Ayurveda is one of the oldest healing systems that has been officially recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the concepts of health and therapy. It is the ancient Indian art of healing and preserving the body's original balance. The name Ayurveda itself means 'knowledge of life'. It is therefore a philosophical system dealing with health, nature, purpose and meaning of human life.
Ayurveda - history
Ayurvedic medicine originated more than 5,000 years ago on the south-eastern coast of the Indian peninsula in a region called Kerala. The first records related to this philosophy and art of medicine appeared between the 6th century BC and the 6th century AD. Ayurveda forms part of the knowledge recorded in Vedic manuscripts. It is still widely practised today in India and Sri Lanka.
What is ayurvedic medicine all about?
Ayurveda indicates 5 elements concerning the energies that reside in the human body and mind:
- space - Akash,
- air - Vayu,
- fire - Agni,
- water - Jala,
- earth - Prithvi.
They govern all physical and mental processes. In addition to these, there is also prana, the human vital force, which is the basic energy responsible for physical, spiritual and mental health in every human being. The word Prana in Sanskrit means 'breath' and life-sustaining power.
The elements make up the human body and reflect its energy by combining into three doshas. A dosha is a combination of two opposing elements, and its function is to maintain a balance between potential and kinetic energies. It has a particular influence on food digestion, thought processes, and the endocrine system. At birth, each person is endowed with a specific combination of the three biological energies and thus possesses a unique personality type.
According to Ayurvedic medicine, three types of bioenergy are accumulated in the human body:
Vata
Vata is a combination of the elements ether and air. It is responsible for movement and activity, the nervous system, memory, chewing and swallowing food and assimilating nutrients, circulation, respiration and excretion. In addition, it manages creativity and feelings of anxiety or fear.
Kapha
Kappa is linked to the elements of water and earth. It is responsible for growth and protection. It influences the structure of the body, thus fat, muscle, tendons and the skeleton. It is responsible for the mucous membrane of the stomach and the cerebrospinal fluid, It makes itself visible in tissues and superfluous metabolic products and controls the secretion of mucus and substances that protect the internal organs. On an emotional level, kappa manages love, jealousy, stinginess and the capacity for sacrifice.
Pitta
Pitta relates to the elements of fire and water. It governs the metabolism and is responsible for the transformation of food into nutrients, feelings of thirst and hunger. In the emotional sphere, on the other hand, it is responsible for ambition, pride, bravery and anger.
The three doshas mentioned earlier should occur in the human body in natural proportions. When there is an imbalance between them, all sorts of illnesses arise. Balance in ayurveda also applies to the body, spirit and mind. According to it, it is not possible to have a healthy body when the mind is ill. nor is it possible to have peace of mind when the body is ailing.
Ayurveda - modes of treatment
Ayurvedic methods work well for treating mental and physical illnesses. They give the best results for digestive and metabolic disorders. They do not offer a single prescription for everyone, but emphasise the role of individual treatment. Ayurveda practitioners read the diagnosis from the pulse of the skin and the eyes and fingers of the hand.
The first and basic step of proper treatment is to remove all toxins from the body, caused by poor nutrition and emotions. The basis of cleansing is oil and steam baths. Only after the body has been cleansed does the doctor prescribe individually selected herbal or mineral preparations and recommend suitably selected physical exercises, yoga and pranayama, i.e. breathing exercises, as well as body treatments.
Ayurveda regards food as one of the main means of preventing disease. Hence, an important part of treatment is the use of a properly composed diettaking into account the body type and the disorders present.
