Ayurveda - Alternative Medicine
Ayurveda is a very ancient and time-tested system of holistic therapy that gives importance to one's lifestyle and helps the individual to attain a psycho- somatic balance through the judicious use of herbal and mineral preparations. The system believes that our lifestyle largely decides the quality of our physical and mental states.
Ayurveda stands first among all other sets of (alternative) medicines, and its main basic suppositions, features and principles are outlined below:
Our body is bio-designed to be healthy. Any disorder or malfunction of a cell, tissue, organ or a system which affects the body’s healthy functioning is automatically monitored, and the built-in body immunity mechanism to resist and fight it is automatically triggered. Ayurveda, as a system, aims to aid and strengthen the body’s natural immune system in general to cope with the underlying fault that causes a problem. It thus empowers the body in general rather than tries to attack or repress any specific symptom. As a result, Ayurvedic therapy rarely creates or causes unsavory side-effects.
Ayurveda holds that perfect health results from a harmonious balance between the three subtle energies of vata, pitta, and kapha, called Tri-doshas (roughly equivalent to the ancient Greek notions of Rheum, Choler and Phlegm). Each of these ‘doshas’ has certain characteristic features and qualities which manifest their effects on the human body. An individual remains healthy as long as these three elements are in a state of stable equilibrium. The inherent constitutive combination of these elements is genetically pre-determined in all individuals and manifest in their bio-psychic make-up. When their natural equilibrium is disturbed beyond a point, the body is prone to become ‘sick’, and Ayurvedic therapy aims to restore the right balance. It dictates two main types of treatment –Shamana Chikitsa (restoration therapy) and Shodhana Chikitsa (cleansing therapy). Both are conceived taking into account the person’s overall body-state as a whole, and not by just specifically addressing a particular ailment.
A person’s dietary habits too are of great importance in Ayurveda. A main issue that is also taken into account is the interaction between Ritu (ecology) and Prakriti (natural order). For instance, the food regimen prescribed for a person in the arid Middle East will be very different from what is in the tropics or in the temperate zones. Unhealthy foodstuff and unhygienic routines turn biohazardous and wears off the health and vigor of the individual. The notion of Pathya, an important feature of diet restriction, as well as of daily routines and activities that has to be maintained during and after the required course of treatment is vital in Ayurveda. All forms of bio- toxins have to be eliminated from the system to safeguard the body against chronic ailments.
Ayurveda – through the classic PANCHAKARMA helps eliminate these harmful substances from the body, thereby maintaining harmony among the various functional systems in the body. It is to emphasize this particular aspect of food intake and diet that Ayurveda stresses the Preventive aspects of ‘Dinacharya’ [daily regimen] and ‘Rithucharya’ [seasonal regimen] in order to maintain the harmony between ‘Doshas’ [subtle forces] ‘Dhatus’ [building blocks] and‘Malas’ [metabolic wastes].
Ayurveda also provides excellent treatment modes for ailments such as Auto- Immune diseases, degenerative conditions like Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis as well as other joint disorders, nervous system related conditions such as Paralytic stroke, Parkinsonism, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Diseases, metabolic disorders like Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia, Obesity and a wide range of Skin manifestations such as Psoriasis, Eczema, Dermatitis.
Ayurveda deals not only with curing but also prevention of diseases and thus the preservation of overall physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Lately, Ayurveda has proved its efficacy in the treatment of Infertility and other Gynecological disorders as well as ofPremature Aging. Thus it is obvious that Ayurveda is not just an alternative medicine system, but the most efficient and promising therapeutic science. It is the only medical system where rejuvenation and revitalization- ‘Rasayana Therapy’- has been mentioned, which is the key to treat Chronic Degenerative diseases.
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