About Ayurveda
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Ayurveda is "The mother of all healing arts" on our planet, because
it predates all healing systems and all forms of natural
medicine. It was developed in India some 5,000 to 10,000
years ago. Knowledge of Ayurveda has been recorded in two of
the vedic texts: the Atharva veda, and the Rig veda, which
are more than 5,000 years old. It was many years later that
other cultures studied Ayurveda and created their own
healing systems, i.e. China, Tibet, Egypt, Africa, and other
regions.
Ayurveda specializes in holistic natural remedies and
prevention, and focuses on rebuilding the cells and tissues
to support longevity. Hence its tools for healing are herbs,
yoga exercise, healthy diet and lifestyle, Vedic massages,
meditation, use of mantras, steam therapy and sauna,
aromatherapy, use of gems, colors, etc.
The philosophy of Ayurveda is to help people heal
themselves. A unique quality of Ayurveda is that healing is
promoted by balancing the different energies in the body.
These are known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha (the "Doshas" or
body humors). The Doshas are the three main combinations of
the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth).
These five elements in the body can be balanced through diet
and herbs that possess the essence of each element. Vata is air and
ether and it is the element that moves the energies and
nutrients in the body. Pitta is mainly fire and it is in
charge of
metabolism and digestion of gross nutrients and
energies. Kapha represents water and earth and its main
function is to provide strength and development of tissues
at all levels in the body.
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Ayurveda is the traditional
healing science of India. This is an age-old holistic
medicine which emphasizes relaxed mind-body harmony, keeping
peace with the laws of NATURE.
As Modern medicine with its
strong synthetic chemical drugs fails to compact nature,
there is rapid & progressive acceptance in the world
over this natural medicine. The whole world is desperately
looking for new lifestyles that include healthy diet,
stress-free careers, happy lasting relationship & for a
relaxed mind-body harmony side-lining the laws of
nature. "Back to nature" concept lands here only.
Ayurveda literally means
"knowledge about life". The ancient saints of India (2000 -
3000 BC) could perceive this divine "Wisdom of life".
According to Ayurveda human being is part of the NATURE.
This life-science could see the physiology of human body in
three Humors (Tridosha) & human mind in another set of three
Humors (Sathwa-Rejo-Thama). There total equilibrium means
POSITIVE HEALTH. As it implies, DISEASE is their imbalanced
state. So Ayurvedic treatment is balancing the mind-body
harmony - HOLISTIC MEDICINE.
Our ancient worshipful
saints could again see the human body is made up of five
basic elements i.e. earthen, water, energy, air and space.
These five elements constitute protoplasm -the life. Among
them water and air could be found only in this planet of
EARTH. Therefore, LIFE could so far be traced only on earth.
Again this protoplasm is differentiated into seven TISSUES (Dhatu-macroscopically).
So finally according to
Ayurveda HEALTH means a complete state of happy - relaxed
mind & soul with balanced humors and "tissues". This concept
on deeper thought, it takes the modern human wisdom to
farthest of MOLECULAR BIOLOGY.
Origin and
History
Ayurveda originated in India long back in pre-vedic
period. Rigveda and Atharva-veda ( 5000 years B.C.), the
earliest documented ancient Indian knowledge have references on health
and diseases. Ayurved texts like Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita were documented about 1000 years B.C. The term Ayurveda means ‘Science of Life’. It deals elaborately with measures for
healthful living during the entire span of life and its various phases.
Besides, dealing with principles for maintenance of health, it has also
developed a wide range of therapeutic measures to combat illness. These
principles of positive health and therapeutic measures relate to
physical, mental, social and spiritual welfare of human beings. Thus Ayurveda becomes one of the oldest systems of health care dealing
with both the preventive and curative aspects of life in a most
comprehensive way and presents a close similarity to the WHO’s concept
of health propounded in the modern era.
A perusal of its
several classical treatises indicate presence of two schools of
Physicians and Surgeons and eight specialities. These eight disciplines
are generally called "Ashtanga Ayurveda" and are :-
- Internal Medicine (Kaya Chikitsa)
- Paediatrics (Kaumar Bhritya)
- Psychiatry ( Bhoot Vidya)
- Otorhinolaryngology and
Ophthalmology (Shalakya)
- Surgery ( Shalya)
- Toxicology( Agad Tantra)
- Geriatrics (Rasayana)
- Eugenics and aphrodisiacs (Vajikarana)
Compendia on these
subjects like Charak Samihta, Sushruta Samhita etc. were written
by the ancient scholars during B.C. period. These were used for teaching
of Ayurveda in the ancient universities of Takshashila and Nalanda.
The Beginning
During its early
period, it was perhaps the only system of overall healthcare and
medicine which served well the people in such crucial areas as health,
sickness, life and death. It enjoyed the unquestioned patronage and
support of the people and their rulers. This situation promoted
maximally the growth of this system. Practically all the systematic
ground work of laying down its basic concepts, principles and
medicaments took place during this period of Indian history.
The Medieval Period
Then followed a long period of medieval
history marked by unsettled political conditions and several invasions
from outside the country when Ayurveda faced utter neglect. Its growth
was stunted, its teaching and training were stopped from being spread
and its monopoly in practice or utilization was eroded greatly by the
officially supported systems. Ayurveda barely survived because of its
native roots and also because the official systems of medicine could not
reach everywhere particularly in widely scattered and difficult rural
areas.
The Present Era
The political situation of the country
was destined to change in favor of freedom from foreign rule. With the
awakening of nationalism and movement for freedom the Indian cultural
values and way of life (including health care and sickness cure systems)
surfaced again. The patriotic zeal of the people, their leaders and
benevolence of the rulers of princely States initiated the revival of
Ayurvedic system of medicine even before the country got its freedom. In
1916, the Members of Imperial Legislative Councils pressed the
Government to accept this ancient and indigenous system of Ayurveda for
developing it on scientific basis and for increasing its usefulness. In
1920, the Indian National Congress demanded Government patronage for
Ayurveda and Provincial Governments began to grant assistance. The State
and Central Governments appointed several committees to suggest ways and
means of rehabilitating this time tested system in the service of the
people and promote its further growth following modern scientific
parameters and methods. As a result, several States started schools and
colleges for training of competent Ayurvedic practitioners with working
knowledge of modern medicine.
After, the country became free in 1947,
the movement for revival gained additional momentum. The first Health
Ministers’ Conference resolved that Ayurveda should be developed and put
to use for providing Medicare to the people. In due course of time this
system got official recognition and became a part of the National Health
network of the country. In several ways, the official health policies,
national plans and programmes accorded to it the same status as enjoyed
by the dominant Allopathic system. At present the system is well set to
re-orient itself to modern scientific parameters. Simultaneously, it is
well poised for much greater, effective utilization so as to enable the
country to reach its goals of Health for all and regulate population
growth. In the present situation, Medical Scientists are researching
Ayurveda remedies for lifestyle related diseases, degenerative and
psychosomatic disorders.
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DEFINITION
The classical works on
Ayurveda describe it as under :
It is that knowledge of
life which deals elaborately and at length with conditions beneficial or
otherwise to the humanity, and, to factors conducive to the happiness,
or responsible for misery or sorrow besides indicating measures for
healthful living for full span of life .
Ayurveda is also
considered as ‘Science of life’. This probably makes it the earliest
medical science having a positive concept of health to be achieved
through a blending of physical, mental, social moral and spiritual
welfare.
According to the
ancient books of knowledge, health is considered as a prerequisite for
achieving the supreme ends of life consisting of righteousness, wealth,
artistic values and spiritual freedom. Preventive and curative aspects
of diseases are considered as important components of the concept of
positive health.
Ayurveda deals
elaborately with measures of healthful living during the entire span of
life and its various phases. Besides dealing with principles for
maintenance of health, it has also developed a wide range of therapeutic
measures to combat illness. These principles of positive health and
therapeutic measures related to physical, mental, social and spiritual
welfare of human beings. Thus Ayurveda became one of the oldest system
of medicine dealing with both the preventive and curative aspects of
life in a most comprehensive way
Concepts and
Principles
Life in
Ayurveda is conceived as the union of body, senses, mind and soul. The
living man is a conglomeration of three humours (Vata, Pitta & Kapha),
seven basic tissues (Rasa, Rakta, Mansa, Meda, Asthi, Majja & Shukra) and the waste products of the body such as faeces, urine and
sweat. Thus the total body matrix comprises of the humours, the tissues
and the waste products of the body. The growth and decay of this body
matrix and its constituents revolve around food which gets processed
into humours, tissues and wastes. Ingestion, digestion, absorption,
assimilation and metabolism of food have an interplay in health and
disease which are significantly affected by psychological mechanisms as
well as by bio-fire (Agni).
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Panchamahabhutas
According to Ayurveda all objects in the universe including human
body are composed of five basic elements (Panchamahabhutas)
namely, earth, water, fire, air and vacuum(ether). There is a balanced
condensation of these elements in different proportions to suit the
needs and requirements of different structures and functions of the body
matrix and its parts. The growth and development of the body matrix
depends on its nutrition, i.e. on food. The food, in turn, is composed
of the above five elements, which replenish or nourish the like elements
of the body after the action of bio-fire (Agni). The tissues of
the body are the structural whereas humours are physiological entities,
derived from different combinations and permutations of Panchamahabhutas.
Health and Sickness
Health or sickness
depends on the presence or absence of a balanced state of the total body
matrix including the balance between its different constituents. Both
the intrinsic and extrinsic factors can cause disturbance in the natural
equilibrium giving rise to disease. This loss of equilibrium can happen
by dietary indiscrimination, undesirable habits and non-observance of
rules of healthy living. Seasonal abnormalities, improper exercise or
erratic application of sense organs and incompatible actions of the body
and mind can also result in creating disturbance of the existing normal
balance. The treatment consists of restoring the balance of disturbed
body-mind matrix through regulating diet, correcting life-routine and
behavior, administration of drugs and resorting to preventive Panchakarma and Rasayana therapy.
Panchakarma
Diagnosis
In
Ayurveda diagnosis is always done of the patient as a whole. The
physician takes a careful note of the patient’s internal physiological
characteristics and mental disposition. He also studies such other
factors as the affected bodily tissues, humours, the site at which the
disease is located, patient’s resistance and vitality, his daily
routine, dietary habits, the gravity of clinical conditions, condition
of digestion and details of personal, social, economic and environmental
situation of the patient. The diagnosis also involves the following
examinations:
- General physical
examination
- Pulse examination
- Urine examination
- Examination of the
faeces
- Examination of
tongue and eyes
- Examination of
skin and ear including tactile and auditory functions.
Treatment
The basic therapeutic
approach is, ‘that alone is the right treatment which makes for health
and he alone is the best doctor who frees one from disease’. This sums
up the principal objectives of Ayurveda, i.e. maintenance and promotion
of health, prevention of disease and cure of sickness.
Treatment of the disease consists in avoiding causative factors
responsible for disequilibrium of the body matrix or of any of its
constituent parts through the use of Panchakarma procedures, medicines,
suitable diet, activity and regimen for restoring the balance and
strengthening the body mechanisms to prevent or minimize future
occurrence of the disease.
Panchakarma
Normally treatment measures involve use of medicines, specific diet and
prescribed activity routine. Use of these three measures is done in two
ways. In one approach of treatment the three measures antagonize the
disease by counteracting the etiological factors and various
manifestations of the disease. In the second approach the same three
measures of medicine, diet and activity are targeted to exert effects
similar to the etiological factors and manifestations of the disease
process. These two types of therapeutic approaches are respectively
known as Vipreeta and Vipreetarthkari treatments.
For
successful administration of a treatment four things are essential.
These are
The physician
The medicaments
The nursing
personnel
The patient
The
physician comes first in order of importance. He must possess technical
skill, scientific knowledge, purity and human understanding. The
physician should use his knowledge with humility, wisdom and in the
service of humanity. Next in importance comes food and drugs. These are
supposed to be of high quality, wide application, grown and prepared
following approved procedures and should be available adequately. The
third component of every successful treatment is the role of nursing
personnel who should have good knowledge of nursing, must know the
skills of their art and be affectionate, sympathetic, intelligent, neat
& clean and resourceful. The fourth component is the patient himself who
should be cooperative and obedient to follow instructions of the
physician, able to describe ailments and ready to provide all that may
be needed for treatment.
Preventive Treatment &
the concepts of Aetio-Pathogenesis
Ayurveda has developed a very vivid analytical description of the stages
and events that take place since the causative factors commence to
operate till the final manifestation of disease. This gives this system
an additional advantage of knowing that possible onset of disease much
before the latent symptoms become apparent. This very much enhances the
preventive role of this system of medicine by making it possible to take
proper and effective steps in advance, to arrest further progress in
pathogenesis or to take suitable therapeutic measures to curb the
disease in its earliest stage of onset.
Types of Treatment
The treatment of
disease can be classified as
Shodhana therapy (Purification Treatment)
Shamana therapy (Palliative Treatment)
Pathya
Vyavastha (Prescription of diet and activity)
Nidan
Parivarjan (Avoidance of disease causing and aggravating factors)
Satvavajaya(Psychotherapy)
Rasayana therapy(use of immunomodulators and rejuvenation medicines)
(a) Shodhana treatment aims at removal
of the causative factors of somatic and psychosomatic diseases. The
process involves internal and external purification. The usual practices
involved are Panchakarma (medically induced Emesis, Purgation,
Oil Enema, Decoction enema and Nasal administration of medicines),
Pre-Panchakarma procedures (external and internal oleation and induced
sweating). Panchakarma treatment focuses on metabolic
management. It provides needed purificatory effect, besides conferring
therapeutic benefits. This treatment is especially helpful in
neurological disorders, musculo-skeletal disease conditions, certain
vascular or neuro-vascular states, respiratory diseases, metabolic and
degenerative disorders.
Panchakarma
(b) Shamana therapy involves suppression of vitiated humours (doshas). The process by which disturbed humour subsides or returns
to normal without creating imbalance of other humours is known as
shamana. This treatment is achieved by use of appetisers, digestives,
exercise and exposure to sun, fresh air etc. In this form of treatment,
palliatives and sedatives are used.
(c) Pathya Vyavastha comprises indications and contraindications
in respect of diet, activity, habits and emotional status. This is done
with a view to enhance the effects of therapeutic measures and to impede
the pathogenetic processes. Emphasis on do’s and don’ts of diet etc is
laid with the aim to stimulate Agni and optimize digestion and
assimilation of food in order to ensure strength of tissues.
(d) Nidan Parivarjan is to avoid the known disease causing
factors in diet and lifestyle of the patient. It also encompasses the
idea to refrain from precipitating or aggravating factors of the
disease.
(e) Satvavajaya concerns mainly with the area of mental
disturbances. This includes restraining the mind from desires for
unwholesome objects and cultivation of courage, memory and
concentration. The study of psychology and psychiatry have been
developed extensively in Ayurveda and have wide range of
approaches in the treatment of mental disorders.
(f) Rasayana therapy deals with promotion of strength and vitality. The integrity of body
matrix, promotion of memory, intelligence, immunity against the disease,
the preservation of youth, luster and complexion and maintenance of
optimum strength of the body and senses are some of the positive
benefits credited to this treatment. Prevention of premature bear and
tear of body tissues and promotion of total health content of an
individual are the roles that Rasayana therapy plays.
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