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AyurvedaAyurveda is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots, "Ayus" and "vid," meaning life and knowledge respectively. Ayus, or life, represents a combination of the body, the sense organs, the mind, and the soul. The Vedas are ancient Hindu books of knowledge that are said to have been divinely revealed to the sages of India many thousands of years ago. They contain within them the knowledge, the rhythm, and the structure of the universe and the secrets of sickness and health. There are four Vedas: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. Ayurveda is part of this fourth Veda, which includes detailed dissertations upon the treatment of the sick using mantras, herbs, and potions. Ayurveda is a combination of science and philosophy, which details the many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components necessary for holistic health. The sophistication of this system is apparent in the most famous of all ancient Ayurvedic texts, the Charaka Samhita. This important document of internal medicine, which was written more than 2,000 years before the microscope was invented, explains how the body is made up of cells, and it lists 20 different microscopic organisms that may cause disease. Another of the texts, the Sushruta Samhita, explains surgical methods, surgical equipment, suturing, and the importance of hygiene during and after an operation. Detailed medical information is combined with spiritual and philosophical advice on how to live a healthy and purposeful life. According to Vedic philosophy human lives will be filled with purpose when they strive to fulfill their full potential, but that cannot be achieved without health on a basic level. Ayurvedic medicineAyurvedic medicine is the traditional, all-embracing national system of medicine practiced in India and Sri Lanka. Ayurveda is a comprehensive system of healthcare and its many elements work together prescribing a way of life, rather than a treatment for specific illnesses. Some of the elements of Ayurvedic medicine include:
The basic Ayurvedic belief is that everything within the universe, including ourselves, is composed of five elements called panchamahabhutas and tridoshas. By correcting the balance of the tridoshas within ourselves and in relation to the world around us, we will promote health on all levels. Ayurvedic treatment is tailored to the individual. There is no one treatment that works for an ailment in every person. The combination of the doshas that make up one person might lead to optimum health for them. In another person, that balance of doshas may cause illness. In Ayurvedic medicine every person must be treated individually. The skill of the practitioner lies in assessing each individual's constitution, diagnosing the causes of any imbalance, identifying the constitutional type and where the balance of doshas lie, and deciding upon the best possible treatment. Ayurveda is an excellent guide for health, and living in a good and moral way. Like many holistic therapies, the emphasis is on the mind, body, and spirit -and in Ayurveda that spirituality is intrinsic to good health and a noble way of life. It aims not only to cure diseases but also to create health and well-being. Ayurvedic theory is based on the individual constitution of a person, according to which he or she is susceptible to certain illnesses. Ayurveda considers the influence of psychosomatic factors in most of the diseases and the imbalance of the basic constitutional factors that is responsible for causing an illness. Treatment is aimed at restoring the disturbed mechanism. The basic constitutional factors are the three doshas -vata, pitta, and kapha -and restoration of their dynamic balance regulates the life cycle and controls the entire body, so restoring health. How it worksAyurvedic medicine is based on the principle that every individual person has a unique constitution that is related to energies within the body. A good, balanced constitution is the best defense against illness. If your body is functioning at optimum level, there is no way for ill health to gain a stronghold. However, a poorly balanced constitution makes one susceptible to illness -both physical and mental. Ayurveda aims to prevent the development of disease by working with the constitution of the individual. Our constitutions are determined by the balance of three vital energies in the body, known as the three doshas, or tridoshas. The three doshas are known by their Sanskrit names of vata, pitta, and kapha. Each individual constitution is controlled by all three doshas to different degrees, but we usually have one, or possibly two, dominant doshas. A practitioner will assess your constitution and determine the prakrti to which you belong. Doshas not only determine the characteristics of our constitutions, and the type of illnesses to which we are most likely to succumb, they also determine the features that make us unique -like the color of our hair, our body shape, our cravings for food, and what foods we should eat. Every single aspect of our lives is affected by the doshas. Good health reigns when all three doshas work in balance. Each one has its role to play in the body. For example, vata produces movement and relates mainly to the nervous system and the body's energy. Pitta is fire; it relates to the metabolism, digestion, enzymes, acid, and bile. Kapha is related to water in the mucous membranes, phlegm, moisture, fat, and lymphatics. The balance of the three doshas depends on a variety of factors, in particular correct diet and exercise, good digestion, healthy elimination of body wastes, and balanced emotional and spiritual health. Each constitution is determined by the state of the parental doshas at the time of conception. Each individual is born with a typical prakrti, a mixture of doshas unique to him or her. This is your constitution and it remains with you for life. But, as we travel through life, diet, environment, stress, trauma, and injury cause the doshas to become imbalanced, a state known as the "vikrti" state. When levels of imbalance are excessively high or low, ill health can result. Ayurvedic practitioners work to restore each individual to the best balance possible within their prakrti. Constitutions are inborn and cannot be changed. Ayurvedic philosophy understands and accepts the differences between individuals, and everyone's uniqueness. The science of Ayurveda helps us to understand our own constitutions and to live in a way that emphasizes their positive aspects -which is not always easy. In Ayurveda, all ill health is related to disturbances in these three doshas. Doshic imbalances affect other factors at work in the body, and lead to imbalances that cause disease. These other factors include the five elements (panchamahabhutas), the ten pairs of qualities of the tridoshas, agni, the three malas, and the seven tissues (sapha dhathus). The body and the mind can be the home of disease as easily as of well-being. Well-being is achieved through the balance of the biological units, and disease is an imbalance of the units. The objective of Ayurveda is to re-establish equilibrium when we are ill, and to maintain that equilibrium in order to keep us healthy. The tridoshasThe tridoshas (or three doshas) are the primary and essential factors of the human body that govern our entire physical structure and function. They are called vata, pitta, and kapha, and they are derived from the five basic eternal substances, the panchamahabhutas. Each dosha has a predominance of one of the five bhutas. Vata consists of the combined predominance of vayu and akasha (air and space). Pitta consists of tejas and jala (fire and water), and kapha is formed by jala and prthvi (water and earth). When we are healthy, our three doshas are in balance, or in a state of equilibrium. The tridoshas in their normal, balanced state give us strength, a good complexion, normal functioning of the vital organs, and long life. When the three doshas are imbalanced, disease is caused. Each of the doshas has its subtypes, possessing properties that perform various functions at different levels of our individual bodies. Many of the physical and mental phenomena ascribed to the nervous system by modern physiology can be identified with vata. Similarly, the entire chemical process operating in your body can be attributed to pitta, including enzymes, hormones, and the complete nutritional system. The activities of the skeletal and anabolic system (those aspects of the metabolism involved in constructing the physical body) can be attributed to kapha -suggesting that the entire physical volume in a living organism is in fact a result of kapha. In other words, the entire constructive process in a living organism can be attributed to kapha; the entire chemical process to pitta; and the sensory and motor activities (movement) to vata. VATAVata is a Sanskrit word meaning "to move," or "to enthuse." Vata forms the most important constituent of the tridoshic framework and has a predominance of akasha and vayu (space and air) mahabhutas. It is responsible for the movements of the body (both physical and mental). It upholds all the supportive structure and tissue, and governs circulation throughout the body. The physical properties of vata have been described as:
Each of these physical properties or qualities of vata stems from your intra-uterine life -that is, life in the womb -which determines your individual prakrti, or physical constitution. Normally, vata is responsible for the entire physiological functioning of your body. It also regulates your mind and its functioning. Thus, when vata is unbalanced, you are likely to suffer from various psychosomatic disturbances. It causes loss of weight and strength, and gives rise to emotions like anxiety, worry, grief, fear, and anger. Vata exists in these five forms according to its function and the site of activity:
When the balance of vata is disturbed, it brings about:
Diseases caused by unbalanced vata:
PITTAPitta is a Sanskrit word meaning "to heat" or "to burn." Pitta is responsible for all biochemical activities, including the production of heat. Pitta is comprised of fire (tejas) and water jala). The inherent natural qualities of pitta are:
Your individual constitution or prakrti has features that are similar to these natural qualities. In diseases too, the natural qualities and actions of pitta are often wholly or partially present. Pitta has been classified into five types:
When the balance of pitta is disturbed, it brings about:
Diseases caused by unbalanced pitta:
KAPHAKapha is a Sanskrit word meaning "phlegm," but also "to embrace" or "to keep together." Kapha is a source of strength and resistance (bolla). According to Ayurveda, kapha is responsible for the construction of the living body, and it is made up of the water and earth elements (jala and prthvi). Due to its composition, kapha is more stable in nature than the other two doshas. Kapha in its normal state is responsible for the strength and formation of the body. Physical characteristics of Kapha are described as:
Kapha brings about:
Kapha is of five types, depending upon their site and function:
When the balance of kapha is disturbed, it brings about:
Diseases caused by unbalanced kapha:
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