Ayurveda the traditional form of medicine that was developed in India by ancient sages whose astute observations led to the development of constitutional medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine too has similar origins. Over the past 5000 years the Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions have developed sophisticated systems of medicines. The ancients visualized the universe as a constant play of energies, an imbalance of which created discomfort and disease in the body.
Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. This system of medicine stressed on the prevention of body ailments in addition to curing them.
Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It is a Science of Life. Ayurveda is a system that helps maintain health in a person by using the inherent principles of nature to bring the individual back into equilibrium with their true self. In essence Ayurveda has been in existence since the beginning of time because nature's laws have always governed us.
Ayurveda or the 'science of longevity' is the system of nature cure. It is known to promote positive health, natural beauty and long life. Although rooted in antiquity, Ayurveda is based on universal principles and is a living, growing body of knowledge - as useful today as it was in earlier centuries.
Benefits of Ayurveda
Today, it's a unique, indispensable branch of medicine - a complete naturalistic system that depends on the diagnosis of your body's vata, pitta and kapha - to achieve the right balance. Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but also the individual as a whole. Making it the natural way to refresh yourself, eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and thus regain resistance and good health.
Ayurveda believes that the human being consists of the five elements, air, water, fire, ether & earth. And the combination of any of these elements exists in each one of us. There are mainly three types of Dosha's or combinations
Pitta -- Fire & water combined governs the metabolism
Kapha -- water & earth combined governs growth
The system of Ayurveda says that there are unique proportions of the dosha's in each body & the accumulation of any one dosha could cause physical ailments or disorders. Ayurveda suggests lifestyle & nutritional remedial measures and sometimes medicines or massages to reduce the excess of the dosha.
When alternative lifestyles and stressful schedules are discussed, Ayurveda, the art of ancient Indian healing cannot be far behind. The inability of modern allopathy to allay all sicknesses and diseases has made an increasing number of people turn to Ayurveda, which has a cornucopia of ancient secret cures for stubborn diseases. Along with yoga, Ayurveda is the new balm for fevered souls. It uses natural herbs and their oils to treat ailments and ensure a healthy life.
Restoring Balance
Ayurveda believes that the imbalance of fire, air and water causes disease in the human body and tries to correct it primarily through cleaning and massage. Once the balance is restored, the body copes better with external factors like pollution, strain and infections.
Oils and herbs
The type of oil used for massage differs according to the ailment being treated. It is one of these: camphor, neem, mustard and castor. To these are added various powdered herbs, nuts and the bark of trees. The Ayurvedic practitioner may conduct the massage using the palm of the hand, stones, and/or cloth.
