Ayurvedic medicine, or ayurveda, is a system of health care that originated in India between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. One of the world’s oldest medical traditions, it is practiced widely today in India, Sri Lanka, and other Asian countries alongside “conventional” medicine that is familiar to people in other parts of the world. The name ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit words ayur, which means life, and veda, which means knowledge.
Health promotion.
Rather than curing disease, the main aim of ayurvedic medicine is to achieve a state of well-being and so to try to prevent disease. Ayurvedic medicine achieves well-being through a number of techniques, including diet, breathing exercises, meditation, and herbal medicine. An ayurvedic doctor, called a vaid, regards each individual as unique. Although two people may seem to have the same symptoms, they may have different constitutions and they will therefore receive different treatments.
One of the main ideas behind ayurvedic medicine is that of a life force or energy. People achieve good health by maintaining a proper flow of this energy through the body. The physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person’s life are of equal importance, and a person must keep them in harmony to remain healthy.
Ayurvedic principles.
Ancient texts on ayurvedic medicine state that everything in the universe is composed of five elements. In addition, human beings have a spirit or soul. The five elements are: akasha (space or ether), vayu (air), tejas (fire), apa (water), and prithvi (earth). Each element is associated with certain spiritual or emotional qualities. For example, space is everywhere and touches everything. It represents receptivity and an open heart and mind. Air sets the universe in motion; it carries blood through the vessels, removes wastes, and moves thoughts through the mind. Fire represents the force of nature that produces heat and light. It also signifies the strength of character required to pursue a goal in the face of obstacles and the quality that uncovers ignorance and allows truth to become apparent. Water represents the force that flows and holds things together. Earth represents emotional “groundedness,” the quality of inner strength and security. Ayurveda also associates the five elements with the five senses: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell.
In living organisms, agni (digestive fire) converts the five elements into three biological forces. These forces are called doshas or, collectively, tridoshas, and they control all life processes. The doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha. Each person has these doshas in unique proportions, and the dominant dosha determines an individual’s character. If the doshas are in harmony, a person is in good health. A deficiency or excess in a dosha results in disease. Each dosha is composed of two elements.
Vata consists of space and air. It resembles the wind and controls all movements in the mind and body. Vata also controls the nervous system. It promotes creativity, clarity of thought, and activity, and it produces a balance between thoughts and emotions. A person with an imbalance of vata might suffer from mental confusion, loss of memory, disturbed sleep, a lack of energy, and anxiety. Poor diet, insufficient sleep, or overexertion can result in a vata imbalance. People whose dominant dosha is vata tend to be creative, active, and restless. They move and speak quickly, but they waste energy. They may be small-boned and underweight and have a tendency to suffer from arthritis and other disorders of the muscles or bones. Women may have irregular menstrual periods. People whose dominant dosha is vata should eat moist, warming foods, such as casseroles, and avoid raw food, because it increases vata.
Pitta consists of fire and water. It is related to the sun and controls digestion and the body’s metabolism. In a wider sense, it is responsible for the ability to digest information. Pitta promotes intellectual activity as well as courage and enthusiasm. An imbalance in pitta can result in poor digestion, impaired vision, irritability, and variable body temperature and skin color. Indigestion, alcoholism, and grief or fear are among the causes of a pitta imbalance.
People with a predominance of pitta are said to be ambitious, emotional, and intelligent. They are of average build and height, and their skin is often dry and prone to allergic rashes and broken capillaries. They are most likely to suffer from heartburn and migraines. They should eat sweet and cold foods, such as chicken, fish, salads, and tofu (bean curd). They should avoid sour, salty, and pungent foods, such as red meat.
Kapha consists of water and earth. It is associated with the moon and controls cell growth and the strength and structure of the body. Kapha is responsible for resistance to disease and the body’s ability to heal itself. It also promotes the qualities of love, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness. A person with a kapha imbalance might suffer from low immunity, loose joints, obesity, or sexual impotence. Such a person might also be emotionally insecure or intolerant. Causes of kapha imbalance include lack of exercise. People with a predominance of kapha are usually happy and peaceful. They tend to be heavily built, are often overweight, and move slowly, but they are strong and have great stamina. They are likely to suffer from colds and a poor appetite. They should eat hot, spicy foods, apples, pears, leafy vegetables, and beans. They should avoid sweet, juicy vegetables.
Other concepts include the dhatus, the tissues of which the body is composed. The seven principal dhatus are: (1) plasma, (2) blood cells, (3) muscle tissues, (4) fatty tissues, (5) bone, (6) bone marrow and nervous tissues, and (7) reproductive tissues. Each of these tissues is formed from the preceding one, starting from plasma and ending with reproductive tissues. The source of the tissues is food essence derived from the digestion of food.
The malas are waste materials. Waste from food, called ahara malas, includes feces, urine, and sweat. Other waste materials, called dhatu malas, come from bodily secretions, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, hair, skin, and nails. The malas are necessary for health, provided their quantity, quality, and function remain normal.
Nutrients, other substances, energies, and emotions are transported through the body in srotas (channels). Altogether there are 16 srotas. Good health requires a smooth flow through the channels. Any blockage or imbalance can result in disease.
Treatment.
An ayurvedic doctor takes a detailed history of a patient’s health before making a physical examination. The doctor asks about lifestyle, diet, relationships, and emotional state. The doctor observes the patient’s build, features, and demeanor, and notes the tone of voice. The examining doctor also takes the patient’s pulse, and examines the person’s tongue, eyes, and nails, as well as samples of the urine, stools, and sputum. As a result of the examination, the doctor will determine the patient’s characteristic dosha.
Doctors consider disease to be the result of extremes of climate, invasions of disease-causing organisms, poor nutrition, or stress and other emotional imbalances. One of the main principles of treatment is to eliminate toxic waste from the body. The three main categories of treatment are medicinal, dietary, and practical.
Medicinal treatments
are made from the bark, roots, leaves, or seeds of plants, as well as minerals, shells, and other animal substances. The doctor carefully adjusts the particular remedy to suit the individual.
Dietary considerations
are an important part of treatment. Food must be appropriate to the season and climatic conditions as well as to the individual’s doshas. The doctor may recommend fasting to remove toxins.
Practical treatments
may include the application of warmth or massage. A marma massage is a therapeutic massage with oils. According to ayurvedic philosophy, the body has 107 vital points, called marmas, which correspond to specific organs or functions. Stimulating these points by massage promotes health and well-being. In a related technique, the practitioner stimulates the marmas with needles, a procedure similar to acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine (see Acupuncture ). Other treatments include yoga, meditation, and drugs that induce vomiting.
History.
The roots of ayurveda lie in the Vedas, the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism (see Vedas ). One of the Vedas, the Atharva-Veda, sets out some of the basic principles. The earliest known texts specifically on ayurvedic medicine date from about 2500 B.C. By 600 to 500 B.C., practitioners of ayurveda had developed an impressive knowledge of drugs and surgery. Indian surgeons successfully performed many kinds of operations, including amputations and plastic surgery. Operations to remove gallstones were common.
The Indian government established the Indian Medical Council in 1971. The council supervises and maintains standards in medical education and sets out appropriate qualifications. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the practices recognized by the council. To become ayurvedic practitioners, students must first complete a six-year university course.
See also Holistic medicine ; Medicine (China and India) .
