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Literally translated means "the science or knowledge
of life," is the traditional holistic medical system
of India. Although Ayurveda is practiced in India as a comprehensive
health care system with eight branches, including pediatrics
and gynecology, it has only recently become known in the
United States. Ayurveda's premise that mind, body, and spirit
are intimately connected is revolutionizing the way Westerners
understand their body and their health. Ayurveda teaches
that separating mind and spirit from the body creates physical
imbalance, which is the first step in the disease process.
It naturally follows that re-integration is the first step
toward healing. Based on the principle that disease is the
natural end result of living out of harmony with our environment,
Ayurveda views symptoms of disease as the body's normal
way of communicating disharmony. With this understanding
of disease, Ayurveda's approach to healing becomes obvious:
to reestablish harmony between self and environment and
create an optimal environment for health.
According to
Ayurveda, each person has a constitution created at conception
that determines basic physiology and personality. This constitution
is the inherent balance of three doshas, or subtle biological
forces which govern the functions of the body, known as
Vata (motion), Pitta (metabolism), and Kapha (cohesiveness).
There are infinite combinations and permutations of these
three basic energies, and each person's constitution is
a unique expression. Constitution determines what a person
is naturally attracted to and what is experienced as repulsive,
what is in harmony with his or her nature, and what will
cause imbalance and susceptibility to illness. Because no
two people are alike and no two presentations of a disease
are alike, Ayurveda does not approach the cure of a disease
as much as it approaches the cure of the person who has
the disease.
To help individuals
create an optimal environment for health, Ayurveda offers
a group of treatments often referred to as "five sense
therapies." Through its detailed science of diet and
herbalism, aroma therapy, color therapy, sound therapy,
and touch therapy (massage and marma therapy), Ayurveda
recommends how to use the senses to interact with the environment
to create balance. These recommendations are based on a
person's constitution, current health imbalances, and the
time of the year.
National Institute of Health's position on Ayurveda
- Written by the National Institute of Health
Ayurveda is India's traditional, natural system of medicine
that has been practiced for more than 5000 years. Ayurveda
provides an integrated approach to preventing and treating
illness through lifestyle interventions and natural therapies.
Ayurvedic theory states that all disease begins with an
imbalance or stress in the individual's consciousness. Lifestyle
interventions are a major Ayurvedic preventive and therapeutic
approach. There are 10 Ayurveda clinics in North America,
including one hospital-based clinic that has served 25,000
patients since 1985.
In India, Ayurvedic practitioners receive state-recognized,
institutionalized training in parallel to their physician
counterparts in India's state-supported systems for conventional
Western biomedicine and homeopathic medicine. The research
base is growing concerning the physiological effects of
meditative techniques and yoga postures in Indian medical
literature and Western psychological literature. Published
studies have documented reductions in cardiovascular disease
risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol and
reaction to stress, in individuals who practice Ayurvedic
methods.
Laboratory and clinical studies on Ayurvedic herbal preparations
and other therapies have shown them to have a range of potentially
beneficial effects for preventing and treating certain cancers,
treating infectious disease, promoting health and treating
aging. Mechanisms underlying these effects may include free-radical
scavenging effects, immune system modulation, brain neurotransmitter
modulation and hormonal effects.
Ayurveda is an important solution to this health care crisis
because it offers a true mind-body-spirit paradigm, emphasizes
self-responsibility, and promotes prevention through lifestyle
changes. A well-trained Ayurvedic practitioner may choose
to enter into private practice, join other health care practitioners
at a wellness center, teach public education classes on
Ayurvedic principles, supervise a pancha karma center, teach
at an Ayurvedic college, and conduct workshops, seminars
and retreats. Health care providers can enhance their current
practice by offering their clients Ayurvedic services. The
future is bright for Ayurveda and for those dedicated and
competent practitioners who will make its wisdom available.
Benefits/Contraindications
See Ayurvedic
website for information.
Training/Licensing
Ayurvedic practitioners
are not licensed in the United States, and its practice
is not regulated by state or federal agencies. Standards
of competency are set by individual schools that have received
state approval. Ayurvedic practitioners in the United States
are taught how to practice legally within a limited scope
of practice so they are not viewed as practicing medicine
without a license. We might say that Ayurveda's current
status in the US is analogous to the Chinese medical profession
during its early years in the 1970s.In 1998 a diverse group
of practitioners, many representing schools of Ayurveda
in this country, began meeting to discuss the creation of
state and national professional associations. These associations
focused on licensing and certification issues and the important
task of educating people on Ayurveda and its practices.
Today Ayurveda is becoming increasingly popular in
Europe, Australia and the US and many Ayurvedic colleges
have opened to meet this demand. At this point in time,
the Ayurvedic medical degree is not recognized or regulated
in the US or Canada.
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