What is Ayurveda?
About the 5000 years old medical system of India - in a nutshell
Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India, a living and working heritage of the vedic culture arising from the Indian sub-continent many thousand years ago. If translated word by word, Ayurveda means the 'Science of Life' , where ayur means life, and veda means a perfect knowledge. Ayurveda is also called the 'Mother of All Medicinal Systems', as during the centuries its universal theories have become the basis of all major medical systems applied throughout the world.
Hippocrates, the Chinese medical experts, Harun Al Rasid and other Arabian healers all were inspired by the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda, but ayurvedic theory and practices were also spread by buddhist monks in Tibet, Mongolia, Corea and Sri Lanka, and had a great influence on Egyptian medicine as well. Though, Ayurveda has something to share with the representants of modern medicine as well. The ideas and methods noted down in ayurvedic texts can serve as a valuable addition to the further developement of Western, allopathic medicine, throwing a new light upon the causes and treatment of different kinds of popular illnesses.
Ayurveda has been the only medicinal system present in the Indian sub-continent for many thousands of years (till the modern era, when Western medicine penetrated India as well), but also today, when allopathic medicine is also present in India, almost 80 percent of the population is mainly cured by ayurvedic methods. Even though the developement and usage of ayurvedic methods were obstackled by the influence of different invaders (muslims, and then the British conquerers), Ayurveda has always managed to survive these hard times, and had seen the flourshing of its ideas again from time to time. Ayurveda today is again living its renaissance not only in its motherland, but throughout the world as well.
Natural healing methods - which are widely used in their mother land up to these days as well - are becoming more and more popular amongst people living in Western countries. The survival of these healing systems were due to not only the fact, that they mean a cheap and easily available substitute to modern medicines, but also the time-tested revelations of ancient Indian sages, that proved to be effective in a natural way. One of the ancient natural healing systems that were put into the spotlight in the recent decades throughout the world was Ayurveda itself.
Today, Ayurveda is one of the major healing systems applied throughout the world (besides Western-allopathic and Chinese medicine). Being a holistic medical system, it considers all living creatures as a part of a bigger system (the universe), but as a complete system on their own as well (a microcosm in a macrocosm, which are in constant interaction, thus the operation of one - or any disturbance or disfunction occured in the same - will effect the operation of the other as well). Ayurveda is a holistic system in a way as well that it not only takes into account the health and integrity of the body, but of the soul and mind as well, as neglected psychological illnesses may harmfully affect the body as well.
Though Ayurveda has very sophisticated tools to treat effectively different kinds of diseases, it puts prevention in the forefront, as it is much easier to prevent a disease, then to treat an already formed (and sometimes chronic or irreversible) illness. According to Ayurveda, we should keep paying attention to the natural needs and urges of our body and soul - even if they are completely healthy - as this is the only way we can keep them sound for a long time.
The ayurvedic way of thinking places a great emphasis on individual properties. Ayurveda categorises every person in different groups according to their prakriti, which is characterised by a great number of physical, mental and psychological attributes, and according to the same it drafts personalized healing methods, dietetary recommendations and lifestyle guidelines to follow for everyone, in order to restore and maintain complete health.
Ayurvedic treatments are always forgone by a long consultation which embraces the summing up of the individuals dietetary and other lifestyle habits, with the aim of being able to find the root causes of a disease, and suggest a personalized treatment for every patient. Chastity and professional vocation are the primary attributes expected from an ayurveda doctor; only those can become healers respected by his patients and collegues, who use the ancient knowedge to help other people, and not to treasure up material goods.
The ayurvedic healing art helps the organism to heal itself, and supports the same self-healing process with special diet, herb and mineral based medicines, detoxifying oil massage, meditation, yoga, breathing, and the healing power of colours, voices and scents. Ayurveda can effectively fight the popular diseases of today as well, affecting millions of people throughout the world.
The teachings of Ayurveda cover the whole life cycle (from newborn babies to elderly people) and every dimension of the life of human beings. The aim of its ideas and methods is to help every human being live a long and healthy life, which allows mental and spiritual developement, and the creation of an equilibrium with mother nature, the universe and ourselves. This way Ayurveda can be considered not only as a healing system of the body itself, but as a comprehensive life-phylosophy and guideline, which helps one to achieve a complete physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being: the holistic health and soundness.