What Is Ayurvedic Medicine?

What Is Ayurvedic Medicine?

Ayurveda, or Ayurvedic medicine, is a traditional system that started in India more than 5,000 years ago. This holistic, or whole body, approach to healing seeks to prevent illness by balancing the mind, body and spirit.

Today, 80 percent of the people in India use Ayurvedic medicine, either exclusively or in combination with Western-style medicine.

In the West, when Ayurvedic therapies are used, they are generally part of complementary and alternative medicine treatments. While these therapies are used by millions, many of these treatments are unproven by science and not prescribed by medical doctors.

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What Is the Theory Behind Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic medicine centers on the connectedness of everything in the universe, the body's constitution and the body's life forces, which are important for health and wellness. Imbalances are treated with interventions that are based on the person's inherited tendencies, environment, diet, work and family.

Ayurveda believes the five elements of nature—space, air, fire, water and earth—combine in the body as three doshas or life forces. The three doshas are key characteristics of each person's constitution or general health, called the prakriti. The three doshas are: vata, pitta and kapha. According to Ayurveda, each person is made of a combination of doshas, yet everyone has one primary dosha.

Ayurveda teaches that a balance of doshas is necessary for good health. Doshas become imbalanced for different reasons—such as poor diet, lifestyle habits, aging, environmental stress, toxins and a sedentary lifestyle.

Therapies such as meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, massage and herbs are commonly used to prevent health problems and maintain mind-body harmony and increase wellness.

What Are Some Popular Ayurvedic Remedies?

The Ayurvedic practitioner will determine the main dosha and balance in your doshas by asking about your medical history, lifestyle and observing different physical characteristics, such as checking your pulse. Each dosha is said to have a different pulse.

Ayurvedic treatments are individualized, depending on the person's constitution. The Ayurvedic practitioner will achieve balance or wellness in the mind, body and spirit by using ancient therapies, including:

• Detoxification
• Enemas
• Exposure to sunlight
• Purification procedures, called Panchakarma
• Dietary restrictions
• Herbal tonics and medications
• Vitamins and minerals
• Controlled breathing
• Exercises

Ayurveda focuses on spiritual healing to balance the mind and body. With Ayurveda, the patient actively participates in treatment. The practitioner may suggest meditation and yoga postures. Also, the practitioner may advise you to reduce stress and worry by avoiding negative people and situations.

What Herbs Are Used in Ayurvedic Medicine?

More than 1,250 herbs, plants and plant oils are used in treatments. Some of the most commonly used in the United States include:

• Curcumin or turmeric
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Boswellia
• Gotu kola

Dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA. Talk to your doctor before taking any nonstandard treatment to avoid a drug-herb interaction or other toxic side effects.

Are Meditation and Yoga Ayurvedic Therapies?

Meditation is a commonly used Ayurvedic therapy that helps develop consciousness, which is important for optimal health. Meditation helps put the mind and body into a state of relaxation and may be useful for hypertension and asthma.

Meditation is supposed to help people think more clearly, improve their memory, recover from stress, reverse the aging process and appreciate life more fully.

Yoga is a fundamental part of Ayurveda and is used for many lifestyle ailments such as anxiety, asthma and arthritis. While yoga is an Eastern philosophy, Westerners are more accustomed to hatha yoga, which focuses on fitness. Not only does yoga increase relaxation, but it promotes overall well-being and helps achieve mind-body balance.

The different postures of yoga help stretch the mind and body beyond their normal limits and then make them act in unison again.

Using deep breathing, meditation and body poses, you can calm your mind and increase flexibility and strength. Pranayama, which is the conscious focus on and control of breath to heal disease, is an important part of yoga.

Is Ayurveda Proven to Work?

How Do I Find an Ayurvedic Practitioner?

While there are many undergraduate and postgraduate Ayurvedic colleges in India, some Ayurvedic practitioners come to the United States to practice after their formal training.

If you want to try Ayurvedic medicine, talk to your physician. Ask for a referral to a medical doctor who may use complementary and alternative therapies. When you meet the practitioner, ask about his or her training and experience.

Also, read reputable information on the risks and benefits of this treatment option to see if it can complement your wellness goals.