As I approach 20 years of clinical practice, I am increasingly seeing more patients with myriad kinds of hormone imbalances. The cases of PCOS (Stein-Leventhal syndrome) are alarmingly on the rise. Though, concrete statistical data for Indian population is not available, some of the recent studies done with Indian females seem to come to the same conclusion. Reliable data suggests that about 18% of Indian women are affected by PCOS. A few other studies which help to establish the gravity of the situation are.
What is the Ayurvedic approach to PCOS?
The golden rule for Ayurvedic treatment for any condition is the 3- pronged approach of Aahara(Food/ Nutrition)-Vihaara (Lifestyle/Exercise)- Aushadha (Medicine). This is even more relevant in the treatment of PCOS. Though the common diagnosis may be PCOS, the advice regarding the 3-pronged approach is individualistic owing to the prakriti (constitution), age, severity, occupation, location, habits and many other variables. This is because, Ayurvedic treatment is more Rogi (patient) specific than Roga (Disease) specific.
There is wide awareness about the importance of exercise in the treatment of PCOS. But the intense physical workouts is not yielding desired results in some of the patients. Some points to keep in mind are
In place of intensive physical programs, balanced exercise with rest and nutrition yields better results
Just like drastic weight gain can be a trigger for hormone imbalance, drastic weight loss is also not the best prescription to regularise the hormones
If you have not been exercising for a while, start your workout program with focus on building strength and flexibility
Choose a program which you enjoy doing, rather than choose something you may find boring and punishing. Such exercises, thoughrigorous may increase the stress levels which is totally counter productive.
Best to begin with slow stretches, followed by walking and conclude with slow stretches for the first 15 days. This will prepare the body for more intense workouts which can be started after a fortnight and help prevent injuries.
Exercising consistently for 40-60 minutes for 4-5 days a week is more useful than long intensive exercise only for a couple of days in the week or only on weekends.
Yoga has proven to be very effective as a therapy for PCOS. Including a sequence of therapy yoga will be immensely beneficial to manage PCOS.
As per the request from many of you, I am starting this series of posts to outline some guidelines to help you in this journey.
I will be drawing data for this from my clinical experience, basic ayurvedic tenets and observations from various studies being done all over the world regarding PCOS.
Exercise program for beginners
Food for PCOS