Ayurveda Therapy- General

Ayurveda is not only   limited to comprehensive understanding of bodily or physical symptoms, but also relates to a comprehensive knowledge about   spiritual, mental and social health. It practises the theory of balance. According to it, health is the state of balance, and disease is the state of imbalance. The aim of Ayurveda is to give complete health, and not just getting free from physical diseases. It aims at having a happy, healthy and peaceful society. Two most important aims of Ayurveda are to maintain the health of healthy people, and to cure the diseases of sick people.

Ayurveda helps us in understanding each individual at a very subtle personal level and in giving him a detailed description of diet, daily routine, life-style, actions and activities to be followed. Ayurveda is a science that teaches how to live life in a true and natural balance. 

It describes how one can make one’s life advantageous or disadvantageous for oneself or for others, and what one can do to make one’s life happy or unhappy. It also describes what actions, activities, items of food, etc are good or bad.   As long as one can maintain this balance, one remains healthy.  When there is imbalance, there is disease, unhappiness and misery.

Ayurvedic treatment does not suppress the main symptoms, and create new ones as side effects of the main treatment. It is to remove the root cause, and give permanent relief. The treatment mainly consists of administration of powders, tablets, decoctions, medicated oils, etc prepared from natural herbs, plants and minerals.  As the medicines are evolved from natural sources, and are not synthetic, they are accepted and assimilated in the body, without creating any side-effects.  On the other hand, there may be some side benefits.

Along with medicine, proper diet, exercise and living style are also important.  If we are taking a medicine to remove the root cause and, at the same time, we are taking some food, or following a life style which increases the cause of disease, then we may not get well, or will be getting less relief.

Ayurveda is based on three types of constitution of individuals, called Tri-dosha, three doshas.  They are in the nature of increased manifestation of a particular type of constitution of the body system.  The three doshas are known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  Vata corresponds to air, Pitta to fire and Kapha to earth and water, the basic gross elements that are supposed to constitute every living being in the universe.  Each individual human being is supposed to have all the three constituents, doshas.  The predominance of one or a mix of two doshas in an individual gives him the characteristic of being of that particular dosha or the mix of the said doshas.

Ayurveda suggests several methods to help indicate the constitution of a person such as the pulse diagnosis, a test of the urine, face reading, general impression the person makes, etc.

A person of Vata type is generally slim, has a difficulty in concentration, feels cold, has a great urge to be quickly satisfied of his needs, etc.  He eats quickly, chews food badly and eats at irregular intervals.  He is good in physical activity that requires quick bursts of speed and agility.

A person of Kapha type is often corpulent, slow and has a calm and thoughtful character. He eats considerably and enjoys his food.  He is good in the skills of his mind and body.  He exhibits endurance and does well under pressure.  He is quite stable and of easy going nature.

A person of Pitta type has a good and balanced physique, likes action, and can be haughty and ill-tempered.  His life is busy, and he feels that food is not that important for him.  He likes competition in life and exhibits strength, stamina and speed at work.

Ayurveda considers that every person has a unique dosha (constitutional) harmony.  Generally, the dominant dosha in a person, on aggravation, disturbs the harmony leading to ailment or illness.

Based on determination of the type of dosha a person is, a practitioner of Ayurveda advises a way of life such as diet and physical exercise by way of preventive therapy.  When a person actually is afflicted by a specific ailment or illness, he attempts to treat him through curative therapy.