Ayurveda - Harmony of Body, Mind, Soul and Social Wellbeing

Sprouted in the holistic land of India somewhere around 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda is the science behind life and longevity. The word Ayurveda is conjured up of two words - 'Ayuh' and 'Vedia', where 'Ayuh' stands for life and 'Veda' stands for knowledge or science. Hence, in holistic totality, the term 'Ayurveda' means 'The Science of Life'. It is an integrated approach that not only leads to prevention and treatment of illnesses through lifestyle interventions and natural therapies, but it also incorporates spiritual, social and psychological aspect of a human being.
Ayurveda stands true to the testimony of four imperative questions of our existence. Which are - What is beneficial to us? What is harmful to us? What makes us lead a happy life? And, what makes us lead a sorrowful life? Elaborately and emphatically discussing these and other lifespan allies' issues, today, Ayurveda stands as a wholesome, indispensable branch of medicine.

Origin of Ayurveda

Touted as one of the oldest and most reliable healthcare systems in the world, Ayurveda's knowledge was passed on through a lineage of sages of India. Some of the oldest known texts to mankind on Ayurveda are the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and the Ashtanga Hrudaya. In all probability, Ayurveda is known to be an an off shoot of Atharva-veda, a text that deals with extensive Ayurvedic information. This text elaborates upon the existence of soul before birth, and even after death. A practice that originated from the origin of universe, Ayurveda is indeed as old as the existence of human life on earth.

Core Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda details the affect that the five elements found in the cosmic system have in our body. These five elements are collectively called as 'Panch Mahabhootas'. They are:

• Aakash (Ether)
• Vayu (Air)
• Agni (Fire)
• Aapa (Water), and
• Prithvi (Earth)

Core Principles of Ayurveda

Apart from these, the sixth essential component of a human life's existence of Atma (the life spirit) sans which one's life ceases of exist.
According to Ayurveda, the human body is made up of three core principles; namely:
TRIDOSHAS (BIO-HUMOURS OR PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTITIES)

• Vata dosha, in which the air and space elements dominate
• Pitta dosha, in which the fire element dominates
• Kapha dosha, in which the earth and water elements dominate

By understanding the qualities of our natural constitution, we are better able to do what is needed to keep ourselves in balance.

DHATUS (BODY MATRIX OR STRUCTURAL ENTITIES)

• Rasa (Plasma)
• Rakta (Blood cells)
• Mamsa (Muscular tissue)
• Meda (Fatty tissue)
• Asthi (Bony tissue)
• Majja (Bone marrow)
• Shukra (Hormonal and other secretions of genital), and
• Agni (Metabolic fire) is in thirteen different forms and carries out the whole metabolism of the body.

MALAS (EXCRETABLE PRODUCTS)

The excretable waste products of the body are produced in the body as by-products of metabolism. Known as ‘Malas', they are:

• Pureesh (Faeces)
• Sweda (Sweat)
• Mutra (Urine)

Interestingly, all bio transformations within the body occur through Srotases (Body Channels), which are the sites for the action of Agni.

Diagnoses in Ayurveda

Diagnostic procedures in Ayurveda are two pronged; namely:

• Establishing the state and type of pathology - When a person sees an Ayurvedic practitioner for healing advice, the specialists' foremost role is to undermine the underlying cause of the problem and its symptoms. Two people can exhibit similar kind of symptoms, yet their etiological factors supporting the system can be entirely different in individual case. The Ayurvedic specialist goes beyond the obvious (read physical) symptoms to discover the underlying cause of imbalance. All this in the pursuit to determine the ultimate resolution of the imbalance, and not just focus on the superficial appeasement of symptoms. In order to totally uproot the disease from its very existence, Ayurveda adopts a highly accurate and personalised method of analysing diseases, which involves inspection, palpation, percussion and interrogation as the primary modes of physical examination.
• Deciding upon the mode of treatment to be applied -Here, a patient's strength and physical status is determined, so that a planned arrangement of management of disease can be devised. Mode of treatment is based upon following factors:
• Prakriti - The natural Tridosha constitution of the bod regarding the structural and functional abnormalities of the body
• Samhnan - Physical strength
• Saar - Tissue quality
• Satva - Mental strength
• Satamya - Specific adaptability
• Aaharshakti - Diet intake capacity
• Vyayaam shakti - Exercise capacity
• Vaya - Age
• Geographical situation of the place where patient lives
• The season and climatic conditions
• Age of the patient
• Psychological strength of the patient
• General and personal habits of the patient
• Nature of food (e.g. vegetarian or non-vegetarian)

Treatment in Ayurveda

There exist eight divisions of Ayurvedic therapeutics; namely:

• Kayachikitsa (Internal medicine)
• Shalya (Surgery)
• Shalkya (Otorhinolaryngology and Opthalmology)
• Kaumr Bhritya (Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics)
• Agad tantra (Toxicology)
• Rasayana (Gerentorology)
• Vajikaran (Aphrodisiacs), and
• Bhoot Vidya (Psychiatry)

The principles of treatment are Shodhan (purificatory), Shaman (palliative and conservative), Nidan parivarjan (avoidance of causative and precipitating factors of disease) and Pathya Vyavastha (do's and don'ts regarding diet and lifestyle). Shodhan therapy includes Vamana (medically induced emesis), Virechana (medically induced laxation), Vasti (medicated enema), shirovirechana (administration of medicines through nose) and Raktmokshan (bloodletting). These therapeutic procedures are collectively known as Panchkarma. Before executing Panchkarma treatment, Snehan (olation) and Swedan (getting perspiration) are to be employed first.

A World Health Organisation certified practice, Ayurveda is based upon the principle that a disease well diagnosed is a disease well treated. Be it chronic diseases or grave lifestyle diseases, drug abuse or degenerative diseases, auto-immune disorder or allergic disorders,s Ayurvedic techniques and medicaments are well adept at handling any and  kinds of diseases or disorders.