What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda originated in India. its origins go back nearly 5000 years. As the name implies (Ayu means life & Veda means knowledge) knowledge of healthy living and is not confined only to treatment of illness. It deals elaborately with measures for healthful, peaceful and happy living, during the entire span of life and its various phases. Besides, dealing with principles for maintenance of health, it has also developed a wide range of therapeutic measures to combat illness. These principles of positive health and therapeutic measures relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual welfare of human beings. Ayurveda is one of the oldest systems of health care dealing with both the preventive and curative aspects of life in a most comprehensive way.
Contrary to the conventional medicine, the action of Ayurveda is much safer, deeper acting and results much longer lasting by energizing the body’s curative powers.
How does it work?
Treatment of the disease consists in avoiding causative factors responsible for disequilibrium of the body matrix or of any of its constituent parts through the use of Panchakarma procedures, medicines, suitable diet, activity and regimen for restoring the balance and strengthening the body mechanisms to prevent or minimize future occurrence of the disease.
What can it do?
Ayurveda boasts of tremendous powers as a system of medicine. Especially in case of chronic, long standing and recurring diseases like allergies, bronchitis, Chron’s diseases, …..Psoriasis, Rheumatism, Sinusitis, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Ulcerative Colitis, Vitiligo, etc, Ayurveda offers results which can change the life of patients.
In the cases of allergic diseases like Asthma, urticaria, and the like, it can enhance body’s immune mechanism in such as way that the body no more reacts in abnormal way. In cases of ulcerative, it leads the immune mechanism to enhance ulcer healing mechanism.In cases of chronic infections it reduces the count and activities of viral. This goes true for most chronic diseases.
Principles of Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is based on the premise that the universe is made up of five elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. These elements are represented in humans by three “doshas”, or energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When any of the doshas accumulate in the body beyond the desirable limit, the body loses its balance. Every individual has a distinct balance, and our health and well-being depend on getting a right balance of the three doshas (“tridoshas”). Ayurveda suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.
A healthy person, as defined in Sushrut Samhita, one of the primary works on Ayurveda, is “he whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful…”
What is ‘Tridosha?
The three doshas, or bio-energies found in our body are:
Vata – pertains to air and ether elements. This energy is generally seen as the force, which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination.
Kapha – pertains to water and earth elements. Kapha is responsible for growth and protection. The mucousal lining of the stomach, and the cerebral-spinal fluid that protects the brain and spinal column are examples of kapha.
Pitta – pertains to fire and water elements. This dosha governs metabolism, e.g., the transformation of foods into nutrients. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems.
What is ‘Panchakarma’ or the Therapy of Purification?:
If toxins in the body are abundant, then a cleansing process known as panchakarma is recommended to purge these unwanted toxins. This fivefold purification therapy is a classical form of treatment in ayurveda.
