In sickness and in health

Ayurveda can be traced back 7000 years – so its physicians must have learnt a thing or two.

Text: Gabriel Hershman
Photography: Provided

Its word derivation offers the biggest clue to its philosophy. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit (ancient Indian) word, stemming from two roots: “ayur”, which means “life”, and “veda”, meaning “knowledge”. So it is that Ayurveda, which originated in India about 7000 years ago, can best be described as a science of life.
 
The translation is important because Ayurveda does not merely tackle illness – it is a complete way of life. It’s also one of the few systems of medicine to embrace suggestions and remedies for the healthy as well as the ill.

Today, as one of the earliest medical sciences to combine physical, mental, social, moral and spiritual wellbeing, it remains influential throughout South Asia, particularly in India and Sri Lanka. No simple area of medicine, an Ayurvedic practitioner will undergo many years of instruction at special institutes before he or she is qualified to administer treatment.

Lay people will probably only be familiar with the classic Ayurveda body massage, a luxurious tip-to-toe rub-down with hot herbal oils – sesame and sunflower oil being particularly common – that release toxins to leave you feeling cleansed and rested. Last summer, I was privileged to enjoy a “master-class massage” at the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko from an Indian Ayurveda specialist that left me feeling especially pampered. The session is no ordinary massage – the masseur exerts pressure on the crossroads of the vein and lymphatic circulation to balance its fluxes. As a result, the body loosens up completely and succumbs to the whole process. Ayurvedic experts posit that, rather like a recalcitrant wheel, the human body acquires strength and lubrication when oils are applied. Depending on one’s constitution, various special remedies are used to stimulate the lymphatic system.

Massage, however, is just one aspect of a very wide-ranging package. Ayurvedic healing embraces a gamut of treatments including nutrition, purification, acupressure massage and yoga. Complete harmonisation of body, mind and spirit – including all levels of emotions and psychology – is the desired goal. And as one of the oldest forms of healthcare to deal with individuals in a holistic way, Ayurveda comes closest to resembling the World Health Organisation’s modern concept of health. It is meant to be the most natural way to refresh the body, eliminate toxic imbalances and regain equilibrium.

Ayurveda stipulates that health or sickness depend on the presence or absence of a balanced state of constituents and that disease arises when a person is out of harmony with the universe. Disruptions can be physical, emotional, spiritual or a combination of these. This disharmony can occur through poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle. An Ayurvedic treatment programme aims to restore this balance through correcting unhealthy behaviour and administering appropriate medicines.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis in Ayurveda follows an overall examination. The physician notes the patient’s internal physiological characteristics and mental disposition. He also analyses diseased tissues, the location of the illness, the person’s resistance, vitality, daily routine and dietary habits, as well as social-economic and environmental background.

Treatment consists of eliminating the factors responsible for this bodily imbalance and subsequent illness. A series of systematic measures cleanses the body and flushes out bodily poisons. Since most of the treatments are for deep-rooted diseases, a set of preliminary detoxification measures is implemented for a period of a week or more. These involve a suitable diet, activity and regimen to restore balance and strengthen the body’s ability to prevent – or at least minimise – the disease’s future reoccurrence.

Treatment involves the use of specific Ayurdevic medicines. The patient must abide by a special diet and regimen. First steps involve administering a set of prescribed medicines as well as diet and activities to attack the disease’s causes and manifestations. For all these treatments a qualified Ayurvedic physician is essential. Food and medicines must be of high quality and prepared according to certain procedures. Nursing personnel must be knowledgeable, resourceful and understanding. The patient himself should co-operate with his physician’s instructions and be able to describe his ailments.

Ayurveda strives to develop a scientific analysis of the process between the onset of factors likely to trigger illness and the disease’s outward appearance. This should make it possible to identify a possible onset of disease a long time before latent symptoms become apparent.

In Ayurveda, regulation of diet as therapy has great importance. The science believes that the human body is a product of nutrition. It considers that an individual’s mental and spiritual development, as well as his temperament, is influenced by his diet. Ayurveda posits that a lack of nutrients in food – or the improper processing of food – can trigger a variety of illnesses.

Ayurveda is a system of medicine incorporating centuries of wisdom. It aims to promote health rather than just treat disease. The beauty of Ayurveda is that it views every individual as unique rather than being just another case of a particular disease. It is one of the few systems of medicine to take account of mental, emotional and spiritual well being. All the suggestions and remedies prescribed are totally in conjunction with nature. Although the efficacy of Ayurveda remains contested and it falls firmly within the ranks of complementary and alternative medicine, more and more people are embracing it as a contrast to conventional healthcare.

Important precautions:

1. Tell your doctor about any complementary and alternative practices you use, including Ayurvedic medicine. Give him or her a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help to ensure co-ordinated and safe care.

2. Pregnant women or those thinking of administering Ayurvedic treatment to a child should be especially sure to consult their doctor beforehand.

3. It is important to ensure that any diagnosis of a disease or condition has been made by a provider who has substantial conventional medical training and experience with managing that condition.

4. Proven conventional treatments should not be replaced with an unproven alternative treatment such as Ayurveda.

5. It is better to use Ayurvedic remedies under the supervision of an Ayurvedic medical practitioner than to try to treat yourself. Before using Ayurvedic treatment, ask about the practitioner’s training and experience.

6. Investigate whether any rigorous scientific studies have been carried out on the therapies in which you are interested.

Source: Month2Come