Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health care that originated in India several thousand years ago.  The term Ayurveda derives from two Sanskrit words – ‘ayus’ meaning life and ‘vid’ meaning science or knowledge – the ‘science of life’.

 

Ayurveda covers a whole range of physical treatments including medication, herbal remedies, yoga, cleansing and detoxification programmes which aim to rebalance the body and can offer relief from many disorders including stress-related conditions, arthritis, gastro-intestinal problems, hypertension and chronic illness.  The philosophies behind Ayurveda show that if you don’t live your life according to the right principles of body and mind this will lead to an imbalance which in turn leads to illness and disease.

 

Ayurvedic medicine considers a person’s unique combination of physical and psychological characteristics.  It takes into account a person’s general health, how their body works, and the ability to either resist – or recover from – health problems.

 

According to Ayurveda there are three life forces, or energies, called ‘doshas’ in the body (vata, pitta and kapha) which control the activities of the body.  Each dosha has its own characteristics and functions and all three doshas need to be in a state of equilibrium for the body to remain healthy. 

 

Each person has a unique combination of the three doshas, and one dosha is generally more prominent.  

 

An Ayurvedic practitioner will use different techniques to determine a person’s primary dosha and the balance between all 3.  He/she will observe physical characteristics such as skin, eyes, tongue, pulse and overall appearance.  The practitioner will also want to assess your emotional state, as well as assessing appetite, diet, lifestyle habits and activities.  This initial assessment can take up to an hour – or even more – as it is very in-depth and allows the practitioner to assess the root causes of any imbalance.

 

Suggested treatments are tailor-made to each person and can include diet and lifestyle advice, recommended herbal remedies or medicines, physical exercises or stretches, yoga, massage, and meditation.  Changes in diet will be based on your own dosha, as different foods are recommended for each one.  The goal of Ayurvedic treatment is to eliminate impurities and undigested food that remains in the body which interfere with the normal functioning of the body.

 

If you are interested in learning more it is well worth researching Ayurvedic medicine as there is a whole wealth of information available and I can’t do it justice in a few short paragraphs.