An Ayurvedic approach to childhood illnesses

Caring for babies and young children can at times seem overwhelming. New parents often feel out of their depth when confronted by the ever changing health issues of their young child. Knowledge of Ayurveda and the theory of doshas is a useful tool for understanding your child's physiology and the dietary and environmental influences on it.

According to Ayurvedic wisdom everything can be understood in terms of the three governing principles of nature Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata dosha is like the wind and has the qualities of being light, dry, quick, changeable, cold and rough. It governs all movement in the universe and can be seen in the bodily functions of thinking, speaking, circulation and elimination. Pitta is like fire and shares its hot, sharp, intense qualities and the colours of red, orange and yellow. It is responsible for all processing and energy that takes place from the heat of the sun to the metabolism in our bodies. Kapha is comprised of water and earth and has its earthy qualities; slow, heavy, stable, moist and cold. It gives structure to the world around as well as our human bodies and provides lubrication and growth to our physiologies.

Each one of you has a different proportion of the doshas in your nature and this gives rise to the great variation of people, their appearance, personality, likes and dislikes. A Vata predominant person expresses the light, dry, changeable qualities of Vata in their slim build, wiry hair, enthusiastic nature and tendency towards dry skin. Pitta predominant people often have the colours of the fire in the hair and skin, have a warm body temperature and are passionate by nature. Kapha predominant individuals have a more emotionally stable nature, bigger build and better endurance than the other types. Their practical, hands on nature exhibits earthy Kapha's qualities.

Due to diet, lifestyle, climate and time of life you can develop too much or too little of the doshas resulting in imbalances. Ayurveda uses diet, daily routine and other activities to restore balance and good health.

Coughs, colds and runny noses
Babies and small children seem the most susceptible to coughs and colds. Childhood is Kapha time of life when the qualities of heaviness, oiliness and growth are predominant. This is exhibited in their unctuous skin, lubricated joints and constant growing that takes place. The moisture and heaviness of Kapha is naturally balanced by a child's active nature.

While congestion and mucous indicate an excess of Kapha's cold, sticky qualities they often originate from a Vata imbalance. Over stimulation, fatigue, travel, wind, cold weather and poor diet increase the light, dry, airy qualities of Vata and contribute towards dryness in the body's tissues. Lack of rest and proper food compromises the body's immune system and this is generally when you pick up a cold. The physiology reacts to the dryness of Vata by increasing Kapha, in the form of mucous or fluid.

The best prevention is to keep Vata balanced and strengthen your child's overall immunity. Due to their smaller physiologies a good routine of rest and meals is important for staying balanced. Limiting processed food and ensuring that your child eats plenty of wholegrains, fresh fruit and vegetables will boost their immunity. Including spices such as such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves and ginger in your family's diet will make vegetables tasty and easier to digest while supporting the family's immune systems.

Vata is aggravated by cold, windy weather so make sure that your children rug up and keep their heads, necks and chests covered in cooler weather. Unless in warm climates, babies with little or no hair need their heads covered most of the year when they are outside as heat predominantly escapes through the head. A daily oil massage with warm sesame oil is great for immunity and pacifying Vata but should be discontinued if there is already a respiratory imbalance as the massage can push the impurities deeper into the physiology.

If despite your best efforts your child comes down with a cold or the flu then continue with pacifying Vata but reduce foods that increase Kapha. Avoid Kapha increasing foods such as cheese, yogurt, chocolate, ice cream and potatoes if there is congestion. Milk should be taken in small amounts and boiled first to offset its cold, mucous creating qualities. Barley, turmeric, cloves and leafy greens are useful for balancing the moisture of Kapha as they are drying in nature. A mixture of a quarter of a teaspoon of cold pressed (unheated) honey and turmeric powder can be given to a child a few times a day to help dry up mucous; smaller amounts can be given to toddlers.

A Maharishi Ayurveda inhalation preparation made of essential oils including camphor, eucalyptus, clove and fennel is very useful for clearing congestion from the airways. Older children can inhale a few drops in boiling water while for younger ones a few drops can be mixed with sesame oil and rubbed into their chest. A drop or two mixed with sesame oil can be rubbed onto the breast of feeding mothers, just near where the babies nose is when they are feeding, so that congested babies can inhale while breast feeding. This solves feeding problems that often accompany babies with blocked noses as they can breathe through their nostrils while staying on the breast.

Part two in the May/June issue looks at Tummy Aches, Wind and Poor Elimination.