Living a Life of Balance - An Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine
Excerpted from Dr. Aruna Bakhru's upcoming book entitled "The
Guru Principle"
Ayurveda is an ancient and holistic system of medicine, which
originated in India more than five thousand years ago. The word
Ayu means life (span) and Veda means knowledge i.e. knowledge of
life or the science of life. One of the basic tenets of Ayurveda
is that life is meant to be lived in balance and in harmony with
nature. Illness happens when we move away from a life of balance
to excesses or deficiencies of any kind, whether it is the way
we eat, sleep, work, exercise, think or feel. Ayurveda believes
that one has to live in harmony with the seasons, the time of
day, the place you live etc.
According to Ayurveda, people are divided into different body
types and if you follow the diet, purification routines,
exercises, etc. specific for your body type you can correct many
of the problems you may be suffering from. Ayurveda places a
great deal of emphasis on the mind. According to Ayurveda many
of our physical problems and imbalances are first created in the
mind. Unlike western medicine, which has divorced the mind from
the body, Ayurveda says they are seamlessly connected and each
affects the other. The place where the mind and the body connect
is the place where matter interfaces with energy.
The three Doshas of Ayurveda: According to Ayurveda, the doshas
lie at the place where the mind connects with the body. If the
mind and the body are not coordinated, an imbalance is created
in the Doshas. There are three Doshas and they are as follows:
1. Vata corresponds to Air. 2. Pitta corresponds to fire. 3.
Kapha corresponds to water.
Each and every person has all the three doshas or principles to
varying degrees, but usually one or other is dominant. i.e. if
you are a Vata type then the Vata principle is dominant. This is
important because your body type governs how you should live and
what you should eat to maintain a life of balance.
Vata Dosha: Corresponds to air, ether. Function is movement,
breathing, and circulation. Emotions are fear, anxiety, and
pain. Seat of Vata is in the colon, pelvis etc. The Vata
constitution is thin, tall or too short, bony joints, thin
eyelashes, sunken eyes, bent nose, variable appetite, tends to
constipation, poor sleep, creative, restless, alert, poor
willpower and tolerance. Cold hands and feet.
Pitta Dosha Corresponds to fire and water. Function is
metabolism, digestion, absorption and assimilation. Emotions are
anger, hatred and jealousy. Seat of Pitta is stomach, small
intestine and blood. Pitta Constitution is medium build,
premature graying, medium sleep, warm hands and feet, short
tempered, intelligent and ambitious.
Kapha Dosha Corresponds to water and the earth. Function is that
of cementing material of the body, connective tissue, joint
lubrication, and memory retention. Emotions are greed,
attachment, envy, forgiveness, calmness and maternal emotions.
Seat of Kapha is chest, sinuses, ears, nose, throat area, joints
etc. Kapha constitution is solid build, slow, deliberate, good
strength and endurance, prolonged sleep, obese, calm, forgiving,
loving, greedy and possessive. They are slow to grasp
information but once they do they retain it i.e. good memory
retention.
According to Ayurveda, the imbalance or disease may originate in
the mind in the form of some negative emotion, which affects the
doshas, and in turn the body or, it may originate in the body
and then affect the mind. Diet and environment are the key
causes here affecting the doshas, which in turn can affect the
mind. We saw earlier that Vata is connected to fear and anxiety,
Pitta to hate and jealousy and Kapha to greed and
possessiveness.
Western medical science has not recognized the importance of the
relationship between the immune system and the gut. Only now are
some people beginning to recognize and label the "leaky gut
syndrome" as being the cause of many diseases. Ayurveda
recognized this connection five thousand years ago when it
talked about disease being caused by accumulation of toxins or
"ama" as a result of impairment of the "Agni" (the process of
digestion and assimilation). If the agni does not function
properly, then the ama accumulates in the intestines and leaks
into the circulation and subsequently accumulates in other parts
of the body clogging them, impairing their resistance and
immunity and causing disease of that organ.
Imbalanced emotions also cause disease by impairing the agni and
therefore the immune system. In the Bhagwad Gita, the Lord tells
Arjuna that He Himself has become the digestive fire or Agni in
the human body, serving to illustrate the importance of agni.
I.e. it is the Lord's energy, which is powering the digestive
system and thus all the metabolic processes and also
strengthening the immune system. Disrespect of your digestive
fire by eating the wrong foods or an imbalanced lifestyle is
disrespecting the Lord within you and inviting disease.
The Ayurvedic physician usually performs a detailed history and
physical examination. The examination includes but is not
limited to pulse diagnosis, examination of the tongue, facial
diagnosis including the lines and wrinkles of your face, your
lips, eyes. Examination of the nails and hair, examination of
the urine, feces, sweat etc. examination of the mind and
emotions. He may also check your astrological chart as this may
predict disease proneness. Modern medicine treats the body as
though it is a machine with various parts and each part is
treated by a different specialist. The problem with a machine is
that you can repair it with spare parts. The human body on the
other hand functions as a whole. An Ayurvedic physician tries to
assist the body in its attempt to repair itself.
Treatment in Ayurveda consists of: Panchakarma (purification or
cleansing of the body), herbs, yoga, mantras, gemstones, color
therapy, sound therapy using classical ragas, dietary
manipulation to balance the doshas, fasting, meditation etc.
Treatment is individualized to the person and not the disease.
Whereas in allopathic medicine, two patients with arthritis will
usually get the same treatment, its not so in Ayurveda.
Panchakarma is employed to eliminate toxins from the body.
Massages using oil and herbs, enemas, nasal purgation and
induced vomiting are some of the methods used. I remember as a
child being taken by my parents for treatment to a local
Ayurveda center and the doctors there would make me drink tons
of water then come up from behind and press my upper abdomen and
all the water would come out. Although disconcerting at first, I
did feel really cleaned out afterwards. However, do not try this
at home. It can only be done under the supervision of an
Ayurvedic physician. Oil or water enemas are used depending on
the imbalance present. I would not recommend getting treatment
from someone who has taken a two month crash course in Ayurveda.
These people can do more harm than good. The idea behind
panchakarma is to open the channels and begin getting rid of the
accumulated toxins. It can be very effective in getting rid of
the chemicals that we are polluting our bodies (and our planet)
with, in our so-called modern society.
In Ayurveda, the underlying philosophy is a reverence for all
life. Therefore herbs are grown, cultivated and harvested with
respect, reverence and purity in mind with the result that the
healing effects of such herbs are powerful and in tune with
nature. Remember the four sheaths that cover the soul. According
to Ayurveda each sheath can be healed with different methods.
The physical body can be healed by a vata, pitta or kapha
pacifying diet, herbal treatment and yogic exercises. The astral
body by the use of herbs, pranayama, color, sound, gemstones
magnets (and homeopathy works at this level also). Mantras and
meditation reach the causal body.