Articles
Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurveda is a medical system that aims to
improve the health of its adherents. After thousands of years of development in
India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, the Western world is embracing alternative
medicine, and ayurveda healing is becoming more widespread, along with yoga,
massage, and other health-supporting activities.
The word "ayurveda," roughly translated, means
"knowledge of long life." In this branch of alternative
medicine, practitioners consider the physical body, the
senses, the mind and the soul, seeking a holistic approach.
Health comes from careful attention to harmony–mental,
spiritual, physical, and even social.
Ayurvedic medicine was one of the few systems of traditional
medicine to develop sophisticated surgical techniques, called
"salya-chikitsa." In reality, practitioners specialized
in one of eight different branches of medicine: internal
medicine (kayachikitsa); surgery (shalya tantra); ears,
eyes, nose, and throat (shalakya tantra); pediatrics (kaumarabhtriya
tantra); toxicology (agada tantra); purification of the
sexual organs (bajikrana tantra); health and longevity (rasayana
tantra); and spiritual healing and psychiatry (bhuta vidya).
All these were used together to maintain good health and
spiritual well-being.
Indian medical science goes back as far as 3000 BC. Ancient
cities are testament to people's concern with public hygiene
and health care. The Vedas, composed between 1200-700 BC,
contain references to diseases, along with herbs and herbal
cures.
By the time of Buddha, ayurvedic medicine
was flourishing. Careful studies led to the development of new medications that
worked better, causing this time to be called the Golden Age of Ayurveda.
Emperor Ashoka (304-232 BC) fought and won
the Kalinga War. Buddhist influences persuaded him to ban any bloodshed in his
country. This caused the surgical practice of ayurveda to die out. Ayurvedic
medicine adapted well to this loss, inventing new medicines and new innovations
in other areas of medical care.Ayurveda continued to be part of Indian
mainstream medicine until the British colonization two thousand years later.
Early medical techniques were passed orally
from a Guru to his students. Students were required to follow a strict code of
conduct. They were to avoid drugs and alcohol, and to dress modestly. Patients
were to be treated with courtesy and respect, and patient confidentiality was
respected.
Students trained for seven years, then were
tested before they could graduate. The new physicians were expected to continue
their training through observation and careful study of texts. Conferences were
held so physicians could share knowledge. Practitioners actively sought new
cures, taking clues from home remedies of hills tribes, forest dwellers, and
others outside the mainstream hustle and bustle of contemporary urban society.
Ayurvedic medicine concentrates on finding
a balance between the three bodily humours -- Vata, which mobilizes the nervous
system; Pitta, which uses bile to control digestion of food and its absorption
into the venous system; and kapha, which relates to body fluids, carrying
nutrients into arterial system. Illness arises from an imbalance of these three
humors, known collectively as the Tridhatus.
Medicines to treat disorders are based on
herbs and other plants, carefully prepared for maximum potency. However, animal
and mineral substances can also be used for healing or to maintain good health.
Practitioners rely on careful observation to record the effects, seeking always
for better treatments.
Ayurvedic massage is used in conjunction
with other specialties to ease pain, reduce stress, improve quality of sleep,
and help emotional issues. Ayurvedic yoga seeks to improve flexibility, and its
emotional and psychological benefits are well-documented.
Dhanvantari,
the God of Ayurveda.
Nagarjuna, a follower of Buddha, was a well known herbologist,
known for inventing various new drugs for the treatment
of ailments.
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