Gas and Headaches after eating

[gajraaj]

Hello everyone. Need some expert advise and help.

Although I know a bit about Ayurveda, I am not an expert and I am puzzled about my current condition.

My profile : Male, 40 Years, Married with kids, Prakriti : Pitta Dominant - Kapha, Moderately active lifestyle. Stressful work (consulting).

History : I have always had a tendency towards gas and poor digestion with tendency towards constipation. This was more frequent abound 3-4 years ago when I was more sedentary. But have really reduced since 2 years after I started some jogging and going to the gym.

Last one month I did a detox based on the Prime diet of Dr Kulreet Choudhry. What I did is just to have about a liter of prime tea daily (1 teaspoon each of Coriander Seeds, Fennel Seeds and Cumin Seeds boiled in about a liter of water). every day.

Since than what happened is that I started developing mild headaches, skin rashes etc. As be the prime diet this is expected since it dislodged toxins from the body. So I was quite oK with it.

During this month itself, I started strength training (weight lifting, squats, bench press etc). And about 10 days ago, during one of the squatting exercises, My head became very heavy and I had throbbing pains which stayed for a couple of days. I stopped the prime diet. But my headaches returned whenever I went to the gym. Now, I get headache 15-30 minutes after I eat or drink anything. They are always due to gas formation in the stomach after eating. The skin rashes also continue

The intensity of headaches has reduced but they are still there and its very annoying.

Can anyone help me understand (in ayurvedic terms) what happened here.?

Many thanks in advance.

[Ayuskamiya]

CCF (cumin, coriander, fennel) tea is a common and usually safe way to increase Agni, the digestive fire. However, in your case it may have increased Pitta too much, as indicated by your skin rashes. Gas and tendency to constipation indicate 'vishama agni', a Vata-based digestion style. Indigestion and constipation are also signs Vata aggravation and of accumulation of Ama, the toxic residue of improperly digested food which tends to block the channels (srotas) of the body.

The first thing to do is to clear Ama from the channels, and to do this you need to follow a light vata diet. Normally this is where CCF tea is recommended, but in your case I would just take plain hot water, or to avoid Pitta flare ups, just warm water. Boil the water for at least five minutes, pour it into a thermos, and drink a small quantity every 30 minutes. Frecuency is more important than quantity - the objective is to keep the digestive fire kindled, or in plain language keep your belly warm. This is a practice that you can continue for a long time, but should show good results within a couple of weeks.

As far as exercise, you have to be very moderate, specially at the beginning. The general Ayurvedic recommendation is that we exercise only to half our capacity, called bal-ardha in the ancient texts. Regular exercise is very important but it has to be moderate, and according to our prakriti. Sushruta, one of the ancient physicians expressed it best:

"From the man who exercises regularly diseases fly away, just like small animals fly away from the presence of a lion." But he also said that a person who overdoes physical activity "perishes like an elephant caught in the jaws of a crocodile", or words to that effect.

Here are a couple of links to Vata management, but keep in mind that you should probably avoid the more heating spices like black pepper, because you have a balancing act between Vata and Pitta.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurvedic-knowle...html#gsc.tab=0
http://www.mapi.com/ayurvedic-knowle...html#gsc.tab=0
http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info...cifying-foods/

Look carefully at the foods that you should avoid, which are generally the 'heavy' and 'tamasic ones' such as cheese. Also make sure to take a light breakfast and dinner, and make lunch your main meal, since around noon is when the digestive fire is most active, which allows digestion to be more complete. And don't eat spicy food.

Once you have done the hot (warm) water routine for two or three weeks, and you feel lighter of mind and body, you can start to manage the vata-pitta imbalance. Continue with the vata diet and switch to a pitta diet in the summer. You can also try Hingvashtak Churna to improve digestion, but again if that increases Pitta too much (rashes, etc.) stop taking it. If Pitta continues to be an issue, take instead Avipattikar churna.

Regarding headaches, there are three main types, each associated with a different dosha. Tension headaches are Vata, migraine headaches are Pitta-Vatta, and sinus headaches are Kapha-Vata. One of the causes of vata headaches is stress, which you mention is a factor in your job. Other causes are irregular routine, improper diet (must have completely digested before eating again), irregular digestion and constipation (!!), inadequate sleep, etc. Symptoms of vata headache are tightness, constriction, and fluctuation (the essence of vata is irregularity). Pitta-Vatta headaches, on the other hand, are burning, searing, sharp, may be accompanied by visual disturbances like photophobia, and often occur on just one side of the head. Kapha-Vata headaches feel heavy, dull, congested.

So try to clear Ama and balance Vata, and make another post in a couple of weeks to let us know how you are doing. And if you have questions go ahead and post too. You will be fine if you follow a good routine and diet, and make the warm water thermos your best friend.

[Ayuskamiya]

One more thing: Start taking triphala, a couple of tablets before going to bed. You can do this for a long time, since it is a rasayana. Here are two links:

http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/triphala-tablets-11/

http://www.mapi.com/products/herbal-...html#gsc.tab=0