Ayurveda, which originated in India, has become really very popular alternate treatment all over the world. It is more than 5,000 years old and still coexists with conventional western medicine. The word ‘ayurveda’ means science of life. Ayurvedic medicine is all about balance in one’s life. Balance in your life starts the moment the birth happens. As a newborn, you possessed innate qualities that helped to frame your physical and mental patterns.
The essence of who you are at the start of your life is called prakriti. At the other end of the spectrum is vikruti, which is who you are today. Vikruti is basically your prakriti combined with all that has affected you throughout life which includes your friends, what you choose to eat, the type of work you do, your hobbies, and on and on.
In ayurvedic medicine, the closer you are to your prakriti, the better. The more divergent you become from the essence of which you originally were the greater the potential for discord in your life and health. According to ayurvedic principles, it’s possible to stay healthy. When there is discord in life which is too much divergence from your innate self leads to dosha imbalance.
To simplify, dosha imbalance is generally thought to lead to problems with metabolism, allowing for accumulation of toxins in the body. Based on your own predisposition, those toxins or wastes tend to accumulate in certain parts of the body. So if you are stressed or you make bad food choices, your joints may become painful. Ayurvedic practitioners consider carefully what dosha is of greatest influence in a person. Before identifying what disease may be at work, the practitioner needs to understand who the person is and if there is great discord in the person’s life between the innate and the current self?
Ayurveda considers everything you encounter to have therapeutic value. It takes into consideration the foods you eat, how you dress, the way you sleep, what you see and hear; all affects you in some fashion and shapes you. Look at your emotions, and consider how to heal emotional dryness. You can bring yourself back to balance by spending time with friends who are warm, finding warmth in your relatives, drinking hot tea, exercising to create warmth and dressing warmer. Bring your attention to the food you eat. In some ways, eating is a sacred action. Make good choices, aiming for lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Be engaged with eating and turn off the TV and enjoy each bite rather than eating to finish. Chew slowly, giving your body a chance to use the food as fuel.
Ayurvedic medicine too like other medicine field has different branches which are internal medicine, surgery and pediatrics. In general, ayurvedic medicine practices such as yoga, massage or meditation appear to be safe and may be effective. More may be known within a few years as researchers investigate certain ayurvedic supplements. There is no harm in trying Ayurveda but if you do use an ayurvedic supplement, do consult your doctor.