About Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the science of life. Ayurveda is India’s contribution to humanity in its search for health care, well being and longevity. The conceptual and operational framework of Ayurveda is wide enough to include all that is essential to make a man healthy and happy. The objectives of Ayurveda are mainly two, the first being the maintenance of positive health, and the other treatment of diseases. Physicians the world over now consider Ayurveda as a system of treatment embedded in nature that couples medication and recognised lifestyle.
In the modern era, where most of the diseases result from mutations in lifestyles, we have started to look back into this ancient wisdom, which advocates a therapy that has its roots in nature. Ayurveda stresses on the need of maintaining personal, social and civic hygiene for the orderly upkeep of positive health. Ayurveda recognizes that mind is very powerful both in the causation and cure of diseases. So, strict mental discipline and adherence to moral values are considered a pre-requisite for health.
Ayurveda recommends socio-economic adjustments, modification of personal habits, protection against trauma, control of infection, control of pollution, and prophylatic medication for the maintenance of positive health. The Ayurvedic therapy is either palliative (samanam) or purificatory (sodhanam). The palliative approach stresses on the use of medicaments. The famous Panchakarma therapies and the supportive Kerala special therapies belong to the purificatory approach.
According to Ayurveda, human body is composed of three body states- Vata, Pitta and Kapha (Tridoshas), Seven basic tissues- Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Meda, Asthi, Majja and Shukra (Saptadhatus) and the Waste products- Shakrit, Mutra and Sveda (Mala). Thus the total body matrix consists of Tridoshas, Saptadhatus and Mala.When the three body states are in perfect harmony, the individual enjoys good health, whereas an imbalance in the body states causes diseases. Ayurveda addresses this state of imbalance through a process of complete healing (i.e. identifying the root cause and eliminating the disease as a whole)
History Of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is one of the oldest established systems of medicine in the world. Used for over 5000 years, it is the only medical system that focuses on curative and preventive healthcare and has treatment modalities that is specific and unique to each individual and their body type. It mellowed with the evolution of Indian civilisation tracing its origin to ‘Atharva Veda’ the oldest work of philosophy and science in the history of mankind.
Perceptions about Ayurveda has undergone a phenomenal change in the last few decades. Traditional medicine like Ayurveda are now gaining much popularity because people have started to feel the need for more fundamental and long-lasting cures for their health problems.
