Dating from before 1000 BCE, Ayurvedic medicine is a health care system that is native to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Even today, it is the main medical modality used by millions of people. The name ‘Ayurveda’ is a compound of ‘ayus’, which means ‘life’ or ‘life principle’, and ‘veda’ which refers to a ‘system of knowledge.’ So, it is a system of knowledge, or science of life, that offers therapeutic measures to enhance physical, mental, social, and spiritual harmony.*
The central concept of Ayurvedic medicine is that health exists when there is integration and balance between the body, mind, spirit, earth, and universe. To cleanse the body and restore balance, Ayurvedic medicine uses herbs, metals, massage and other products and techniques. Prakriti is a balanced state of health that is directly associated with that individual at birth, whereas Vikruti is the perpetual state of imbalance in which we currently fluctuate. The goal is to bring one’s current situation into homeostasis with the Prakriti.
Three fundamental qualities of the Prakriti are the body humours or doshas, called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. People may be of one predominant constitution, or dosha. Doshas are made up of space, air, fire, water, and earth. Each person has their own balance of the three doshas, although one is usually prominent.
An Ayurvedic physician will ask about diet, behavior, lifestyle practices, symptoms, and reason for the most recent illness. The physician will carefully observe such physical characteristics as teeth skin, eyes, and weight. They will also take a person’s pulse – each dosha is thought to have a particular pulse type. During an exam, the practitioner may check the patient’s urine, stool, tongue, bodily sounds, eyes, skin, and overall appearance. They will consider your digestion, diet, personal habits, and resilience. Goals of treatment are often purification, and re-balancing in order to help eliminate dis-ease.
Panchakarma refers to the five actions or modalities. This is a collection of purification techniques that Ayurveda prescribes for some diseases and for periodic cleansing. A course of Panchakarma may include a short-term dietary prescription, massage, herbs, purgatives, sweat baths, medicated enemas, and nasal cleansing.
The massage modality was mainly developed in Sri Lanka and the Indian state of Kerala. Ayurvedic Massage is a form of treatment for common conditions. This therapy can relieve pain, improve circulation, relieve stress, enhance sleep, improve flexibility and athletic ability, and relieve emotional issues. It can also loosen and release deep-seated toxins that reside in the joints and tissues. Then these toxins can then be released and eliminated through a natural toxin-release process.
Ayurveda is now a recognized medical system like any other (including Western) existing in India. The Council of Indian Medicine of India (CCIM) governs and recommends policies for research and development. See the Encyclopedia on Ayurveda at Ayushveda.com for additional information on Ayurveda*.
