retiring to bed insomnia often follows. The restorative value of the sleep will be largely lost. If  the desire to eat is ignored, again the hunger pangs will tend to subside fairly quickly, only to return possibly two hours later. Eating at inappropriate times can lead to a wide range of problems, including general debility which can result in disorders of the immune system. If children are not allowed to go to the toilet when their bowels dictate the need, constipation can become a long term problem. Repeatedly ignoring the urge to urinate can cause serious bladder or prostate problems. The list goes on.

The message here is simple – listen to nature’s call. If these natural urges are not heeded one problem will almost certainly lead to another.