Ayurveda Philosophy: Dangers of Suppressing Natural Urges

Eyes with Tears
Written by Dr Sonica Krisha
 

Ayurveda, the oldest holistic approach to healing, focuses largely on what is and what is not beneficial for us both in terms of preventive and curative therapy. According to Ayurveda, the seemingly harmless practice of suppressing natural urges, is rather hazardous for our health because it interferes with the balanced state of the vata dosha, the air body humour. Quite unknowingly, or sometimes simply for the sake of public mannerism, body urges such as the urge to urinate or the urge to sleep are withheld. Yet, this practice might do you more harm than good. Listed here are 13 natural urges and the consequent implications on your health that may arise from suppressing them time and again.

Natural Body Urges & Dangers of Suppressing

Universal Washroom SymbolsUrge to urinate: This is one of the most commonly withheld urges, especially with women and children. When you initially suppress this urge, you might be simply a receptor of occasional malaise and discomfort. But be cautious if you do it repeatedly, because you might unknowingly cause more threatening afflictions such as: recurrent urinary infections, pain in the lower abdomen and genitals, and stones of the urinary system.

Urge to defecate: If time and again you ignore your bowel movements, then be ready to face the aftermath. Ailments like cramps in the calf muscles, chronic headaches and colds, excessive wind formation, pain in the abdomen, and even the emergency condition of a heart block may crop up.

Urge to expel wind: This is another common self-restraint that has its own tale of health adversities. Some routine discomforts are easy fatigue, urinary retention, pain in the abdomen, improper evacuation of body wastes, and chronic indigestion. Once you make it a habit, don’t be surprised if you have to deal with an abdominal tumor, a vision defect, or even heart disease.

Urge to sneeze: Suppressing a simple sneeze once in a while won’t affect your health. On the contrary, always suppressing the urge to sneeze will make you more susceptible to illnesses like occasional headaches, stiffness of the neck, vertigo and blurred vision. In the long run, this habit could rob you of the perfect sense of harmony or, more dangerously, it could one day take shape of disease like facial paralysis.

Urge to belch: Have you been controlling your urge to belch? Let me caution you that in the long run, this seemingly harmless practice might be reason enough for tremors, gripping pain in the chest, anorexia and excessive production of flatus.

Glass of Water with Ice CubesUrge to drink water: Control your thirst often and be ready to face problems like vertigo, fainting, deafness and heart disease. Besides, suppressing thirst causes increased dryness in your system and fatigue sets in.

Urge to eat: I have repeatedly recommended the merits of fasting. Yet at the same time, it is always wise to be able to differentiate between false and true hunger pangs. Never try to starve your body by ignoring its demand for food. Controlling and suppressing hunger is believed to be harmful for health and fitness. This may cause illnesses like anorexia, emaciation, vertigo, giddiness, body aches, depression and decline in brainpower.

Urge to sleep: Do you occasionally deprive yourself of a good night sleep? It’s true that this is part of our lifestyle today. Blame it on overwork or nightlife, but let me tell you this is again one of the most deleterious practices that you are unknowingly inuring yourself with. Problems like general malaise, lethargy, indecisiveness, heaviness and pain in the eyes and head, lack of enthusiasm, habitual insomnia and digestive maladies might be just round the corner.

Urge to cough: Suppressing a bout of cough may lead to further aggravation of the same. This is not all—make it a habit and many respiratory conditions like asthma and tuberculosis might follow, as well as hiccups, loss of appetite and even heart disease.

Urge to yawn: Suppressing a yawn makes you vulnerable to illnesses like occasional headaches, stiffness of neck muscles, giddiness and blurred vision.

Urge to breathe: By this particular urge, I mean the fast breath that follows a session of exercise or a brisk walk. This is reason enough for sudden loss of senses, fainting, stomach distress and heart disease.

Eyes with TearsUrge to cry: We all control tears although they threaten to roll down. Yet we tend to brave out the situation hiding our emotional face. But we need not to. Repeatedly holding on to tears may lead to health problems as serious as torticollis, eye ailments, chronic headache, chronic nasal congestion, vertigo and anorexia.

Urge to vomit: A number of skin problems materialize on restraining the urge to vomit—erysipelas, urticaria, milder forms of leprosy, and blemishes to name a few. Not only, eye ailments, fever, cough, asthma, occasional nausea, swelling and anemia also are likely to manifest.

Read through HealthyNewAge.com list of articles > Dr. Sonica Krishan’s Teachings on Ayurveda Therapy

Learn more about Ayurvedic Healer Dr. Sonica Krishan > Interview with Dr. Sonica