is a condition induced by over-accumulation and inappropriate elimination of toxins in the body. This kind of internal pollution of the body occurs for several reasons, one of the main being improper life style that includes bad nutrition and stress. Autotoxemia is the main cause of all diseases, premature decaying of cells and premature ageing. The Ayurvedic medicine refers to toxins i.e. disorders and diseases caused by deposition of toxins in different body systems. In the Ayurvedic medicine these toxins are called "ama". The Ayurvedic teaching has given the most concise theory about the appearance of toxic material in the body. The food has to be adjusted to the constitutive type of the individual. The quantity, weather conditions, the time of year and the mere quality of the food have to be minded. Food that has been eaten too quickly and reheated has toxic effects. These are only some of the directions that the food science takes into consideration. Undigested food gradually decomposes and rots and the toxins through the lymph and bloodstream come into different systems where they cause disorders and diseases. The body possesses the inner knowledge, inborn natural intelligence and it tries to remove these toxins through waste matters and secretions. When the level of toxins gets too high, the body just can not deal with it and there is an overload in certain body systems. When this happens, the toxins move into the circulation channels they are not supposed to be in and thus create an imbalance. So the skin problems do not actually originate from the skin itself but from the imbalanced energies of liver, blood, lungs, and it is therefore logical that by rebalancing the energies of the affected organs and their systems, we are solving the problems of the skin. The body speaks to us through different symptomatic alarms that there is something wrong, but we usually ignore it until some greater disorders appear. Ayurveda possesses methods called Panchakarma which are used for elimination of toxic substances from the body. By the Panchakarma treatments toxins can be successfully eliminated from the body. Except for the introductory treatments of Panchakarma, there is also the elimination of the toxic material and toxins from the large intestine by means of water, Ayurvedic herbal preparations or special Ayurvedic oils. This procedure consists of several simple actions and it is very pleasant. This treatment in Ayurveda is called Vasti Karma and its benefits are many; only some of them are: reducing body weight as a result of elimination of toxins, improved metabolism and digestion, assimilation and elimination, balanced energy of Wind (which is responsible for digestive, mental and other functions), the sensation of lightness and purity, etc.

What is the main function of the intestines?

The main function of the intestines is the absorption of water and the disposal of waste matters and toxins. Regarding the specific nature and porosity of the intestinal wall that enables nutritive substances to be absorbed into the bloodstream, even the toxins pass through and into the bloodstream and cause various problems. The most of all minerals and vitamins we take through food gets absorbed into the body through the intestinal walls. The lack of vital nutritive substances in the body is often not caused by absence of vitamins but rather by deposition of, so to say, trash on the walls of the intestines that prevent nutritive substances from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Only some of the common intestinal diseases are: congenital defects, different infections and inflammations, ulcerative colitis, intestinal worms and fungus infections, tumours, Crohn's disease, etc. 85% of adult people in the U.S. suffer from some kind of intestinal problems and symptoms, and the children also because of their irregular nutrition (fast food). Through the years of irregular nutrition the function of the intestines is weakening, intestinal walls can become almost completely impenetrable for nutritive ingredients and the only thing they can efficiently pass through are toxic substances that enter directly into our bloodstream. Every individual can carry in his intestines between 5 and 30 kilos of toxic substance in the form of mucus..

Disorders and diseases of the intestines

Appendicitis is an inflammation that takes place because of the obstruction of faeces or parasites. The tissue that covers the mucous membrane of the appendix gets infected, inflamed and swollen. This condition brings to acute appendicitis which, if it is not treated, may lead to gangrene or spilling of the inflamed mass all over the internal organs. Autointoxication i.e. toxemia develops when toxins start to spread through the bloodstream thus infecting all organs of the body. Because of the accumulated unprocessed "garbage" in the intestines, ever more waste is being deposited and not properly eliminated. Toxic material is usually created as a result of rotting of the waste material i.e. food.
Colitis or inflammation of intestines may occur because of the deposition of undigested material on the intestinal walls which settles in layers making the normal functioning of the intestines impossible. Increasing of the pressure caused by insufficient free passage through the intestine leads to various inflammatory conditions of the intestine.
Intestinal cancer comes second by frequency among all other forms of tumours, and it takes away 20% of the total number of victims of cancer. Carcinogenic tumours grow slowly and they can expand to liver.
Lymphomas damage the mucous membranes of the intestine causing weak absorption of the nutritive substances and expand to the lymph nodes.
Diverticulitis develops by weakening of the muscle structures in the intestine which produces small hernias. These small hernias can be filled with toxic materials that react with bacteria in the intestine which causes inflammatory processes.
Inflammatory disease of intestines is ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. It is characterised by ulcers and abscesses that are made by inflammation of the mucous membrane and it usually appears in the small intestine. During the process of healing scars are formed and they block the passage of waste matters.
There is natural mucus that helps to lubricate the intestines and to make the passing of the waste matters quicker. Certain food causes extra production of mucus which on the other hand stimulates the growth of the pathogenic factors in the intestine. The dysfunction of the intestines happens when this extra mucus is not removed in the natural way but is deposited in layers that are perfect ground for the creation of all kinds of pathogenic organisms in the body. The created toxins are absorbed into the lymph and bloodstream and they circulate all over the body causing problems and all kinds of diseases.
Prolapses in the transversal intestine are caused by accumulation of waste matters. Under the influence of gravitation that presses the colon downwards develops a pressure on other parts of the body like the spine and back.
Spastic intestine is created by constant spasms of the muscles that occur because of excessive stress in the everyday life.
Ulcerations occur due to constipation and autointoxication. They usually appear on the muscle tissue and they are caused by toxins and various irritants of parasitic or bacteriologic origin which cause bleedings.
The processes of decaying of the body, accelerated ageing and premature death happen because of the decreased function of the digestive tract and the intestines. According to Ayurveda, life itself depends on the power of digestive fire. When the function of the digestive tract weakens, every system and each cell gets affected. When the food is improperly digested the degenerative changes of the body begin. Undigested matters stimulate the blood acidity which is the source of all pathological changes of the body. This kind of hostile environment destroys the natural flora and fauna of the intestines creating an anaerobic environment that leads to development of numerous pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The toxic waste accumulated in such an environment is being spread by blood and the lymphatic system through the whole body. This condition is called toxemia or autotoxemia; the condition in which we are poisoning ourselves, slowly and surely.

What causes a disease?

We can not speak of only one exclusive cause of the disease, but we can speak of the causal factors and life situations that fit in like a puzzle and promote a state that can lead to illness. The conventional medicine teaches that diseases are caused by certain bacteria and viruses, but the truth is that these bacteria and viruses live in our body and our environment and still we are subjected to them and get sick only occasionally. Research has been done with individuals that had certain pathogenic factors injected directly into their bloodstream and they did not contract a disease. What actually makes us fall under the influence of so called exterior factors of the disease? (External factors of a disease include different pathogenic factors, external environmental conditions i.e. weather conditions, etc.) Obviously, for a certain disease to develop the interior factors have to match with the exterior factors. The interior factors of a disease are stress, emotional and mental anxiety, weak immunity, bad nutrition, bad life habits, bad thoughts, toxins in the body etc. For the development of a certain disease or disorder, the interior factors play much greater role than the exterior. The most important factors that make us come down with various diseases are bad life habits, bad nutrition, bad thoughts and emotional-mental anxiety. All these factors have an extremely important role in enabling the immune system for fighting against the exterior factors of diseases. The immune system is the key to good health and its ability particularly depends on two vital categories; the right way of life that includes life habits and nutrition. Food is the cure and the cure is our food. The third category is emotional-mental stability or satisfaction that emerges from the first two categories. Actually, our mind and our thoughts are made by the most subtle substance of the food that we take into the organism. Therefore the quality of food that we take into our body determines the quality of our thoughts and they determine our actions. That is why it is said – what you eat is what you become. Our body, mind and Spirit are nothing but the expression of nature itself. Everything that leads to the disturbance of balance between the body, mind and spirit, promotes various kinds of unnatural states.

The key factors of good health

1. Proper digestion. If your digestion system, that is, the system of assimilation and elimination functions properly your body will be healthy. This body will be able to produce all ingredients and enzymes that secure good health. Just taking vitamins or the healthiest food will not do if we have not insured the right performance of the metabolism. Health is established from the inside out and no exterior factor will help if it is not provided for the proper functioning of the digestion and everything that it brings. On the contrary, the chemical vitamins without the proper nutririon may additionally burden the digestion system and the metabolism.
   
2. Proper and regular excretion. Regular excretion is the foundation of good health and it depends on the function of the digestive fire, that is, of the digestion. Every average person is burdened with undigested material in the intestine that has been creating over the years since the very birth.
   
3. Proper functioning of the digestive fire. The food that has been consumed improperly, i.e. that has been processed, fried, overcooked, too spicy or too salty, all imbalanced food in general, that is not in harmony with the consumer and the exterior influences of environment, and re-heated food is by itself toxic and our body can not process it. The food that has been consumed improperly suppresses the digestive fire on which our entire health depends. Instead of nurturing the body and the intestines, it actually causes "starvation" of the large intestine. The intestines in the state of starving can not perform their function in the right way and they just physically let the waste pass through instead of participating in the metabolism i.e. the building and feeding of the body.
   
4. Clean intestine. While the modern medicine is familiar with parasites and micro organisms that can be observed with physical devices, and although Ayurveda also describes the diseases caused by parasites and worms, in Ayurveda these parasites do not have to be visible to the physical instruments. Today the problem of intestinal parasites is widely spread and their size can vary from a micron to several meters. Besides feeding on nutritive substances that are supposed to benefit our body, they let poisons out into the system. That makes our immune system constantly irritated and there is no wonder why problems with allergies increase all the time.
   
5. Clean environment and exterior influences. Most of the people are totally unconscious of the pollution of our environment especially by metals that can be found in everyday diet, in the water we drink or in the air we breathe. We will mention only aluminium from which today every can of food or drink is made. It can also be found in cosmetic products, sprays, dishes, antacids, etc. Its use is highly spread. Today aluminium is accused for many diseases of the heart, depressions, psychosis. Autopsies have shown that people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease have more aluminium in their brain than the average person. Every kinds of metal accumulate in our system and it is almost impossible for the body to eliminate them.
   
6. Purity of the food we take into our body. We are aware of the fact that today there is no ideally clean food. Everything we breathe, eat or drink is polluted, the question is only to what extent. Animals that are bred for food are being fattened with all possible hormones and substances to increase the production of milk or meat. In these unnatural conditions, they can not either live or survive and so the animals get sick. A large amount of vaccines, chemical medications and antibiotics are used for the treatment of these animals that people later consume. These substances affect the human health and cause health problems by destroying the intestinal flora. Today very little attention is given to the relation between the good and the bad intestinal bacteria. In the ideal intestine, they should exist in the proportion of 80% to 20% in favour of the good ones, and usually it is the other way round. Positive intestinal bacteria make a great contribution to the preservation of health. Among others, conditions like candidiasis are some of the signs of too many negative bacteria in the intestines. Candidiasis is directly connected to the excessive use of antibiotics, chemical medications and bad nutrition.
   
7. Emotional-Mental stability. We have placed this section last because until now we have only spoken of the physical factors for maintaining good health. Actually, the mental-emotional concept falls into the first category of importance for preserving health. Even the modern medicine claims that 80% of the health problems are of psychosomatic origin. This statement of the modern medicine is somewhat mechanistic and it often makes people that have these problems feel hurt because they think it means that something is wrong with them mentally. The traditional Ayurvedic medicine considers this factor as the cause of all illnesses but from another point of view. In Ayurveda the mental-emotional aspect is ruled by the elements of ether and air, that is, Vata Dosha. Vata is sensitive on the interior and exterior factors of stress. An emotion, especially a stronger emotion like hate, rage, anger or sorrow can disturb the energy of Vata which functions as the driving energy and so it can cause a mental-emotional imbalance. If these emotions are held in our Mind for too long they provoke a permanent imbalance of Vata. It causes a state of chronic stress which in the long term leads to all bigger health problems. Most of the hormonal disorders are provoked by the chronic state of Vatta imbalance. Beside that, Vata causes the imbalance of other biological energies (Pitta, Kapha) and together, in combination, they create different disorders and diseases. Toxins can also have mental-emotional origin like emotions that poison our mind and body, or they can have purely physical origin whether they come from our environment i.e. through food and drink or through processes of improperly metabolised food that gets inadequately transformed and so it accumulates, rots and releases toxins.

Disorders caused by excessive accumulation of toxins in the body:

Acne, allergies, asthma, arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, bad breath, high blood pressure, ulcers, sinusitis and other problems with mucus, chronic diseases, cholesterol, often colds and flues, constipation, bad digestion, depression, diabetes, chronic fatigue, flatulence, specific odour of the body, headaches, heart diseases, liver problems, various painful syndromes of the spine and pains in general, problems with the lymphatic system, premature ageing and greying of hair, skin diseases and various skin eruptions, poor health, excessive body weight, fungus infections, etc.

Causes of premature decaying of cells and ageing

One of the main reasons for ageing is the presence of free radicals that damage the DNA thus causing mutation and cell decay. Scientists have discovered that the acidity of blood is closely connected with excessive production of free radicals which are the main agents of disorders and chronic diseases. Our blood has a certain pH-value that secures healthy life. The food that has been submitted to industrial treatment, in other words, all canned food, chemically and thermally treated is harmful for us because it causes the acidity of the blood. The processes of pasteurisation and homogenisation change the quality of food and it has an irritating (rajas) and "dulling" (tamas) effect on our mind and body. Meat is a substance that releases many toxins during the process of metabolism, which increase the acidity of blood and so it becomes one of the main agents in the production of free radicals. Food in its natural form, that is, vegetables and fruit that have not been treated industrially, has alkaline effects and this is just the food that helps in fighting against free radicals i.e. acidity of blood. Vitamins and minerals that we call antioxidants are substances that destroy free radicals and they can be found in the greatest amount in fresh fruit and vegetables. The experts that study the effects of cell decay and aging state the following diseases and the main responsible for their presence – free radicals:

heart and liver damage in alcoholics
liver cirrhosis
malaria
multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
premature ageing
rheumatic diseases
side-effects of medication use
autoimmune diseases
arthritis
carcinoma
cataract
coronary diseases
lung emphysema
inflammatory conditions
diabetes
circulation disorders
diseases of cornea
dementia

Regeneration and rejuvenation treatments

Panchakarma is a part of a group of treatments that release the body of the accumulated toxins and establish the balance of the digestion which ensures proper assimilation of nutritive substances and elimination of toxins. These are the key factors of health or disease. To accomplish them, we need to purify the elimination channels of the body, one of the main being the large intestine. If the large intestine does not perform its function naturally, and it can do that only if the digestive system is working optimally, we can expect accelerated cell decay and premature ageing of the body. To successfully stop and slow down the process of cell decay, Ayurveda uses the Panchakarma treatments.

If you haven't heard, all Hollywood celebrities and models use hydrocolon therapy (Jala Vasti) as a method of rejuvenating, and spend thousands of dollars each year just on that. Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Andie MacDowell, Janet Jackson, Cindy Crawford, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler, Tom Arnold, Roseanne, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, etc. are only some of the famous Hollywood stars that have used this simple and efficient method.