Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine that was birthed in South India over 5,000 years ago. The holistic philosophy sets it apart as a leading model of traditional medicine to this day. Ayurveda uses pulse, physical exam, and other physical features to diagnose imbalances in the body that may be causing symptoms. Changes to diet, daily routine, and the addition of a few herbs are all that is needed to correct these types of imbalances.
So, why should you consider using Ayurveda to heal your body? Ayurveda infuses a unique upgrade into modern therapies. This form of traditional medicine brings ancient knowledge that has endured over 5,000 years to fill in the holes of our modern medical mindset.
Ayurveda treats your entire body. If you come to see your doctor for insomnia, hypothyroid, and constipation, you will walk out of the office with 3 different prescriptions. The western medical training looks at the body as a series of separate symptoms similar to the way a helicopter would view islands from above...as though they are floating on the surface of the water. Ayurveda sees this same constellation of symptoms from the perspective of a scuba diver beneath the ocean's surface. The Ayurvedic practitioner knows these symptoms are connected in the same way the chain of islands that grow out of the ocean floor are connected. The Ayurvedic practitioner is scanning for commonalities at the level of the ocean floor, that may point to the underlying imbalance, then works to correct that imbalance.
Because of this core Ayurvedic concept, most of our patients see that multiple health concerns resolve or improve during our time together. Ayurveda is a holistic medical philosophy, not symptom based. This means that we zoom out from our microscopic view of each individual symptom, and instead look at the body from a 2,000 foot aerial view, examining how well the whole body is working as a complete system.
Ayurvedic Medicine has stood the test of time. The Ayurvedic model of medicine has been around for literally thousands of years. This longevity not only provides a plethora of empiric evidence-meaning the experience of practitioners in a clinical setting. But it has also allowed time for many Ayurvedic modalities and Ayurvedic herbs, to have been studied in a research setting. This gives us plenty of objective data to pull from and base treatments off of. These research studies have shown how Ayurvedic modalities not only hold up, but also surpass some modern medical interventions. Our modern research is just now catching on to the how precious this ancietn wisdom truly is.
Ayurvedic knowledge is passed down through generations. When you think about passing something along to the next generation, you are only going to pass along the very best of what you know, stuff that really works, and is really powerful-those eureka moments. The concepts of Ayurveda have been passed along in this way, unaltered from generation to generation, and this speaks to its deepest value. When we say your "dosha is pitta"….these are the exact same terms, language, and concepts that were used thousands of years ago at the start of Ayurvedic medicine.
Ayurveda optimizes daily habits to transform health. Ayurveda makes optimal health within arms reach by providing something that resembles a set of instructions like a handbook. If I could offer a title for this handbook it would be "A Day in the Life of a Blissfuly Healthy Person" Ayurveda provides detailed instructions for how to maximize our every day habits to generate something much more important than money - incredible health. From the time you wake up, to the time you go to bed, Ayurveda enhances your schedule into one that accumulates health.
Ayurveda teaches the mentality of health. Advanced martial artists don't have every single fighting form memorized. What makes them skillfully unique, is their ability to understand the mentality and philosophy behind the martial arts fighting style. Because of this deeper understanding, a skilled martial arts fighter knows how to respond to any move used against them, whether they've studied it or not. Doctor's understand this, as we spend the first years of medical school learning how the body works under normal conditions. This lays the ground work for a deeper insight when studying the way diseases are set into motion. Similarly, Ayurveda teaches you how to think about your health and how to guide your body back into harmony without having to memorize thousands of therapies.
A simple and easy add-in. After you learn the basic concepts, Ayurveda is designed to be intuitive which gives you independence and control over your health. For example, many people who come see me describe feeling "thrown off" by travel. With less than 5 Ayurvedic recommendations, my patients learn how to tweak their routine to keep their health balanced while they travel. Just like in this example, Ayurveda leans heavily on diet and daily routine to address imbalances. None of our patients leave with their visits with instructions to eat a bowl full of supplements for breakfast. In fact, the goal in Ayurveda is to come off of herbs within months of starting.
A deep, lasting impact to health. There is nothing that compares to the deep transformation of Ayurvedic Cleansing. This is the area where Ayurveda really shines above all other modalities. Ayurvedic therapeutics like Seasonal Cleansing and Panchakarma therapies can affect significant improvements in chronic medical conditions, and gets to the very heart of disease.
As you can see, Ayurveda is far from a top down approach where we are peeling away the layers to eventually get to the root cause. Rather, in Ayurveda we are starting at the core layer to water the roots, in hopes that the fruits of our health will flourish. I hope this article inspires you to add Ayurveda as part of your journey into long lasting health.