Ayurveda

Nowadays Ayurveda is gaining popularity world wide. But most of the people run behind Ayurveda with out knowing what actually it is. As a result of this the multi national companies and other small companies exploit them cruelly.
Now let’s take a break and read a brief note about Ayurveda-“The ancient Indian system of Medicine”.

Ayurveda is a broad based science of life developed with 2 fold objectives- to preserve the health of a healthy individual and to relieve the disease of the ailing
Ever since the dawn of his turbulent history man has evolved several ways of coping with illness. All ancient civilizations have thus developed their own medical system which not only reflect certain philosophies but also appears to be influenced by then existing social beliefs and practices
Virtually every country has a system of traditional medicines possessing a unique configuration designed to be compatible with its own future and meeting the needs of its own populations. Therefore Ayurvedic thoughts and methods have had a deep impact in the life style of the people of India.
Traditional medicine is full of real experiences, observations and fancy formulae reflecting a combination of inspiration, facts and results. However some concepts are beyond the realm of rational and experimental analysis in contemporary terms. In the words of Caraka – one of the most eminent Ayurvedic scholars of ancient India- there is very little that can be obtained by direct proof. The province beyond direct experimental evidence is vast. This can be obtained by inference, rational thinking and advices of teachers and other experts in the field.
The most important feature of modern medicine differentiating it from the Indian system is the method of breaking down complex phenomenon into their component factors and with each in isolation. This means, now the modern medicine is being dived into specialty, super specialty etc and now there are doctors who treat different parts of the body and not the patient as a whole. Thus the modern medicine has developed a reductionist approach forgetting to treat the patient as a whole. Thus the reductionist approaches of modern medicines its main limitation. A true physician is who cares for the people. If we were able to develop a truly holistic approach to the meaning of illness, we need to broaden our minds and increase our perception.
Indian system of medicine has this holistic perspective about health and life. Here all aspects of life are considered. Ayurveda is not only a system of medicine but also the science of life. It presents a unique concept of life and its components.
According to Ayurveda, life is a combination of Body, Senses, Spirit, Soul and Mind. Thus health means the healthy state of all these components.

Concepts in treatment
The theory of Pancamahabuta<5> and the theory of Tri Dosha are the basis of Ayurveda.
1. According to the theory of Pancamahabhuta ,every creation is a combination of 5 subtle elements – Space(Akasha), Air(Vayu), Fire(Agni), Water(Jala) and Earth(Prithvi)
2. The theory of Tri Dosha is a deeper biological application of the concept of Pancamahabhutas. Tri Dosha or the three humours are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Vata is characterized by the predominance of Vayu and Akasa. Pitta is formed by the action of Agni and Kapha formed by the Jala and Prithvi. These are called as doshas because they have the the tendency to get vitiated and to vitiate other elements of the body. They are considered as dhatus as they help to upload the body.
The equilibrium of the three doshas keeps the body healthy. When this equilibrium is lost body becomes diseases. To maintain the equilibrium and to re establish the disturbed equilibrium, substance having similar properties or opposite properties are used accordingly to the condition- If Vata Dosha is increased in a body, this may cause Vata diseases. To cure this, the increased Vata must be normalized. For this substances and habits having properties opposite to that of Vata are practiced.
If vata Dosha is decreased it will also disturb the equilibrium. This will cause diseases, which are cured by increasing Vata in the body. For that the substances and habits which increase Vata are used. This constitutes the basic principle of Ayurvedic treatments
Apart from the three humors, Ayurveda explain 7 dhatus. These are related with the normal function of the body. These can be compared to the tissues of modern science.
The 7 dhatus are
1. Rasa (Plasma)
2. Rakta (Blood)
3. Mamsa (Muscles)
4. Medas (Fat)
5. Asthi (Bone)
6. Majja (Marrow)
7. Sukra (Reproductive elements)

The vitiation of the three humors will vitiate dhatus and the vitiation will manifest as diseases. Thus the dhatus can be considered as the materialized forms of the three Dosha.

Thus the treatment in Ayurveda can concluded as the processing of maintaining equilibrium of these factors.