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| Category: Alternative Healing Schools |
Date published: March 23, 2006 |
Ayurveda - A holistic system of medicine
The traditional natural healing system of India, Ayurveda, is gaining wide popularity in the western world. There is a new proliferation of Ayurvedic classes, schools and treatments centers in most major metropolitan areas. People of all walks of life are gaining great personal and spiritual benefits from Ayurveda's wisdom of healing. (David Frawley, 1999) Being ancient the word Ayurveda is derived from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit where `ayus' means life and `ved' means knowledge. The literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is knowledge or science of life. This intricate system of healing originated in India thousands of years ago. The most known ancient literary work known as the Vedas gives the historical evidence of wisdom of Ayurveda. Vedas reflects the lifestyle of ancient people, their customs, thoughts, ideas, achievements, pitfalls, problems and their solutions. According to Ayurveda, life is a combination of four essential parts- mind, body, sense and the soul. This traditional system of healing is based on the theory of balancing the body, the soul and the mind. Our physiology is regulated by the combined work of mind and body. The senses are used as information gatherers so that the mind can act accordingly to the body. The clarity of senses helps the mind and body to integrate their functions so that the human beings can live a healthy and happier life. Every living being in the universe is a combination of five basic elements called the panchamahabhootas. These five elements are space, air, fire, water and earth. According to Dr. Robert Svoboda, everything solid is the earth, water is everything liquid, gaseous part is the air, space in the field upon which everything rests and fire is the transformer of things. These five elements combine to form three more energy levels known as tridoshas. One's body composition or prakurti depends on these tridoshas-vata, pitta and kapha. There are three gunas- satwa, rajas and tamas that are essential components of the mind. Dhatus are the bodily tissues that compose the human body. The dhatus produce various waste products known as the malas while performing metabolic processes. Channels are the srotas that transports food, dhatus and doshas to the various parts of the body. Agni or fire carries out the various metabolic activities of the body. Therefore, Ayurveda is regarded as a holistic system of medicine that combines science and philosophy in order to balance the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components of the human body necessary for good health. Ayurveda is the mother of all forms of modern medicine, from bodywork to surgery. Every Asian civilization has borrowed Ayurvedic knowledge and applied it to their own cultural context and medical system. Ayurvedic therapies can be seen as both physical and psychological preventive measures. Such a view is necessary for the continual growth and harmony of both systems and for the newly developing concept of global medicine.
REFERENCES
Atreya, 1999. Practical Ayurveda. Mumbai: Jaico publishers Frawley, Dr. David.1997. Ayurveda and the mind. WI: Lotus press Svoboda, Dr. Robert.1989. Prakurti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution. Albuquerque, NM: Geocom
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