Is Ayurveda reemerging as a reliable healing system?
Ayurveda is one of the oldest healing systems known to humanity. It originated more than 5000 years ago. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means – The science of life. The main emphasis in Ayurveda is on preventive and causative treatment. It encourages health maintenance by paying close attention to balancing life energies through right thinking, diet, lifestyle, and the use of herbs. Ayurveda has been practised for thousands of years as a healing system. More studies are needed to scientifically validate the practices adopted in Ayurveda. Ayurveda is time-tested, and people have benefited for thousands of years by adopting Ayurveda principles. Ayurveda was ignored due to a lack of scientific evidence as defined by the Western medical system. Modern medicine, too, does not provide a cure for many health problems like diabetes, liver diseases, arthritis, etc. Ayurveda is reemerging as a reliable healing system. More and more people are adopting Ayurveda due to its organic nature and safety profile.
Ayurveda knowledge enables us to deeply understand how to create balance among body, mind, and consciousness according to an individual’s body constitution. And implement the necessary lifestyle changes to maintain the body’s energy balance and lead to a healthy life.
History of Ayurveda
Ayurveda originated in the Bronze Age civilisation (3300-1300 BCE) in the Indus Valley. Ayurveda therapies have evolved over more than two millennia. It includes medicines, special diets, meditation, Yoga, massage, laxatives, enemas, and medical oils. Medicines are derived from complex herbal compounds, minerals, and metal substances. Ancient Ayurveda texts also described surgical techniques, including rhinoplasty, kidney stone extractions, suturing, and the removal of foreign objects. The main classical Ayurveda texts begin with accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge from gods to sages and then to human physicians. Its earliest concepts were set out in the Atharvaveda, a portion of the Vedas. The Vedas are rich in magical practices for treating diseases.
Due to various invasions by foreign nations in India. The growth of Ayurveda systems was also affected. Many of the great Ayurvedic texts, teachers, and techniques were silenced. But Ayurveda survived in rural areas and in less-modernised regions, where traditional Indian ways of life were maintained. After independence, Ayurveda, along with the Unani and Siddha systems, was revived and recognised by the government.
Ayurveda is considered the mother of all healing systems. It enjoys worldwide acceptance with Yoga. It is also very popular among large segments of the population in South Asia. Ayurveda is a progressive, holistic, and continuously evolving system of knowledge. It offers an integrative approach to healthcare and care.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a unique, humane, personalised, and holistic approach. This takes into consideration body, mind, and spirit, along with their relationships with nature. Ayurveda draws on all six darshanas (philosophies). The six classical systems of Indian philosophy are Sankhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta, all of which trace their roots back to the teachings of the Vedas. Among these, Sankhya holds a central place in explaining the process of creation within Ayurveda. It also forms the philosophical foundation for the yogic understanding of the universe and its underlying principles.
Recent scientific studies on various herbs have revealed their innumerable healing benefits. For example, in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, scientists demonstrated amla’s anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties.
Similarly, Garlic: Human studies have found that garlic supplements significantly reduce high blood pressure. Moreover, garlic has antioxidant properties and helps reduce cholesterol levels.
Modern medicine vs Ayurveda
Modern medicine: – Modern medicine tends to focus on symptomology and disease. It primarily uses drugs and surgery to eliminate pathogens or diseased tissues.
Ayurveda: – Ayurveda, on the other hand, does not focus on disease. It maintains that life must be sustained by balancing the body’s energies. When there is minimal stress, and the flow of energy within the person is balanced, the body’s defence system becomes strong and easily defends against disease.
Modern medicine has one pill for each disease. Ayurveda considers the disease and the patient’s Prakriti individually and provides a treatment plan accordingly. The Ayurvedic practitioner will identify your dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and then will prescribe treatment. A Vata-type headache is addressed differently from a Kapha-type headache. If your headache is due to a digestive problem, the Ayurveda practitioner will address your digestion first. And that will also take care of your headache. The aetiology and diagnosis play a huge role in Ayurvedic treatment.
Modern medicine has its own advantages as a healing system. Modern medicine helps speed up treatment, and modern technology helps detect diseases more quickly and accurately.
Factors favouring Ayurveda reemerging as a reliable healing system: –
Ayurveda has gone from being treated with suspicion to gaining wider acceptance. It is reemerging as a reliable healing system.
- Increasing consumer awareness of well-being through natural treatments. Consumers are looking at Ayurveda as a risk-free healing system.
- Consumers are showing an inclination towards Ayurveda as a non-surgical, economical, and safer alternative.
- Consumers’ awareness of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle leads them to seek an option to treat ailments at their root.
- The global success of Yoga has sparked interest in natural and Indian things.
- Companies have built strong brands using Ayurveda and natural ingredients.
Ayurveda reemerging as a reliable healing system
Ayurveda is reemerging as a reliable healing system because it not only focuses on the administration of various herbs but also considers modalities such as daily and seasonal routines, Yoga, breathing techniques, relaxation, diet as per the season, and individual mind and body type. It employs seasonal cleansing and physiological purification methods, such as panchakarma and other rejuvenating programs, to alleviate stress (which reduces stress and strengthens immunity) and cure chronic diseases.
Wishing all good health.