Vata Dosha Revisited
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Dr.H.S.Palep M.D., D.G.O., D.F.P., F.I.C.O.G., G.F.A.M. Prabhadevi, Mumbai |
Vayuh tantra yantra dharah , prana udana saman vyanapana, atma pravartaka
Iveshtanam. Uccha vachanam, niyanta pranetacha manasah, sarvendriyarthanam udyojakah sarvendriyarthanamabhivodha, sarva sharer dhatu vyuhakarah, shrotra sparshanayo moolam, harshotsahyo yonih, samirano agnih dosha sasoshanah, kshepta bahi malanam, sthoolanam srotasam bheta, karta garbhakritinam, ayusho anuvritt pratya bhooto bhavati akupita. (Charak)
Vayu is described as a beholder of yantra and also the tantra. (yantra tantra dharah)
Yantra is the whole body machine. Tantra is the controlling mechanism of whole body organization comprising of seventy trillion cells. In its physiological state it is comprised of five types, viz., prana, udana, samana, vyana and apana. Prana denotes very life. It also means motion. Udana refers to its location in upper pat of the body. Saman vayu (samam anayati iti) is the one that homogenizes with body the food eaten, digested and absorbed.
Vyan vayu ( vi + an spandate) or visheshena spandate.
It means that it has specialized quality actions of being pulsatile and vibrating. It is responsible for all the peristalitic actions in GI tract and pulsatile action of blood vessels. It is also described as maha java. It moves with very high speed. It is responsible for all neuronal and endocrine functions in the body. It is all body pervasive unlike other types of vayus.
Apana vayu (apa nayati , apa sarati) : It carries with it all metabolic waste and helps to excrete them. It is responsible for evacuation of bladder, bowel and delivery of fetus from utero. It also controls menstrual and seminal flow. It also programs the fetal growth. (karta garbhakritinam)
Other functions of vayu in the physiological state:
It is described as atma pravartakah.
What is atma? How does vayu regulate all the bodily functions?
Atma denotes self awareness or consciousness and intellect. Atma expresses through vayu. It controls and inspires mind. (Nayantah pranetecha manasah). Atma, the Self / Purush/ the conscious element/ agent / doer along with 24 constituents of Prakruti form the Human embodiment (Chikitsa purusha/ treatable human entity). This conglomeration alone experiences the entire worldly phenomenon. Since self has no attributes, by it self or through any indications or signs, it is not inferable. Since it is knower or the cause of all the awareness, it is called as the knower of the field. Consciousness is awareness, an ability to perceive one’s relationship with his environment. It is the capacity to receive, store, recognize the information and it also enables an individual to process the information in to knowledge and use this knowledge to organize or program all his activities. Thus an individual is a unique unit of experiences, activity and interactions that drive them along their developmental trajectories. (pravartakah cheshtanam ucchaavachanam).
Current sciences are exploring the field of human consciousness as never before. Andrade in 1999 described semiotic agency as information gathering and using systems. Zurek extended these properties to living entities. Semiotic agency merges and transforms the internal and external flows of energy.
The Avyakta prakriti is the field, the un manifest primordial material source of entire creation. The first step in creation of life systems is the union of Purush/self with Prakruti. Next in the order is the creation of intelligent thinking systems, i.e., Mahat or ocean of cosmic consciousness. It is born out of self. Intellect is the rational thinking principle of mind. Intelligent is the one, who is endowed with the faculty of reasoning. The next in the order of creation is Ahankar/ ego, which is the ID of self. Next in line is Mind. Mind is not conscious, but when yoked to self, it is impelled by self in to activity. Mind has the faculties of dhee(reception/ understanding), dhriti (retention/ fortitude/ will power), smriti (recall/ memory), chintan (thinking) and buddhi (judgement/ intelligence). With the mind thinking systems develop. Mind is an instrument (upadhi). Objects of mind are thoughts, comprehension, contemplation, imagination, hypothesizing and determination (sankalp) and initiation of actions. The two qualities of mind are Ekatwam (single) and anutwam (subtle/ atomic). It is the basis for joy and enthusiasm (harsha utsahor yoni). Next in order are five tanmatras/ subtle qualities of sound, touch, vision, taste and aroma. (shrotra sparshanoyoh moolam). These qualities belong to five gross elements ether/space, air, fire, water and earth respectively. These five qualities can be perceived by mind through five organs of cognition, viz. ear, skin, eyes, taste buds of tongue and nose respectively (prakrutayo shabda sparshayo). Mind acts through five organs volition or conation, viz. tongue (speech) (pravartakayo vacha), hands, feet, excretory and genital organs (Kshepta bahirmalanam). (sarvendriyanam udyojaka – sarvendriyanamabhi vodha= It carries with it the impulses and initiates all sensory motor functions). It organizes all the tissues of the body (sarva sharer dhatu vyuha kara). It integrates the whole body. (sandhana karah sharirasya). It is responsible for metabolic fire (Sameeraner agneer dosha samsoshanah). It is also the basis for ones life span when in the physiological state. (Ayusho pratyabhuto bhavati akupita)
Vayu thus regulates and integrates all the sensory and motor functions of the body. A gas regulating all the biological functions in the body was unthinkable for any modern scientist before the invention of NO. Most of them believed in neuro hormonal actions based on adrenaline or acetyl choline as neuro transmitters.
Awarding of Nobel Prize in 1980 to Furschgot and Zawadski for the discovery of NO gas has completely changed the understanding of the role of neuro transmitters for maintaining normal vascular tone. NO is a gas produced by the endothelial cells of the vascular system and many other tissues of the body, viz., brain, CNS and nerves. Nitric oxide is a bi-atomic gas produced by the action of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase on the amino acid L-arginine. The by-product of this is another amino acid, L-citrulline, whose presence in tissue can be measured as a marker of nitric oxide synthase activity. Nitric oxide synthase is found in the endothelium, brain and central nervous system. Nitric oxide itself lasts only milliseconds in the circulation; it is rapidly degraded to nitrite and nitrate then excreted. L-arginine, a semi essential aminoacid and is a substrate for the NO generation. It is synthesized by the action of different nitricoxide synthases in different tissues of the body. In the nervous system it is nNOS. It is called Geneproduct-1. It generates NO in neurons and glial tissues. It regulates the cerebro vascular tone and regulates the learning and memory (Prana and Udana vayu functions). The Second Nitric oxide synthase is Inducible iNOS which is called Gene product –2. It generates NO in monocytes, macrophages, smoothmuscle cells, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes and mega-karyocytes etc. It plays great role in maintaining the general immunity and inflammatory reactions of the body (vyana and samana vayufunctions). eNOS is the third Gene product which responsible for generation of NO in the vascular endothelial cells (vyana vayu). It determines the cerebral blood flow. NO reacts with guanyl cyclase resulting in cGMP, which is the relaxant of all the smooth muscles including the sphincters in GI tract (Saman vayu function). It causes vaso dilatation. This action of NO is responsible for penile erection, which is the basis for the action of sildenafil (viagra) –Apana vayu function. NO also functions as a neurotransmitter in non adrenergic and non cholinergic pathways of myocardial contractility, GI tract motility. It prevents adhesion and aggregation of leucocytes and platelets thus maintaining the integrity of the vascular system. It is different from other neurotransmitters since it has two way actions on both afferent and efferent nerves, as well on pre and post synaptic neurons.
Pathological effects of NO:
Defficiency or depletion or excessive of NO can lead to number of pathological conditions, e.g., hypertension, athero-sclerosis, and diabetese. Free radicals and advanced glycosylation end products inactivate NOs resulting in to various pathologies. Similarly vitiated Vayu can cause all different types of diseases enumerated above.
Prostagladins are local hormones produced in almost all the tissues and body fluids in response to diverse stimuli, mechanical, thermal, chemical, bacterial and hormonal etc. They are chiefly responsible for the pain sensation and inflammation. Prostaglandin synthesis and their metabolism are dependent on NO. Vitiated Vata is the cause of pain according to Ayurvedic conceptualization. Just as with Vayu, the spectrum of actions of NO and Prostaglandins encompass wide range of biological processes. Arachidonic acid (AA) is the precursor for all the different PGs (prostaglandins). AA is produced from the metabolism of dietary linoleic acid. Action of enzyme cyclooxegenase on AA result in PGs. Lipooxegenase action on AA results in leukotriens. Lukotriens are also the mediators of inflammation. They have profound effect on microvasculature causing exudation of plasma. They cause release of histamine from basophils, also cause chemotaxis of leucocytes. PGEs and PGA release erythropoietin from the renal cortex.
Prostaglandins have wide range of actions on all systems of the body. Some PG s e.g. PGE, PGI and PGA act as vasodilators, where as PGF and TXA (Thromboxane) are vasoconstrictors. They exert great effect on the blood cells. TXA causes platelet aggregation. PGE causes smooth muscle relaxation in bronchial tree, uterus and GI tract etc.
Gastric hydrochloric acid and other secretions are reduced where as the secretion of mucin is increased by PGA, PGI2 and PGE. PGs cause luteolysis.
PGs are responsible for the pyrogen induced fever. They also amplify the pain sensation in all the inflammatory processes. They also exert profound influence on carbohydrate metabolism by insulin like action and cause inhibition of lypolysis.
PGs regulate synthesis of cAMP by activating or inhibiting adenylate cyclase in the membrane bound receptors. Thus PGs functions can be compared to the action of various vayus in health and as well the disease.
If vayu is equated to only neurotransmission and hormonal functions, the whole idea of Tantra yantra dhara description of Charak falls flat. It falls short very badly and can not explain all the functions or actions envisaged for Vayu. Neurohormonal basis only explains the Yantra part of the whole Tantra yantra dhara. Tantra relates to whole organization of the body where seventy trillion cells perform under one unified command. Therefore Vata concept probably also relates to genome. Brilliant discovery in 1953 of double helix structure of Deoxy ribo nucleicacid (DNA) as the basic stucture of genome has laid the foundation for the understanding of the basis for molecular biology. Now that there is need to rediscover Vata, Pitta and Kapha as the concepts of molecular biology. Nuceicacids are also proteins. All the proteins have Nitrogen as a benchmark. Vayu is the mixture mainly of Nitrogen, Oxygen and other minor gasses. Various biomolecules, that include gene proteins and small gas molecules e.g. NO,CO act on surface receptors of the cells to form ligand receptor complex resulting in to specified action depending on the type of the cell. Ligand receptor complex results in to series of intracellular events. They include the formation of messenger RNA (m RNA) in Ribosomes (transcription), formation of new protein (translation). This newly formed protein causes replication of a cell and also repairs the damaged DNA of a cell. One of the most important regulatory gene discovered is P53. It is also known as molecular policeman. It regulates the repair and the programmed death of the cell, (apoptosis). Mutation of this gene can cause cancer. Gene proteins or regulatory proteins act through endocrine, paracrine and autocrine mechanisms. Therefore regulating proteins also participate in the umbrella functions of vayu that can satisfy the description of Tantra yantra action of Vayu.
Another interesting description of vayu is, it being Rajo pradhan. Raja is signified by motivated action. In the experiment with Hydrocarbon polymer in solution of sea water, it is seen that particles in the solution in the beginning move in Brownian fashion. This solution when exposed to ultraviolet irradiation in presence of atmospheric air, these particle start moving rapidly. This change in the type of particle motion can be compared to Rajas. When the ultra sound is introduced in to this solution the particles are observed to be organizing themselves in to cell layers. This organizational ability is derived from the Satwa quality of Akash. The biological Vayu (vata dosha) is the result of combination both Vayu and Akash. Because of this Vata is responsible for both structure and function of the body correctly fitting in to the theme of Tantra yantra description of Charak. Structural and functional enzyme proteins are regulated by gene proteins. Self assembly is the property of all the biomolecules. They possess the capacity to replicate, multiplicate and perpetuate. This phenomenon is aided by Ahankar.
Ayurveda attributed volitional aggression (pragnyaparadh), incompatible environment, food and activities as the etiological causes for the increase or decrease of all doshas including vata leading to their imbalance, there by creating pathology. Excessive (atiyoga), Negative (hina yoga) and perverse (mithya yoga) interactions with the agents of environment, and as well the chemical and physical agents can cause damage to DNA. Thus Yantra tantra dhara concept of Vayu can now be understood in terms of NO and regulatory genes.
References: Ayurveda and Modern Medicine - Dr. R.D.Lele
Tridosha – Madhu Jeevan – Vaidya Nanal Ramesh
Scientific Foundation of Ayurveda- Dr. H.S.Palep
Nitric Oxide Donors – Christopher Lee
