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Ayurveda
Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient system of health care that is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is presently in daily use by millions of people all around the world particularly in Asia. The word “Ayurveda” , “ayus” meaning “life”, “life principle”, or “long life” and the word veda, which refers to a system of "knowledge". Thus “Ayurveda” roughly translates as the “knowledge of life”
“knowledge of a long life” or even “science of life”. “Life” itself is defined as the “combination of the body, sense organs, mind and soul, the factor responsible for preventing decay and death, which sustains the body over time, and guides the processes of rebirth”. According to this erspective, Ayurveda is concerned with measures to protect “ayus”, which includes healthy living along with therapeutic
measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony.
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History
There is a concept that has been passing down verbally from generation to generation in India about the origin of Ayurveda. Accordingly, the ancient "Rishis" or wise men of India gathered at the foot of the Himalayas. Their objective was to innovate together the secret of leading a healthy, long life. The final product of their effort came to be known as Ayurveda or the "science of life".The age of Ayurveda has been established on the basis of correlating the evidence with other disciplines as well as circumstantial evidence. Ayurveda is said to have been first compiled as a text by Agnivesha, in his book Agnivesh tantra, which was written during Vedic times. The book was later revised by Charaka , and renamed to Charaka Samhitā (encyclopedia of the physician Charaka). Other early texts of Ayurveda include the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhitā The system was orally transferred via the Gurukul (learning lessons directly from guru’s mouth by staying with and serving guru) system until a script came into existence. The history of indigenous Indian medical science is probably as old as the Indus Valley Civilisation dating back to 3000 BC. The meticulously planned cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro are pointers not only to India’s rich cultural heritage but also to its advanced systems of hygiene and health care. The remains of deer antler and bitumen found in Harappa testify to the existence of a medical science. It was between 1200 and 700 BC, that the four sacred were composed, Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, Atharva-Veda.
The eight branches of Ayurveda are
- Kayachikitsa - Internal medicine
- Saya Tantra - Surgery
- Shalakya tantra - Ears, eyes, nose and throat
- Kaumarabhritya - Pediatrics
- Agada Tantra - Toxicology
- Bajikarana Tantra - Purification of the genetic organs -
- Rasayana Tantra - Health and Longevity -
- Bhuta Vidya - Spiritual Healing/Psychiatry –
The central concept of
Ayurvedic medicine is the theory that health exists when there is a balance between three fundamental
bodily humours or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
- Vata is the impulse principle necessary to mobilize the function of the nervous system
- Pitta is the energy principle which uses bile to direct digestion and hence metabolism into the venous system.
- Kapha is the body fluid principle which relates to mucous, lubrication and the carrier of nutrients into the arterial system.
All Ayurvedic physicians believe that these ancient ideas, based in the knowledge discovered by the Rishis
and Munis, exist in harmony with physical reality. These Ayurvedic concepts allow physicians to examine the
homeostasis of the whole system. People may be of a predominant dosha or constitution, but all doshas have
the basic elements within them.
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Philosophy
The emergence of different schools of Sanskrit philosophy like Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga , Vedanta and
Mimamsa was another landmark in the history of Indian medicine. The principles expounded in these philosophies
facilitated the development within Ayurveda of its theory of humoral pathology which propounds that the human body is composed of Tridoshas, the three humors – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When these are in equilibrium they are called the Tridhatus. The body in which these three humors are
in a state of equilibrium enjoys perfect health; their disequilibrium causes ill health.
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Disease management in Ayurveda
Panchakarma and Ayurvedic massage
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