Meda and Asthi Dhatu: The Skin & Bones

Great to be with you again. Sorry for the delay in continuing our story about the 7 Dhatus... there's been a lot going on here at the moment with many exciting things on the way!

Your skin and bones are what you see when you look in the mirror and what we present out to the world. We are all walking examples of skin textures, colors, shapes, and sizes, all with our own unique and beautiful bodies to express our individuality.

The skin and bone tissues nourish your hormones and keep you in a youthful state, they support your posture so you can stand tall, and they protect your nervous system's ability to receive touch and respond to stimuli.

If you've been following along with this series on Ayurveda’s Seven Dhatus, you've already been introduced to the first three tissues of Lymph, Blood and Muscle.

The fourth tissue Meda Dhatu is the skin and fat layer and the fifth layer Asthi Dhatu is the layer of the bones.

The skin and bones are interwoven by fatty tissues made up of fat cells. These cells are where you store energy, maintain the skin's luster, and stay emotionally engaged. Your collagen binds the fabric of the skin and bone into bundles, uniting lubricated fat cells in the making of connective tissue, adhering cartilage to bone, and providing the joints with rubber band-like ligaments.

These tissues allow you to move on demand and maneuver through life with flexibility.

The skin and bones are vital to your overall health. Let’s take a moment to unravel these tissues and see what each offers to your well-being.

Meda Dhatu: The Fat Tissue:

Meda Dhatu refers to the fatty cells of the body which make up your skin layers, which are designed to protect us.

The word Meda means to lubricate, oleate, or to provide unctuousness.

Fat cells are also present in the muscles, the myelin sheath of the nerves, around each organ, and surrounding all seven of your endocrine glands.

Meda Dhatu keeps you cool, calm, and collected, providing you with lubrication and the freedom to move. It also buffers the neurotransmitters which create sensory perceptions to feel and experience the world around you.

Your skin protects you from the environment and its pores allow your inner body to breathe.

It also provides an exocrine function for cleansing out waste byproducts, such as lactic acid, excess sebum oil, and sweat.

It’s important to know that your pores can also absorb toxins from the environment like bacteria, chemicals, and pollutants since it is permeable. This means a skin condition can originate from the inside out, or, from the outside in.

Asthi Dhatu: The Skeletal Tissue:

Asthi derives from the word Stha, meaning to stand tall. It is your bones that allow you to tilt, pivot, bend, and even fold yourself into a ball.

Along with your bones, your hair, nails, and teeth are also formed by Asthi Dhatu, and their health is dependent on the liquid nutrients passed along from the lymph, blood, muscle and skin layers. Asthi Dhatu is more than just structural fibers though.

It is what allows us to stand up for our core beliefs and what connects us to our ancestors.

Inside your bones, secured comfortably within the bone marrow, is where our RNA and DNA reside. This is where your life experience is stored, contributing to your ever-changing genetic code.

Since even your most dense bone starts as soft cartilage, it makes you quite capable of getting stronger, happier, and healthier by the day. These changes are passed down from generation to generation.

Signs of Healthy Skin and Bones:

Because these tissues are in many ways visible to the naked eye, it is possible to become aware of their condition simply by paying attention. For example, a clear complexion, even skin texture, smooth pores, and a healthy radiance are all signs that point to healthy Meda Dhatu, as are, a healthy, balanced weight, a relaxed abdomen, and the ability to sweat with exercise.

As for Asthi Dhatu, healthy bone tissue can be recognised by a tall posture, good bone density, and the ability to move with strength and agility. Strong teeth, smooth nails, and thick, lustrous hair are also signs of healthy bones.

Now let's take a look at how the three doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha show up in relation to the skin and bones, and ways to maintain balance within these tissues.

Vata in Meda and Ashti Dhatus:

Signs of Excess Vata in the Skin:

Aging skin, underweight, dry skin, chapped skin, scaly skin, lack of blood flow and luster, bruises easily, dry scalp, wrinkles, dark discolorations, dark or rough moles, cold hands and feet, sensitive nerves.

Signs of Excess Vata in the Bones:

Stiffness, cracking joints, weak or brittle bones, thin or brittle hair, ridges in the nails, sensitivity to touch and sound.

Finding Balance:

Abhyanga Massage: Practice self massage with Ashwagandha (Bala) oil, (or pop up to the clinic and let me do that for you

Salt scrubs: Exfoliate your skin with natural salt scrubs

Nutrition: Nourish with lecithin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid

Herbs: Drink warm, rejuvenative drinks like Ayurvedic Milk before bed

Pitta in Meda and Asthi Dhatus:

Signs of Excess Pitta in the Skin:

Redness in the skin, skin irritations, breakouts, sensitive or reactive skin, excessive sweating, red moles

Signs of Excess Pitta in the Bones:

Joint discomfort, prone to injury, sensitive teeth, red or irritable gums, oily hair, sensitivity to light, prematurely graying hair

Finding Balance:

Abhyanga Massage: Use cooling Neem Oil to soothe your skin

Cleanse and nourish: Soak in epsom salts and oatmeal baths

Nutrition: Drink aloe vera juice to soothe excess heat

Herbs: Drink calming, cooling teas like Cardamom

Kapha in Meda and Asthi Dhatus:

Signs of Excess Kapha in the Skin:

Areas of water build up, puffy eyes, calluses, excess weight, don’t sweat with exercise, fat accumulation in particular areas of the body, clogged pores, bruises easily, large translucent moles

Signs of Excess Kapha in the Bones:

Enlarged bones, calcification build up, plaque on the teeth, sensitivity to change, taste, and smell

Finding Balance:

Abhyanga Massage: Use Mahanarayan Oil to warm and invigorate

Invigorate: Enjoy dry brushing or salt scrubs to cleanse the skin

Sweat: Break a healthy sweat with exercise or a dry sauna

Herbs: Drink cleansing teas like Glow's Kapha Tea

There is so much that goes into the bones and skin in the human body.

I hope this has given you some clear information about how best to support your bones and skin... and remember, each layer interacts with, removes wastes from that process and then moves on to the next, so it's super important to nurture the first, second, third, forth etc, etc until you get to the last which produces Ojas, or the essence of lifeforce. By following this series, you'll soon be on top of keeping your body fit and healthy for life.

Until next time if you have any questions please reach out... Namaste.

Anji