Due to various reasons, including heredity, allergies, improper nutrition, etc., a person’s immunity can become weak. This makes the person more likely to fall ill, a serious concern. It is possible to help enhance immunity so that a person becomes more resistant to diseases and illnesses. These immune-boosting measures are very much required to help manage diseases successfully. Through this blog, we are trying to introduce our readers to immunity and its types, with tips on strengthening it.
तत्र बलेन स्थिरोपचितमांसता सर्वचेष्टास्वप्रतिघातः स्वरवर्णप्रसादो बाह्यानामाभ्यन्तराणां च करणानामात्मकार्यप्रतिपत्तिर्भवति ||Ayurveda is not just science that deals with diseases and their treatment. It is a way of life that describes staying healthy and improving longevity. For the same reason, most of the classical texts in Ayurveda dedicate themselves to preventing diseases, ways to stay healthy and improving immunity before digging into diseases and their treatment. Acharya Charaka says, “Swasthasya SwasthyaRakshanam”, that the primary focus of Ayurveda is preserving the health of healthy persons. Now, this gains more importance during this modern era, when we are encountered new viruses and pathogens daily and have to survive such odds.According to Ayurveda, Vyadhiksmatva is the natural defence mechanism of the body to help the body fight ongoing diseases and help guard the body against any future diseases. The effective working of the digestive system helps create Ojas, a substance that is the end-product of digestion. Ojas is a substance that helps provide immunity to our body. A strong Ojas helps make us immune to various diseases and enhances the body’s natural ability to fight diseases. It helps in maintaining vigour and vitality. The Sanskrit word Balam means strength, and in health, it denotes the strength of the mind, the body, and its components. In Ayurveda, the term Balam invariably means immunity and the immune system in a normal state. Acharya Susrutha in the above verse states that Balam is that factor due to which one achieves the stability and nourishment of Mamsa dhatu (muscle tissue), ability to carry out different tasks efficiently, get good complexion, clearness, and pleasantness of voice, along with the clear, efficient working of sense organs, motor functions, mind, and intellect. How captivating is that the great sage describes the whole concept of immunity in Ayurveda in just one verse, and that is too precise and well-defined! Ayurveda gives great importance to Balam of an individual while dealing with the prevention and treatment of diseases. The assessment of Balam of a person is important in Ayurveda because the clinical management, including the treatment procedures, diet, and dose of medicines, are always decided in due consideration with the Balam of the individual. Bala helps strengthen and lubricate the body by providing nourishment to the body’s muscular tissues. Some scholars opine that Bala and Ojas are the same.