What is Ayurveda?

I think it only fair to define Ayurveda so you can apply it's valuable concepts to your life. Ayurveda literally means "the science of life." It is a Sanskrit word, derived from two roots: ayus and vid, meaning "life" and "knowledge." This is a holistic, ancient system that teaches that all illnesses affect both the body and the mind. Although Ayurveda is over 3,000 years old, it has changed dramatically with the times, as lifestyle, diet, and the demands placed on the body have morphed. There are many chronic conditions brought about by modern life such as, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Chronic Fatigue that have been successfully treated by Ayurveda when conventional methods (Western Medicine) have failed. I, personally have experienced success with Ayurvedic Medicine with a chronic condition that affected my oldest child that conventional western medicine just exacerbated.

Ayurveda has a rich and varied history with its roots in the East, in particular, in the Charaka Samhita. This remarkable document of internal medicine, which was written more than 2,000 years before the microscope was invented, explains how the body is made up of cells and lists 20 different microscopic organisms which may cause disease. Some experts believe that the earliest Ayurvedic teachings were those contained in the sacred writings of Hinduism, the Vedas, although this can not be proven. Through the centuries afterword, the system of Ayurveda has been adapted in order to help people best at different points of time. Ayurvedic medicine eventually spread from India and became influential in China, Arabia, Persia, and Greece. Traditional Greek medicine was based on an idea of different bodily humors, or constitutions, which can be related to the principle of the three doshas in Ayurveda. Greek medicine was extremely influential in the development of traditional Western medicine.

To Attain True Health

In the Chakra Samhita, Ayurveda's principal text, health is said to coexist when all the following conditions are present:

• All three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) are perfectly balanced.
• The five senses are functioning naturally.
• The body, mind and spirit are in harmony.
• All the tissues of the body (dhaatus) are functioning properly.
• The three malas (the waste products, urine, feces and sweat) are produced and naturally eliminated.
• The channels of the body (the equivalent of meridians, known as srotas) are unblocked and flowing with energy.
• The digestive fore or agni (metabolism in Western terms) is healthy and appetite is working normally.

It is my mission to research ways to apply Ayurveda so that we can attain optimum health according to the above text. Stay posted for more...