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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:
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