Suppression of Natural Urge and its ill effects on our Health
Suppression of Natural Urge and its ill effects on our Health September 18, 2025 admin A lot of people who suffer from bad health, keep wondering that while they have followed a fairly good lifestyle and good eating habits, why is it that they are suffering from various health issues such as Arthritis, Cervical spondylitis, Knee pain , Back pain, Diabetes, Thyroid disorder, Heart disease, Digestive system disorders, Gynaecological issues etc. In this article, I have tried to explain why this happens, and what we can do in order to bring ourselves back to good health.While there are several causes for health problems, one of the major reasons for health issues in today’s scenario is due to supressing natural urges. Most of us do this unconsciously and this in turn leads to severe Vata system disorder and in turn leads to various other health issues in the body.Let me first explain what is Vata all about and what causes this to get disturbed. Vata (or Vaat), as per the Ayurved system of medicine, is the system that governs the flow mechanism in our body. The flow of blood, urine, stools, air, gastric fluids, nerve impulses, sweat, tears, menstrual fluids, flow of all endocrine gland secretions (Hormones) and also the pushing out of the baby from the womb, all happens by virtue of the flow mechanism of the body. This involves creating a high pressure at one end and low pressure at the other end, so that flow happens from one point in the body to another point that may be outside the body or in an organ inside the body.When this flow mechanism gets disturbed, all of the above flow (blood, urine, stools, etc etc..) get disturbed and lead to various health issues. As a consequence of the ineffective flow mechanism, soon the body’s clean-up system fails, toxins start accumulating in the body, nutrition doesn’t reach organs, blood doesn’t reach organs and same is with hormones, oxygen and all other things that are needed for a healthy body. This leads to diseases in the long term and one lands up into a hospital or travels up to the heavenly abode.Now, let’s come to the reason why this flow mechanism gets disturbed. I have mentioned earlier that for the flow to happen, a pressure difference has to be maintained. Now, whenever there’s an imbalance in the pressure i.e. if the actual pressure gets higher than what level is required, then the body immediately tries to regulate it by releasing the excess pressure from the body and this is done by releasing gas in the form of burps, farts, yawns or sneezes. However, if we try to suppress these burps, farts, yawns or sneezes, then the pressure remains in an imbalanced state and that high pressure starts accumulating further at one end, causing discomfort. Soon, more and more pressure keeps accumulating at that region and very soon it leads to intense pain. The pain is basically because of the intense air pressure that has formed at that place. If a doctor does an MRI Scan, he will not see anything since it’s just air pressure and nothing else. Soon this pressure starts causing physical damage in the area, leading to health issues. Sometimes the pressure becomes so high that it starts pushing bones and discs out of place leading to issues such as cervical spondylitis, slipped disc etc.In Ayurveda this suppression is called as ‘Vega Dharana’Let’s look at 16 types of suppression that we commonly do and what are the consequences of it.1. Suppression of Burps : Burping is a natural process of getting the air out of the stomach when we eat or drink as well as for releasing the extra vata pressure as explained earlier. However, very often it is considered inappropriate to burp when in the presence of others so many people suppress the urge to burp and this leads to accumulation of the pressure in the abdominal and chest region leading to problems.2. Suppression of the urge for defecation : Downward pressure in the lower abdominal region is created by the body due to two reasons. One type of pressure is the Apana Vata pressure (Pressure that’s responsible for downward flow such as stools, urine, menstrual bleeding, discharge etc) and the other type is to release the excess pressure generated in the flow mechanism (in the form of a fart) so as to achieve a balance. However many a times, we tend to suppress both of these pressures and prevent them from doing their job. Very often, when we feel the urge to empty bowels, we might not be in a position to do that because we may be in an official meeting, or may be traveling or attending a social function. Very often, this happens also due to unavailability of a washroom nearby at that time. Sometimes we get so engrossed in what we are doing, whether it is a TV episode or a movie or a book that we are reading, that we avoid taking a bio-break and keep holding back the urge to empty bowels hoping that we will go for it after finishing the current activity. Unfortunately, by that time, the pressure has already moved either down to the hips/ knees/ legs or upwards to the spine and is no longer available to push the waste out. So even if we go to the toilet later, we come back without success, else we need to apply pressure to get the job done. This creates more trouble in the long term. Besides the vata that has gone down to the leg or knees might create cramps there.3. Suppression of Farts : When pressure develops and we feel the urge to fart, we don’t do it since it’s not considered appropriate to do in a social setting or at the workplace and we forcefully hold it inside by tightening the anus muscles for a while repeatedly when the urge surfaces. This ‘Apana Vayu’ pressure then