East Meets West , Holistic Medical Systems: Ayurvedic Medicine

Good day,

Today I want to talk about one of the traditional holistic medical systems that our western system has been influenced by.

Ayurvedic medicine which is from India was developed at least 5000 years ago. This ancient Indian system believes and promotes holistic living, preventative medicine, and healing. The main idea is that we want to create a balance in the three energies or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Ayurveda teaches that a lifestyle that maintains the doshas in balance with our constitutional type will maintain health in the mind, body and spirit. Illness in Ayurvedic medicine is thought to be due to imbalances in the doshas. This could be caused by a number of things including; poor diet, emotional trauma, or a build up of toxins. 

At the centre of Ayurvedic belief are the three primal forces: prana, the breath of life; agni, the spirit of fire and light; and soma, the spirit of harmony and love. Along with these there are also five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The five elements influence health and temperament.

One of the most popular symbols for Ayurvedic medicine is the lotus. (Many of you reading this may have this tattooed somewhere.) Each of its eight petals represents an Ayurvedic discipline:

1. Internal medicine
2. Surgery
3. Treatment of ears, nose, throat, eyes, jaws, and teeth
4. Toxicology
5. Psychiatry
6. Gynecology & pediatrics
7. Nutrition, detoxification, and rejuvenation
8. Fertility and virility

Diagnostic tools include analysis of the:

• Body (pulse, tongue, iris, face, skin, urine, and stools)
• Mind, spirit and environment

Ayurvedic medicine has refined the pulse as a highly accurate diagnostic tool and in some cases may be the only diagnosis used.

Food is categorized into six tastes and act on the body to increase or decrease the three doshas. It is believed that if the body becomes imbalanced that illness will follow.
A good diet will contain a mixture of these six tastes:

1. Sweet
2. Sour
3. Salty
4. Pungent
5. Bitter
6. Astringent

Treatments use plants, strict dietary guidelines, and exercise.  In addition to the elements and the doshas, Ayurvedic medicine focuses on the chakras (energy centres) of the body. These follow a straight line down the centre of the body and can be linked to various organs and glands and can be stimulated by various herbs.

It is very interesting how this holistic system is similar in many ways to the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) system which I will discuss in my next blog. I find it unsettling that these are two of the oldest systems known to man but in western culture many still believe them to be "unconventional".

Cheers,


bounce life