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Malas - Body Wastes
Another important factor in maintaining
good health is the proper elimination of wastes; faeces,
urine, and sweat [miscellaneous wastes includes tears
(eye), spit (tongue), oily secretions (skin), mucoid
secretions (mucus membrane), and smegma (excreta from
genitalia). Malas (body wastes) help to maintain the proper
functioning of our organs.
Faeces (purisha) provide support and
tone to the body along with maintaining the temperature
of the colon. Improper functioning can lead to Vayu
illnesses like worry, fear, a feeling of being
ungrounded, nervousness, headaches, gas, distention and
constipation. Proper elimination of the faeces is
damaged by the excessive use of purgatives, colonics,
worry, and fear (fear can create both improper
functioning or be a byproduct of this dysfunction). It
is also damaged by excessive travel, the wrong foods
(such as junk food or foods that are too light or too
heavy), oversleeping, coffee, drugs, antibiotics,
insufficient exercise and prolonged diarrhea. In
Ayurvedic literature, it has been clearly stated that
debilitated persons suffering from tuberculosis should
not be given any kind of purgatives, as it is the feces
that maintain the temperature of such persons.
Urine (mutra) expels water and other
solid wastes from the body. Poor urine elimination
results in bladder pain or infection, difficult
urination, fever, thirst, dry mouth, or dehydration. It
is affected by diuretic drugs, alcohol, excessive sex,
trauma, fright or intake of too few liquids.
Sweat (sweda) controls the body
temperature by expelling excess water and toxins, cools
the body, moistens the skin and hair, carries away
excess fat from the body and purifies the blood. Excess
sweating can cause skin diseases (usually Pitta related)
like eczema, boils, fungus, burning skin, dehydration,
fatigue or convulsions (caused by Vayu). Deficient
sweating can result in stiff hair, skin fissures, dry
skin, dandruff, wrinkles or susceptibility to colds and
flu (i.e., peripheral circulation). Sweating is damaged
by eating too many dry foods, lack of salt, excessive or
deficient exercise, and excessive use of diaphoretic
herbs or excess sweating. |
