Ayurveda Made Easy

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Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives. The term Ayurveda is taken from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. It has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years and has only recently became popular in Western cultures. The “contemporary” form of Ayurvedic medicine is mostly derived from several sacred Indian texts which were written in Sanskrit between 1500 BC and 400 AD. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies.

There are two main types of Ayurveda: traditional and Maharishi. The latter is a version of traditional Ayurveda based on translations from the classical texts by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Both types of Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe herbs, believe that disease results from an imbalance in the doshas (see below), and use many of the same remedies for treating illness. Maharishi Ayurveda, however, stresses the role of supreme consciousness in maintaining good health, and promotes Transcendental Meditation (TM) as a method for experiencing the pure consciousness of the universe. Maharishi Ayurveda also highlights the need to express positive emotions and to attune your life to the natural rhythms of the body.

How does it work?

Just as everyone has a unique thumbprint, according to Ayurvedic beliefs, each person has a distinct pattern of energy — a specific combination of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. It is also believed that there are three basic energy types called doshas, present in every person:

Vata — energy that regulates bodily functions associated with motion including blood circulation, breathing, blinking, and the beating of the heart. When vata energy is balanced, there is creativity and vitality. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety.
Pitta — energy that governs the body’s metabolic systems including digestion, absorption, nutrition, and body temperature. In balance, pitta promotes contentment and intelligence. Out of balance, pitta can cause ulcers and arouse anger.
Kapha — energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system. In balance, kapha is expressed as love and forgiveness. Out of balance, kapha leads to insecurity and envy.
All people have vata, pitta, and kapha, but usually one or two are dominant in a given individual. Many factors can disturb the dosha balance such as stress, an unhealthy diet, the weather, and strained family relationships. Such disturbance is expressed in the body as disease. Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe treatments designed to bring the doshas back into balance.

From a Western medical perspective, relief of stress appears to be one of the ways that Ayurveda works to help fight illness. For example, studies have found that Transcendental Meditation, a component of Maharishi Ayurveda, reduces anxiety. Other studies have found that Ayurveda lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, slows the aging process, and speeds recovery from illness. The herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine often have antioxidant effects, which means that they may help protect against the damage from free radicals (by-products of normal metabolism in the body) like long term illnesses such as heart disease and arthritis. Many Ayurvedic practitioners also recommend a vegetarian diet, which is believed to be better for your heart than diets containing red meat.

What should I expect from an Ayurvedic treatment?

Ayurvedic treatment focuses on rebalancing the doshas . On your first visit, the practitioner will take a detailed medical history, check your pulse, palpate your abdomen, examine your tongue, eyes, nails, and skin, and listen to the tone of your voice. He or she will also ask you questions about your general state of health with special focus on your lifestyle, diet, habits, and environmental surroundings. Based on this assessment, he or she will then make recommendations on how to restore your natural dosha balance, which almost always includes changes in lifestyle, particular diet. Practitioners draw from more than 20 types of treatment, but the most commonly prescribed include:

Tracy

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Co-Founder of India Herbs explains the Science of Ayurveda.

Overview
Ayurvedic Medicine is also called Ayurveda. It is a system of medicine that originated in India several thousand years ago. The term Ayurveda combines two Sanskrit words: ayur, which means life, and veda, which means science or knowledge. Ayurveda means “the science of life.”
Ayurveda is a whole medical system which integrates and balances the body, mind, and spirit (thus, it is considered “holistic”). This balance is necessary for contentment and good health. Ayurveda also proposes treatments for specific health problems. A primary aim of Ayurvedic medicine is to cleanse the body of substances that can cause disease. This helps re-establish the harmony and balance necessary for optimal health.
Ayurveda has long been the main system of health care in India. About 70 percent of India’s population lives in rural areas; about two-thirds of rural people use Ayurveda and medicinal plants to meet their primary health care needs. In addition, most major cities have an Ayurvedic college and hospital. There are 587,536 registered traditional medical practitioners, 2,860 hospitals providing Ayurvedic treatment, and 22,100 dispensaries for traditional medicine in India. This allows over 500 million people in India to rely solely on Ayurveda today.
Ayurveda and variations of it have also been practiced for centuries in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. The professional practice of Ayurveda in the United States began to grow and became more visible in the late 20th century.
Professional Accreditation
Practitioners of Ayurveda have various types of training. Some are trained in the Western medical tradition (such as medical or nursing school) and then study Ayurveda. Others may have training in naturopathic medicine, a whole medical system, either before or after their Ayurvedic training. Many study in India, where there are more than 150 undergraduate and more than 30 postgraduate colleges for Ayurveda. This training can take up to 5 years.
Reliance on Herbs

According to World Health Organization report, over 80% of the world population relies on plant-based traditional medicine for their primary healthcare needs.
In Ayurveda, the distinction between food and medicine is not as clear as in Western medicine. Food and diet are important components of Ayurvedic practice, and so there is a heavy reliance on treatments based on herbs and plants, oils (such as sesame oil), common spices (such as turmeric), and other naturally occurring substances.
Currently, some 5,000 products are included in the “pharmacy” of Ayurvedic treatments. Historically, plant compounds have been grouped into categories according to their effects. For example, some compounds are thought to heal, promote vitality, or relieve pain. The compounds are described in many texts prepared through national medical agencies in India. The following are examples of commonly used herbs:
• The spice turmeric has been used for various diseases and conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and wound healing.
• An extract from the resin from a tropical shrub (Commiphora mukul, or guggul) has been used for a variety of illnesses. In recent years, there has been research interest in its use to lower cholesterol.
• The essential oil extracted from Holy Basil is used as counteract depression and mental stress.
India has 16 agro-climatic zones, 45,000 different plant species, and 15,000 medicinal plants. The Indian Systems of Medicine have identified 1,500 medicinal plants, of which 500 species are mostly used in the preparation of drugs. These medicinal plants contribute to 80% of the raw materials used in the preparation of Ayurvedic Medicine.
Regulatory Situation
Ayurveda and Yoga are recognized by the Government of India. The first step in granting this recognition was the creation of the Central Council of Indian Medicine Act of 1970. The main mandates of the Central Council are as follows:
• to standardize training by prescribing minimum standards of education in traditional medicine, although not all traditional practitioners and homeopaths need to be institutionally trained to practice;
• to advise the central Government in matters relating to recognition / withdrawal of medical qualifications in traditional medicine in India;
• to maintain the central register of Indian medicine, revise the register from time to time, prescribe standards of professional conduct and etiquette, and develop a code of ethics to be observed by practitioners of traditional medicine in India. All traditional medicine practitioners and homeopaths must be registered to practice.
The Indian Government seeks the active and positive use of traditional medicine in national health programmes, family welfare programmes, and primary health care.

Candice

Ayurveda significa “La ciencia de la vida larga y feliz”. El Ayurveda es un antiquísimo arte de curar, que se practica en India desde hace más de 5000 años en forma ininterrumpida. En el idioma sánscrito “Ayur” significa vida y “Veda” conocimiento. iteralmente significa “la ciencia de la vida”. No está concebido sólo como un sistema médico sino como un verdadero sistema de vida para promocionar la salud. Fue formalmente reconocido por la Organización Mundial de la Salud como un sistema médico tradicional. El Centro de Medicinas Alternativas y Complementarias (NCCAM) dependiente del Instituto de la Salud de los Estados Unidos ubica al Ayurveda dentro de la categoría de los sistemas profesionales complementarios mayores. En la India existen 134 Facultades de Medicina, donde se debe estudiar durante más de cinco años para obtener el título de médico. El Ayurveda es una medicina viva que, por su concepción y su metodología, se integra con la medicina moderna, complementando sus valiosos aportes y soluciones. Acepta y promueve la observación y la investigación científica, la cual ha permitido corroborar muchos de sus postulados y recomendaciones. Sus principios son universalmente aplicables a la existencia diaria de cada individuo. Actualmente crece el interés y la aceptación por el Ayurveda en todo el mundo porque ofrece soluciones prácticas a factores problemáticos de la medicina del Siglo XXI en un marco de profundo respeto por la persona y la naturaleza. Es efectivo en la prevención y la cura de enfermedades, la preservación de la salud y la promoción de la longevidad. El objetivo del Ayurveda: El Ayurveda nació para que los seres humanos podamos cumplir con el propósito de la existencia: descubrir nuestra realidad interna. La salud es la base para poder cumplir esta meta. El Ayurveda ayuda a la persona sana a conservar la salud y al enfermo a obtenerla.

Roberto