Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the oldest scientific medical system dating back more than 3000 years. It has its roots in the Veda which are the knowledge books of ancient Indians. Ayurveda is a composite word. ‘Ayur’ meaning Life and ‘Veda’ meaning Knowledge. The word Ayurveda means the knowledge of life. The aim of Ayurveda is to achieve and maintain perfect health of the individual, the society and the environment by living responsibly and harmoniously with nature and its natural rhythms.
All living and non-living things in the Universe are made up of the five fundament al elements; the ‘Panchabhuta’. ‘Pancha’ means five and ‘bhuta’ means elements. The five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. In the living body these five condenses down to form three basic principles called ‘Tridoshas’ the ‘Vata’, ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kabha’.
Each individual is having a unique ‘doshic’ constitution called ‘Prakruti’. The ‘Prakruti depends on the ration of combination of the three ‘doshas’. The constitution can be one ‘dosha’ dominant or two ‘doshas’ dominant. Health is the state of dynamic ‘doshic’ balance and disease is the state of imbalance of the ‘doshas’. Signs and symptoms presented denote the imbalance of the ‘doshas’, and to what extend.
Since each individual is having a unique constitution, the kind of food and activities should also have to be unique to maintain health. Maintaining health is the responsibility of each individual., choosing the correct food, the quantity and quality etc, the kind of activities one involves in, all affect the dynamic balance of the ’doshas’. Treatment is the mechanism by which the lost balance is regained.
Panchakarma
Panchakarma (‘pancha’=five; ‘karma’=procedure) is the set of 5 procedures performed in a specifically designed format with well designed pre and post operatory regiments for various diseases. This aims to bio-purify the body and bring back the natural balance. Panchakarma is recommended not only for patients suffering from ailments, but to healthy individuals to maintain health. Panchakarma has to be performed under the supervision of an expert practitioner. This has got three steps
- Pre procedure (Purva Karma) Pre operative.
- Main procedure (Pradhana Karma) operative.
- Post procedure (Paschat Karma) post operative.
Pre procedures
Pre procedures are performed to separate ‘doshas’ for easy elimination. There are two procedures:
Snehana : Lubrication of the body mainly with the use of oil or ghee
Svedana : Steam bath
Main procedures
- Vamana: Elimination of doshas by emesis.
- Virechana: Eliminatino of doshas by loosening the bowel
- Vasti: Enema with herbal decoction, oil, honey and salt. Performed in Anus, Vagina, urethra and in wounds.
- Nasya: Installation of medicine into the nostrils
- Raktamokshana: Letting the blood flow out. This is done with the help of a device like needle or with leaches depending on the condition.
Post procedures
Post procedure: For each of the main procedure, the post procedure can very. This includes diet, gentle massage, herbal smoking etc.