The gastrointestinal tract in humans begins at the mouth, continuing

through the oesophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines.

The GI tract is about 9 meters in length.

There are many supporting organs, such as the liver, which helps by
secreting enzymes that are necessary for the digestion of food.

The human GI tract can be divided into two halves, namely:

Upper GI tract
Lower GI tract
 Upper Gastrointestinal Tract
• The upper GI consists of the following organs:
• Mouth
It includes the teeth, tongue, and buccal mucous membranes containing the ends of the
salivary glands that continue with the soft palate, floor of the mouth, and underside of
the tongue. Mouth functions by chewing the food, constantly by the muscular action of
the tongue, cheeks, and teeth through the lower jaw and upper jaw.
• Pharynx
The pharynx is enclosed in the neck and
functions as part of both the digestive system and
the respiratory system. It protects the food from
entering the trachea and lungs.
• Oesophagus
A muscular tube-like structure that functions by carrying food to the
stomach. Once the chewed food reaches the oesophagus from the mouth,
the action of swallowing becomes involuntary and is controlled by the
oesophagus
• Stomach
This is where most of the digestion takes place. The stomach is a J-shaped bag-like organ
that stores the food temporarily, breaks it down, mixes and churns it with enzymes and
other digestive fluids and finally, passes it along to the small intestine.
 Lower Gastrointestinal Tract
• The lower GI consists of the following organs:
• Small Intestine
• The small intestine is a coiled thin tube, about 6 meters in length, where most of
the absorption of nutrients takes place. Food is mixed with enzymes from the
liver and the pancreas in the small intestine.
The surfaces of the small intestine function by
absorbing the nutrients from the food into the
bloodstream, which carries them to the rest of
the body.
• Large Intestine
• The large intestine, also known as the Colon,
is a thick tubular organ wrapped around the
small intestine. Its primary function is to process the waste products and absorb
any remaining nutrients and water back into the system. The remaining waste is
then sent to the rectum and discharged from the body as stool.
 GASTRO INTESTINAL DISORDERS
• PEPTIC ULCER:- Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on
the inside lining of your stomach and the upper portion of your small
intestine. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is stomach
pain.
• Gastric ulcers that occur on the inside of the stomach
• Duodenal ulcers that occur on the inside of the upper
portion of your small intestine (duodenum)

• SYMPTOMS:-
i. Pain in abdomen
ii. Burning sensation
iii. Discomfort
iv. Gas
v. Distension
vi. Bloating in the sub sternal region
vii. Hunger and pain like clockwork 3 - 4 hrs after meal
 Cont…
• PROTECTORS - protect the stomach from self digestion
• Good mucosal layer cell turnover
• Bicarbonates in mucosal lining
• Blood flow in the lining - Wherever there is blood flow, there
is healing
•
• AGGRESSORS - that can damage stomach lining
• High Acid
• Pepsin
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Painkiller Tablets
ØDyspepsia is another word for indigestion.
People with chronic indigestion often report
feelings of stomach pain, over-fullness and
bloating during and after eating. Other common
symptoms include acid reflux, heartburn and
excessive burning.
• Chronic constipation is infrequent bowel movements
or difficult passage of stools that persists for several
weeks or longer.
• Constipation is generally described as having fewer
than three bowel movements a week.
• Though occasional constipation is very common,
some people experience chronic constipation that can
interfere with their ability to go about their daily
tasks. Chronic constipation may also cause people to
strain excessively in order to have a bowel movement.
 -:Types:-
1. Normal transit constipation:- Stool traverses at a normal
rate through the colon and stool frequency may be normal,
but patients feel constipated. This group of patients report
difficulty with evacuation, bloating, abdominal pain or
discomfort and hard stools; however, reduced colonic
transit cannot be confirmed
2. Slow transit constipation:- Slow-transit constipation
is characterized by delay in transit of stool through the colon,
caused by either myopathy or neuropathy. The severity of
constipation is highly variable, but may be severe enough to
result in complete cessation of spontaneous bowel motions.
3. Pelvic floor constipation:- Pelvic floor dysfunction is the
inability to correctly relax and coordinate your pelvic floor
muscles to have a bowel movement.
 Therapy
•
Full IAYT + drinking lots of water + LSP
(initially everyday for 15 days, then alternate
day - helps to increase bowel motility)
 Diarrhea
• Diarrhea — loose, watery and possibly more-frequent
bowel movements — is a common problem. It may be
present alone or be associated with other symptoms,
such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or weight
loss.
• Luckily, diarrhea is usually short-lived, lasting no more
than a few days. But when diarrhea lasts beyond a few
days into weeks, it usually indicates that there's another
problem — such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or a
more serious disorder, including persistent infection,
celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
 Symptoms

• Abdominal cramps or pain

• Bloating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Blood in the stool
• Mucus in the stool
• Urgent need to have a bowel movement
 YOGIC MANAGEMENT
• Mastery over mind & rest to mind → deep rest
to brain cells → rest to immune cells → higher
faculty is restored → mastery over killer
instinct of immune cells
• Diet - simple sattvik vegetarian diet. Boiled vegetables are good. 4-5 meals in varying
times instead of 3 large meals.
• Kriyas for APD
– Kriyas - bring about increased circulation due to the suction force created - that is
how they are useful in acid peptic disease.
– Vamana dhauti (lots of water to be drunk in order to prevent the acid from stomach
coming out. Frequency according to intensity. After kriya, DRT is a must along with
other relaxation techniques. Next meal should be khichdi with a lot of ghee.
• Gastroesophageal reflux - gastric juice comes into esophagus and causes
irritation.
• If there’s an ulcer, vaman dhouti should be avoided.
– Uddiyana bandha
– Nauli Kriya
– Agnisara Kriya
• For IBS, LSP works very well
• CM - deep calmness
• AVOID - Forward bending asanas in sitting posture - blocks Prana in stomach
• EMPHASISE : standing postures, back bending and DRT
• Correct pranic imbalance in stage II of APD as an adhija vyadhi
– atijeernatvam - too much prana focussed in Samana - causes general
discomfort, aches and pain
• Correct pranic imbalance in stage II of IBS as an adhija vyadhi
– Kujeernatvam - too much prana focussed in Apana - causes general
discomfort, aches and pain
• sètali / sètkári + kapálabhátI
• Sectional breathing - stabilises samana
• Nadishuddhi - 12 ROUNDS (or 27 rounds) 4 TIMES A DAY
• Dhárana To Dhyána
• Focus To Defocus
• Naval To Expansion
• Emotions -
– Jealousy To Acceptance & Appreciation
– Complaints to tolerance, acceptance and surrender
• Om Meditation - divine mood - calm - rest
• Devotion - bhakti - surrender
– Being in the presence of your loved ones makes you young and reduces stress
• STRENGTHEN WILL POWER AND CONFIDENCE - GAIN MASTERY OVER
MIND
• How to stop smoking?
– YOGA IS CAPACITY TO DO, NOT TO DO, OR DO IT OTHERWISE
– to smoke, not to smoke, replace by simpler joy - freedom !!!
– shift to your inner compartment as soon as you get distressed.
– one last puff and no more in the name of beloved/lord prayer
– replacement - chewing gum / pan
– alcoholism - VERY DIFFICULT
• Basic Concept Of Life
• Purpose of Life
• Goals in Life
• Search for Truth
• Silence is Happiness
• ACTION IN RELAXATION
• All practices should touch this kosha
• Expansion Is Ánanda
• Diffuse from navel
• Diffuse point of pain
• Freedom - Moksha - Expansion
• Bliss!
Ø It is a functional gastrointestinal disorder which is
diagnosed on the basis of symptoms
Ø irregular bowel motility and propulsion error
Ø It is characterised by alternate diarrhea and
constipation with a constant feeling of incomplete
evacuation
Ø Also known as Functional Bowel disorder.
Ø More common in middle aged women than men
Ø formed Stool - Indicates That Intestines Are Normal.
Personality traits of IBS patients
• Hyper - Reactive
• Clean
• Nervous
• Introspective
• Fixation On Bowel
• Concentration On The Bowel
 Causes
Ø The exact cause is not yet known but the risk of IBS is six times higher
after getting GI infection.
Ø Problem in the nervous system connected to the intestines - they trigger
diarrhea and constipation when activated due to the mind
Ø Functional because of the mind more than the body
Ø Muscle tone disorder - erratic emptying of bowels
Ø Hyper reactivity to para-sympatho drugs .
Ø Parasympathetic > Sympathetic
 Signs and symptoms
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Frequent diarrhea or constipation
• Abdominal distention
• Incomplete evacuation
• Weight loss
• Stress and food habits :
• Stress worsens IBS
• Some food like deep fried, oily, spicy food worsens
IBS
• Some medications also affect the relapse.
• Role of yoga in IBS :
• Reduces inflammation
• Reduces relapses and increase remission stage
• Reduces risk/triggering factors like stress
inflammation .
• Improves quality of life.
• Annamaya Kosha
• Diet
– Avoid spicy/oily, junk food
– Take liquid, semisolid food
• Kriyas
– Can be given all kriyas
– Contraindication for all kriyas when patient is having diarrhea
• Physical practices
– Viparita karani mudra with ashwini mudra
– Inverted postures
– Breathing practices
• Pranamaya Kosha
• All types of pranayama
•
• Manomaya Kosha
• Om meditation
• MSRT
MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE ATTACKS OF IBS

• Emphasis - Inverted Postures - Vipareeta Karani

with wall support
• Deep Abdominal Breathing
• Aaa - kara Chanting
• Asvini Mudra
• Sarvangasana, Halásana, Matsyasana
• Ustrasana
• No Twisting - Will Aggravate Pain