Guide To Ayurveda

What Is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an all embracing traditional Indian system of Medicine. The title comes from two Sanskrit words: Ayur = 'Life' and veda = 'Knowledge'. According to the traditional Ayurvedic teachings, everyone and everything is made up of 3 basic forces: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. It is one of the main forms of medicine in India, where Orthodox and Ayurvedic medicine exist side by side and complementing each other. The doctrine of Prevention means that people are often treated before any signs of illness show themselves. If an illness does present itself, a large variety of remedies are used, in fact over 8000 different treatments are in existence.

Who Can Ayurveda Help?

Practitioners claim that all ages, from babies to elderly people can benefit from Ayurvedic treatments. Many ilnesses, from Acne to Ulcers have been reportedly been treated with success. As Ayurveda is a Holistic system, no symptom is treated in isolation, but rather the overall state of health is taken into account.

What Does Ayurveda Involve?

To begin with, the practitioner will take a detailed look at your personal and professional life and medical history. He/She will then decide towards which basic force the patient is biased (Vatta, Kapha or Pitta). As good health is believed to result from a equal balance of all 3 forces, they will advise a course of Treatment as they deem necessary to balance them out. Conditions are divided up into 4 primary categories: Accidental, Mental, Natural and Physical. Treatments fall into 3 main Sections: Medicinal (Herbal, Homeopathic remedies etc) Dietary (Adding new foods, cutting down on others, regular meals etc.) Practical (eg. Massage, Meditation, Yoga, Breathing excercises etc.)