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Care Children's diet Avoiding surgery Herbs Online Consultation Contact Introduction Ayurveda - An Alternative Medicine .......Ayurveda is a science of life. It is not merely a herbal medicine, but a complete system of medicine based on ancient Indian philosophy. In recent years, we have experienced continuos growth of interest in Alternative Medicines. Ayurveda plays a major role in providing an alternative to the modern medicine. There are many diseases that cannot be cured by modern medicine, and an Ayurvedic way of thinking can be a better way to deal with such ailments. .......Ayurveda believes that human body is like a small version of universe. Everything in the universe is represented in the human body in a small form. This is the basic principle of 'Tridosh theory' in Ayurveda. There are three basic principles in our body. First is 'Kapha Dosha' which represents earth and water. Kapha dosha works as a 'binding material' in our body, and it also gives strength and power to us. Second is 'pitta dosha'. This works as the digestive power. Third is 'Vat Dosha'. This is responsible for every kind of movement in our body. Besides these, Ayurveda describes seven other principle 'building' materials of our body, i.e., 'Sapta Dhatu,' which are the actual body-building materials. .......Ayurvedic treatment is based mainly on the 'Rasa' theory and the 'Guna' theory. Rasa means taste. There are six Rasas, e.g., bitter, sweet, chilly, etc. Apart from these main theories, there are about twenty other theories. It is impossible to describe them in this introductory part. .......So far you will feel that this is all theoretical, but it really works in terms of prevention and cure. Here is a simple example of how a patient is actually treated applying the abovementioned theories. A few years ago, a lady brought her eight-year-old daughter to me. The girl was having cracks on her feet since two years. Skin specialists were consulted with no relief. During the history taking, I found that the girl was very choosy about her diet. She was very reluctant to consume even a pinch of chilly or pepper and was only having sweets. According to ayurved, this increases 'Kapha dosha'. So I gave her a simplest household remedy. The black pepper powder which reduces 'Kapha', a pinch three times a day with honey. The cracks vanished within a fortnight and never came again. .......Today, our lifestyle is changing fast because of industrialization. Pollution is a real problem. This has given rise to diseases like Ischaemic heart disease (which leads to heart attack), cancer, AIDS, and many other problems. We all know that the real answer to all these problems is to change our lifestyle, at least to a certain degree. .......Ayurveda has described prophylactic treatment, which is called as 'swasthavritta'. This includes 'dina-charya,' i.e., day-to-day routine and 'ritu-charya', i.e., behavioural changes according to the season. 'Ritu' means season. Ayurved has described six 'ritus' (In India, six season changes are observed), and to cope up with these changes, we have to change our diet and behaviour accordingly. (e.g., during summer, we have to avoid spicy food etc.) ....... In addition to diet and behavioral restrictions, Panchakarma treatement is used for prophylaxis. 'Panchakarma' is a specialized treatment described in ayurveda. This treatment actually removes the vitiated doshas from our body, which are the causes of diseases, thus eliminating the root cause of the disease. Hence, panchakarma is the best treatment for both prophylaxis and cure of the diseases. .......Consideration of 'Prakriti', i.e., individual constitution, is also an important part of Ayurvedic practice. According to ayurved, every individual has different constitution. Therefore, treatment of same disease in two persons is not the same. Also, causes of same disease may differ in different individuals. .......Ayurvedic treatement methods are directed to treat the patient as a whole, and not just the disease, therefore it has less side effects. Treatment of 'mind' is as much important as that of the body. Your mental health affects the overall physiology and vice versa. .......This introductory article is only a glimpse of this great science, and we hope to present more of this ancient treasure in the future. |
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Dr.
C. M. Thite www.ayurvedicrx.com Disclaimer: Information in these pages is general and cannot be used for self-treatment except under medical supervision. It is advised to seek authentic medical guidance preferably from authorized Vaidya (ayurvedic doctor). Views expressed in the articles are personal and are open for discussion. Home Introduction Article Diseases Pregnancy
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