Legacy of Medicine and Health in India
India is known for archaic medicine systems like Ayurveda and Siddha both known to be thousands of years old. These medical systems take a holistic approach on treating ailments unlike modern medicine which grossly ignores the spiritual dimension of mankind and views human body as a mechanical functional system. Also, modern medicine aims at treating the body alone and neglects the importance of the mind and spirit. Indian medicine attempts to see human being as a spiritual system and the remedies in India are not confined to the body alone but extends to the mind and the soul. Truths are now being unfolded by Science about how interconnected and mutually influential the body and mind are meanwhile Indian doctrines on health are being revived and redefined in the modern context.
The Philosophy of Ayurveda
Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is a traditional system of Indian medicine which is considered to be at least 5,000 years old. Ayurveda literally means ‘life-knowledge’ or ‘the science of life’ because of its natural and holistic approach that addresses all three aspects of life – body, mind and soul. Ayurveda is proven to have preventive as well as curative properties and is practiced extensively in the Eastern world especially India.
Ayurvedic philosophy asserts that every person is born with a specific constitution or prakriti. Prakriti is a unique combination of physical as well as mental characteristics which can be influenced by various internal and external factors. Although, the underlying prakriti remains more or less the same, following a routine or occasional regimen can lead to balance of the body, mind and soul. Ayurveda maintains that perfect health is perfect harmony between all these three aspects. According to Ayurveda, prakriti can be categorized into three main types based on qualities or doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha is comprised of five basic elements in combination namely space, air, fire, water, earth. When life force or prana mixes with these five elements doshas are formed. Therefore,
• Vata dosha is when air and space elements dominate
• Pitta dosha when fire dominates
• Kapha dosha when earth and water dominate
Each element is associated with specific traits like space with expansiveness, air with mobility, fire with transformation, water with instability and earth with stability.
When the three doshas are in harmony, good health is the result. But when there is imbalance, ailments are caused. Ayurveda attempts to harmonize the imbalanced doshas often with the help of herbal medicines and dietary changes. Since every person has a unique prakriti, prevention and curing of the same ailment in different individuals may vary. That is why it is highly important in a medicine system like Ayurveda that the therapist is an expert.
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