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Dhatu ksyaya

The depletion of bodily tissues in Ayurveda is termed dhatu kshaya.

Whenever a tissue is depleted, there is soon a corresponding increase of Vata dosha in the body. All emptiness, all spaces in the body are soon filled up with Vata dosha. Examples include:

– soon after blood loss because of an injury causing hemorrhage, there is Vata dosha increase;

– soon after childbirth, there is Vata increase in the lower part of the body;

– when there is menstrual flow, the pain that some women suffer is a vata symptom. Vata increases when menstrual blood, known as arthava, flows out of the body.

Any depletion of tissues, including weight loss, causes vacant spaces which denote an abnormal increase in the combination of space (akasha) and wind/air (vayu) elements, the two elements which form Vata in the body. This leads to the vitiation of Vata. Thus any tissue depletion leads to the pathological increase of dhushya (the dosha disturb the body’s tissue). When more tissues are depleted, the more the wind (vayu) is aggravated and the more significant the damage. This leads to the manifestation of many diseases.

The pathological depletion of tissues also denotes deteriorating immunity. The essence of all the tissues is experiences as the immunity factor, ojas. Tissues form the building blocks of the body and their integrity denotes a balanced immunity.

Bone tissue (known as asthi), is associated with Vata dosha. Bone tissue and Vata are inversely proportion to each other, which is why when Vata increases, there is a corresponding degeneration of bone tissue, which leads to sandhivata, or osteo arthritis.

Kapha dosha is directly proportionally related to the following tissues:

nutrient fluid, rasa

muscle, mamsa

fat, meda

bone marrow, majja

reproductive fluid, shukra

urine, mutra

Faeces, puresha, and

essence and immunity of all the tissues, ojas.

Here, when these tissues decrease, there is a decrease in Kapha dosha, decrease of heaviness in the body. The decrease of heaviness in the body indicates increase of lightness, which is a vata quality. This leads to an increase in Vata dosha.