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Ayurveda Treatment
Contents
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Simple
Definition
Ayurveda
is a wholistic system of medicine from India that uses a
constitutional model. Its aim is to provide guidance regarding
food and lifestyle so that healthy people can stay healthy and
folks with health challenges can improve their health. There are several aspects to
Ayurveda that are quite unique:
-
Its recommendations will
often be different for each person regarding which foods
and which lifestyle they should follow in order to be
completely healthy. This is due to it's use of a
constitutional model.
- Everything in Ayurveda is
validated by observation, inquiry, direct examination and
knowledge derived from the ancient texts.
- It understands that there
are energetic forces that influence nature and human
beings. These forces are called the Tridoshas.
- Because Ayurveda sees a
strong connection between the mind and the body, a huge
amount of information is available regarding this
relationship.
Origin
Ayurveda
is an intricate system of healing that originated in India
thousands of years ago. We can find historical evidence of
Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. In
the Rig Veda, over 60 preparatison were mentioned that could
be used to assist an individual in overcoming various
ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but
really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. What we
see is that A yurveda is more than just a medical system. It
is a Science of Life. We are all part and parcel of nature.
Just as the animals and plants live in harmony with nature and
utilize the Laws of Nature to create health and balance within
their beings, we, too, adhere to these very same principles.
Therefore, it is fair to say that Ayurveda is a system that
helps maintain health in a person by using the inherent
principles of nature to bring the individual back i nto
equilibrium with their true self. In essence Ayurveda has been
in existence since the beginning of time because we have
always been governed by nature's laws.
Meaning
Ayurveda
is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means life
and Veda which means the knowledge of. To know about
life is Ayurveda. However, to fully comprehend the vast s cope
of Ayurveda let us first define "Ayu" or life.
According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu"
is comprised of four essential parts. The combination of mind,
body, senses and the soul.
Mind,
Body and Sences
We
tend to identify most with our physical bodies, yet, in
actuality, there is more to us then what meets the eye. We can
see that underlying our physical structure is the mind, which
not only controls our thought processes but helps assist us in
carrying out day-to-day activities such as respiration,
circulation, digestion and elimination. The mind and the body
work in conjunction with one another to regulate our
physiology. In order for the mind to act appropriately to
assist the physical body, we must use our senses as
information gatherers. We can think of the mind as a computer
and the senses as the data which gets entered into the
computer. Smell and taste are two important senses th at aid
in the digestive process. When the mind registers that a
particular food is entering the gastrointestinal tract, it
directs the body to act accordingly by releasing various
digestive enzymes. However, if we overindulge the taste buds
with too much of a certain taste, such as sweet, we may find
that the ability of the mind to perceive the sweet taste is
impaired; and thereby the body becomes challenged in its
ability to process sweet foods. Maintaining the clarity of our
senses is an essential part in allowing the mind and body to
integrate their functions and help in keeping us healthy and happy individuals.
Soul
Ayurveda
also sees that before we exist in physical form with the help
of the mind and senses that we exist in a more subtle form
known as the soul. The ancient seers of India believed tha t
we were comprised of a certain energetic essence that
precluded the inhabitance of our physical entity. In fact,
they hypothesized that we may indeed occupy many physical
bodies throughout the course of time but that our underlying
self or soul remains unchanged. What we see to help illustrate
this concept is what transpires at the time of death. When the
individual nears the time to leave the physical body, many of
his/her desires will cease to be present. As the soul no
longer identifies with the bod y, the desire to eat food or
indulge in a particular activity that used to be a great
source of satisfaction for that person drops by the wayside.
In fact, many individuals have been documented to experience
the sensation of being "out of their bodies."
These are just a few examples
of how we are made up of these four components that we call
life.
Principles
Now
that we have a better understanding of what comprises life,
let's look at some of the principles of Ayurveda and how they
might affect us.
In
Ayurveda we view a person as a unique individual made up of
five primary elements. The elements are ether (space), air,
fire, water, and earth. Just as in nature, we too have these
five elements in us. When any of these elements are present in
the environment, they will in turn have an influence on us.
The foods we eat and the weather are just two examples of the
presence of these elements. While we are a composite of these
five primar y elements, certain elements are seen to have an
ability to combine to create various physiological functions.
Ether and air combine to form what is known in Ayurveda as the Vata dosha.
Vata governs the principle of movement and therefore can be
seen as the force which directs nerve impulses, circulation,
respiration, and elimination. Fire and water are the elements
that combine to form the Pitta
dosha. The Pitta dosha is the process of transf ormation
or metabolism. The transformation of foods into nutrients that
our bodies can assimilate is an example of a pitta function.
Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and
tissue systems as well as cellular metabolism. Finally, it is
pr edominantly the water and earth elements which combine to
form the Kapha
dosha. Kapha is what is responsible for growth, adding
structure unit by unit. Another function of the Kapha dosha is
to offer protection. Cerebral-sp inal fluid protects the brain
and spinal column and is a type of Kapha found in the body.
Also, the mucousal lining of the stomach is another example of
the Kapha dosha protecting the tissues. We are all made up of
unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Ka pha. These ratios of
the doshas vary in each individual; and because of this,
Ayurveda sees each person as a special mixture that accounts
for our diversity.
Ayurveda
gives us a model to look at each individual as a unique makeup
of the three doshas and to thereby design treatment protocols
that specifically address a persons health challenges. When
any of the doshas ( Vata, Pitta or Kapha ) become accumulated,
Ayurveda will suggest specific lifestyle and nutritional
guidelines to assist the individual in reducing the dosha that
has become excessive. We may also suggest certain herbal
supplemen ts to hasten the healing process. If toxins in the
body are abundant, then a cleansing process known as Pancha
Karma is recommended to eliminate these unwanted toxins.
Conclusion
This
understanding that we are all unique individuals enables
Ayurveda to address not only specific health concerns but also
offers explanation as to why one person responds differently
th an another. We hope that you will continue to explore
Ayurveda to enhance your health and to gain further insights
into this miracle we call life.
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