To take drugs or not to take drugs. Should yoga come first?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

For almost four months now I’ve been having abdominal pain. I saw a specialist (GI) for the first time today and he feels it’s IBS caused by a past infection and that my abdominal nerves are going crazy. He prescribed Symax Duotab (Hyoscyamine Sulfate). Now, I must admit, I’m pretty desperate at this point. I’ve tried everything from fasting to all kinds of yoga practices and nothing has worked. The idea of being pain free, even for a short while, sounds quite delicious to me.

However, the idea of taking a drug that:

[LEFT]It works by decreasing the motion of muscles in the stomach, intestines, and bladder. It also decreases the production of stomach acid.

Concerns me.

If the doctor is right and the nerves feeding my guts are going crazy, are there specific yoga practices any of you might try first before popping these pills?

Thanks :slight_smile:
[/LEFT]

#2

Allopathic medicine is purely based on treating the symptoms by replacing old symptoms with new symptoms. In this case, this drug will decrease the motions of your muscles, intenstines, bladder and the production of stomach acid. Is this trade off worth making?
Not until you have exhausted other optionss.

I would highly recommend you see a good Ayurvedic doctor. Ayurveda treats all disease at the root of the problem(the tridosa) to restore balance to your mind-body system. They have an extensive database of more than 1000 diseases with detailed etiologies, diagnosis and treatments for each one based on using primarily natural means such as herbal drugs, yoga, meditation, diet, lifestyle regulation.

If you have a specific name for the condition you are suffering I could do some research on what Ayurveda prescribes for it.

#3

Based on your original description I found these. I hope they help:

http://www.ayurvedic-medicines.com/stomach-problems.html
http://www.carnatic.com/karmasaya/index.php?Stomach%20Ache
http://www.ayurvedamedicinetreatment.com/colic-pain.html
http://www.sanatansociety.org/ayurveda_home_remedies/ayurveda_home_remedies_stomach_pains_aches.htm

This is known as Shoola in Ayurveda. Eight types of shoola have described which include Vataja, Pittaja, Kaphaja,Vata-Pittaja, Vata-Kaphaja, Tridoshaja and Amaja.

All these types have their own characteristics like :Vataja penerating type of pain, Pittaja pain is
associated with burning in chest and Kaphaja is associated with mild pain and heaviness of head
while Amaja is associated with flatulence, nausea and excessive salivation.

Ingredients:

Ajowan seeds
Clarified butter
Ginger
Mint leaves

Top

Common Recipes:

  1. Extract 1 teaspoonful juice of fresh ginger and mix it with 1/2 a teaspoonful of clarified butter. Consuming this juice helps relieve abdominal pain instantly.

  2. Boil about a teaspoonful of Ajowan seeds in 1 cup (about 125 ml) of water for 5 minutes. Strain it through the tea strainer and add a pinch of common salt. Taking this solution helps to get rid of the pain.

  3. Take fresh mint leaves and extract them to get about a teaspoonful of juice. Mix this juice in a cup of
    plain water and drink instantly. Though this mixture does not taste good, it gives instant relief.

#4

does this book deal with the issue you are discussing, I dont know, but there are some simple things in there that have helped me out, such as ginger root boiled in water for a runny nose, works like vicks vaporub. do you not have a yoga teacher you can turn to for your specific challenge?

#5

Hi David,
I’ve read about this drug. Its temporarily blocking acetylcholine and it seems its effects are reversible. Its modulating nervous system activity. In some sense its similar to going for a walk to calm down or to water park to get more excited - we do something to change how our nervous system is active. It seems part of your nervous system responsible for guts motion is too stressed. Since you are not able to relax it in voluntary way, you can use other means.

However, its not yet clear if its a problem with nervous system or something else. If it is, I think such drug is good idea (at least one hypothesis will be checked).

On “holistic medicine” approach: I think that if someone gets acute muscle spasm you deal with the symptom first - and then work on life balance issues looking for real cause.

#6

David, a couple of years ago I had a major bout of bacterial pneumonia. I tried many natural remedies and did recover, for a short time. But, I relapsed on two subsequent occasions and finally had to use antibiotics (honestly think it may have become very dire if I hadn’t). At the same time I sought out consultation on boosting my immune system and began a daily routine with natural aids that have not only prevented relapses, but I’ve had zero sniffles.

My experience tells me that sometimes medical intervention can bring my body to the state where I am able to explore alternatives to remain in balance. Maybe it’s not an either / or proposition.

#7

I second flex penguin. IBS symptoms can normally be reduced by stress relieving practices. If your body is in pain, you cannot relax fully to allow for healing, nor give your complete attention to finding a cure. If the drugs are reversable, try it. You don’t have to become dependent, and may stop at any time. Give your nervous system a break. You’ve been dealing with this for too long.

#8

Hello David! Maybe give what Surya posted a try and see if it helps before deciding on the medication. But as many have said, sometimes you need to clear up the problem first with traditional medicine. When it is cleared and you can safely discontinue, then use Ayurveda or some other homeopathic treatment in combination with yoga and other stress reduction techniques to stay healthy. Eastern and Western medicines can compliment each other quite nicely. I had to have foot surgery last year and instead of taking Prescription anti-inflammatory medicine, I took Boswellia instead with wonderful results and no stomach upset.

Let us all know what you decide. I certainly hope you are feeling better soon. I’ll send good healing thoughts your way. Hugs.

#9

Hi David,

If you pull a fuse from the oil light warning lamp in your car does the oil leak go away?

#10

There is a place for western medication too. Once the medication you have been prescribed has done its job you may be temporarily pain free, when you are pain free you will be in a better state of mind to address the real problem.

I really hope you feel better soon! :frowning:

#11

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;37925]If you pull a fuse from the oil light warning lamp in your car does the oil leak go away?[/QUOTE]

No, but it will get rid of the annoying flashing red oil can on your dash until you get to a service station :wink:

#12

In a therapeutic yoga approach there are three mains things to take into account : food habits (ahara), lifestyle (vihara) and medication (oshadi). If modifications of the two first ones are not enough, then one must go also for medication including surgery if needed. It is not wise to reject medication all the time. The approach must be individual oriented and not disease oriented so be careful of ready made yogic protocols for each ailment, it makes no sense. It is better to get advice from a Yoga teacher with proper skills in therapy.

Philippe

#13

Perfect Philippe*!
Thank you for pointing this out.

I would add to what he has already clearly stated by saying that the term “medication” in classical yoga likely does not refer to synthetically manufactured pharmaceuticals as we know them today.

#14

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;37916]Hello David! Maybe give what Surya posted a try and see if it helps before deciding on the medication. But as many have said, sometimes you need to clear up the problem first with traditional medicine. When it is cleared and you can safely discontinue, then use Ayurveda or some other homeopathic treatment in combination with yoga and other stress reduction techniques to stay healthy. Eastern and Western medicines can compliment each other quite nicely. I had to have foot surgery last year and instead of taking Prescription anti-inflammatory medicine, I took Boswellia instead with wonderful results and no stomach upset.

Let us all know what you decide. I certainly hope you are feeling better soon. I’ll send good healing thoughts your way. Hugs.[/QUOTE]

Namaste, allopathic medicine and Ayurveda are not complimentary. This is a myth because of the branding of Ayurveda as CAM. This myth simply shows Ayurveda and other non-allopathic systems as alternatives to compliment allopathic treatment. The truth is the medication and treatment you are getting in allopathy is incompatible with the medication and treatment you are getting in Ayurveda.

Ayurveda like allopathic medicine is a complete medical and heath care system. It has its own theories of disease, anatomy and treatments and includes a vast area of fields. It is the only other complete medical system in the world. It is used to treat and cure many diseases that allopathy consider incurable such as arthritis, heart disease, asthma etc.

The theory of disease in both systems is contadictory. Allopathy works on the assumption of separability that all parts in the body are separate and independent. If disease sets in you treat or cure the symptoms in the diseased part, often by introducing disease in another area of your body. Ayurveda works on the assumption of inseparability, that all parts in the body are interconnected and co-dependent. If disease sets in the bodies regulation system(tridosa) must be reharmonized, as a result the cause of the disease disappears and entire diseases can be cured.

Modern medicine is moving towards a theory of disease closer to Ayurveda now with systems theory and is proposing the existence of systems that regulate and harmonize the body. This indicates that Ayurveda is more advanced than allopathic medicine. In any case the point of me sharing this is not prove Ayurveda is superior to allopathy, but to show that Ayurveda is a rival medical and healthcare system and it should be considered as an option by anybody suffering from disease.

#15

David, it sounds as though you need a dual pronged approach to solving this problem. Take some medication and get some relief to allow your body to heal a bit. While it is doing that, you can work on the stress reduction part of things.

There are many studies that indicate that trying to manage pain takes resources away from healing the injury or whatever needs healing. Pain management is critical. If you can give yourself even a short respite, that sounds like a good idea to me. You need not take the drug long term.

Have you tried the whole list of natural remedies for stomach issues? Ginger, mint, honey are the three big ones. Strangely, garlic, onions and anything from the allium family are helpful to stomach complaints.

#16

@ Surya Deva

I disagree. Eastern and WEstern medicines can compliment each other. Western medicine treats the disease, not necessarily just the symptoms. Western medicine is appropriate for acute problems and emergencies. Eastern medicine focuses mainly on preventative measures and is more holistic in its approach. Eastern medicine looks at the disease more as a ‘how and why’ with regards to the body.

There is a time and place for each. During my teacher training we had 2 D.O.'s teach us anatomy and physiology. One was an internist and the other was sports medicine. They stressed how important it is to look at the whole patient with regards to disease and injury. Both Eastern and Western medicine can be beneficial in treating the whole person. Take for example my foot surgery. I had worn the cartilage in my big toe. It was very painful. Nothing could be done to replace the cartilage, so they had to cut out the joint and put in a titanium plate and 8 screws. Wow! No pain anymore. Nothing in Eastern medicine could have produced those results. On the flip side, I have 2 herniated discs in lumbar area. I tried working through my sciatica with yoga with little results. I tried massage, and other homeopathic treatments too. Again no results. Went to a Spine specialist who uses surgery as a last resort. Had an MRI and the herniation was serious enough to have surgery, but he recommended a epidural cortisone sort to relieve the sciatica, so I could begin PT to address the spinal issues. To this day, I am mainly pain free and did not have to recup from surgery. His approach was more Eastern than Western and that worked for me.

#17

Western medicine rarely treats the disease, because they don’t understand the causality of disease. What they do is treat symptoms, often with drugs, and this is why there is a vast pharmaceutical industry. These drugs are pretty nasty, and they end up replacing some symptoms with other symptoms or even causing other diseases. I know this so well, because my mother had a heart attack only a few years ago and they put her so many drugs, a year later or so she contracted a host of other problems that her drugs caused. So they gave her more drugs.

As I said Ayurveda and Western medicine are not complimentary because they are mutually opposed in every area. Nor is it true that Ayurveda is just preventative, it is also interventionist and invasive. There is also surgery in Ayurveda. It is a complete medical system and works on a a completely different theory of disease. This was the system of medicine that was used in the Indian subcontinent long before Western medicine existed. In any case I do not wish to get into a debate in this thread on Eastern vs Western medicine, I am merely pointing out that Ayurveda is a complete medical and healthcare system and a rival system to Western medicine. It should be considered as an option for any disease, and not just as a mere supplement. There are several studies showing it has higher efficacy in treating, managing and curing many diseases than allopathy.

#18

OK, so what happens if your appendix ruptures? How can Ayurveda treat that?

Again, each has their place. Not all Western Doctors only treat symptoms. And remember where pharmaceutical companies get much of their ingredients - plants.

I don’t want to debate either Surya, but the important word in your last sentence is “MANY”.

Believe me, I whole heartedly believe and accept Ayurveda. It has worked well for me. No debate on that!

#19

It will treat it by surgery. There are 300 surgical procedures described in the Ayurvedic texts and 8 types of surgicial techniques. In fact, we are using many of those techniques today in modern surgery. Modern plastic surgery borrows a lot of techniques from Ayurveda. However, I will concede this much, that the practitioners of Ayurvedic surgery in modern times is rare, and the equipment modern surgery has to provide is better, so when it comes to surgery, it is wiser to consult Western medicine. When it comes to management, treatment and even curing most diseases Ayurveda is wiser to consult.

#20

Can it be? We agree on something Surya? this is a good day!