What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is among the oldest and largest systems of medicine in the world. It can be roughly translated as "right living" and is referred to as the science of life. As Ayurveda is the original system of promoting wellness in holistic way, many of the popular alternative medicine therapies today stem from ancient Ayurvedic principles.

According to ancient Ayurveda medicine, our natural state should be one of balance, health, happiness and well-being. Its treatments can help a person to regain that balance if it has been lost due to illness, injury, accidents or stress.

The principles of Ayurveda apply to all people, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. It centres on the idea that the mind, body and spirit must be treated together, by using therapies such as aromatherapy, diet and nutritional changes, herbal medicine and massage. While these concepts are new to Western medicine, they have proven themselves to be safe and effective over thousands of years. Although the exact age of Ayurvedic medicine can't be pinpointed, its influence is seen other ancient medical systems, including Chinese medicine as well as that of Persia and Indonesia.

What is the main difference between Western medicine and Ayurveda?

To put it simply, Western medicine treats the disease a person is suffering from, while Ayurveda treats the person suffering from the disease. What does this mean? Treating the person, rather than the symptoms or the disease, means that three or four people with the same complaint may be treated in completely different ways, using various Ayurvedic treatments. Western medicine teaches a one treatment for one symptom approach, whereas Ayurveda treats each person as an individual.

In addition, conventional medicine often promotes different methods of "detoxifying" to help the body to get rid of toxins and poisons that build up in the body. Ayurvedic medicine stresses the need for "antitoxifying", which involves ongoing preventative maintenance to prevent toxins from building up in the first place. This means that detoxification is rarely, if ever needed. This goal is achieved through a number of ayurvedic therapies that often include counselling, nutrition, massage and herbal medicines.

This is not to discount the obvious benefits of Western medicine, especially in cases of specific, acute diseases. When a specific cause is found, Western medicine can most definitely be a life-saving measure in treating the disease with appropriate medications or even more invasive treatments or surgery. However, the most common complaints don't' involve acute illness, but they are related to chronic disorders. These causes of these ailments can be extremely difficult to narrow, since they are so often due to a variety of contributing factors. In these cases, Western medicine usually falls short of helping the sufferer to get relief and regain health. Ayurvedic healing comes from treating the person as a whole, taking into account their age, background, lifestyle, emotional makeup and habits.

If you're suffering from a chronic illness, you may be interested in knowing that Ayurveda is used to treat:

• Asthma
• Infertility
• High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
• Digestive problems, such as Gastric ulcers
• Depression, anxiety and stress
• Allergies
• Cysts
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis
• Skin problems, including Eczema
• Infectious diseases, especially Tuberculosis

What do Ayurveda treatments involve?

Ayurveda approaches health problems with a combination of methods, including: Diet: Ayurveda encourages a local food diet so that foods are consumed in their freshest state in season. Meals should be consumed slowly, in a calm, tranquil environment. Fasting is also encouraged.

Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine: based on an ancient system of herbal therapeutic remedies that include more than 2000 different herbs. These can range from simple preparations, such as a paste made from garlic, to complex mixtures, using 50 different herbs that may take days to prepare. Oils, minerals and gemstones are also used.

Practical steps: Ayurveda encourages each individual to take responsibility for their own well being, through diet, lifestyle adjustments, behaviour modification, counselling, meditation, massage, yoga and adopting a "healthy" way of life.

The advantage of these three approaches is that the nature of the treatments allows the patient to have an active role, by taking responsibility for their own health and implementing the changes needed to achieve their optimum health and wellness.

Want to increase your energy, develop a healthier lifestyle and reach your health and wellness goals?

Ayurveda can help with this and more.

Contact us today to arrange a consultation: (02) 9233 3800

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