Influence of Certain Dietary Habits and Behaviors on Kushta Roga (Skin Diseases)

Abstract

The study was carried out in the Ayurveda National Hospital, Sri Lanka during the period of October 2017 to June 2018, to detect the effect of food habit of an individual on Kushta roga (skin diseases). The patients (n=50) who visited the hospital for the treatment of Kushta roga was selected randomly for the test group and age and number matching healthy individuals were selected for the control group. Data was collected from both study group and control group through a questionnaire which included the questions on demographic data and food habits. The result of the study confirmed that the Kushta roga was more prevalent in female gender around the age of 50 – 60 years. Also found that the behaviors such as indulgence of incompatible foods and drinks (too fatty foods, heavy foods, too much of artificial drinks) can cause to skin diseases. Further food habits such as irregular indulgence in hot or cold foods, expose to extreme heat after having heavy meal, having food before digestion of previous meal can also lead to skin diseases. Thus, the study establishes that there is a link between food behavior/dietary habits and Kushta roga. Therefore, it is much important to avoid unnecessary food habits to be free from skin diseases. Finally, the outcome of this study could be a platform for other researchers to continue further studies on dietary effect of Kushta roga.