The principles of Ayurveda are based on the concept that the universe is made up of five elements namely, earth, air, fire water and space and that humans too are composed of these basic elements. The interaction of these elements in humans occurs as three Doshas or humours called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. As long as these three Doshas are in harmony, health and well being is preserved. Vata means wind and is composed of the elements air and space. Disruption of Vata results in Gas, muscular or nervous pain and the associated organs are brain, heart, ears, lungs, bones, colon and thighs.
Pitta means bile and is a combination of the elements fire and water. Acid and Bile leading to inflammation are the effects if Pitta is out of harmony. Pitta is associated with the digestive, endocrine and lymphatic systems. Kapha means Phlegm and is composed of the elements earth and water. Imbalance of Kapha leads to mucous and water secretions and the associated organs are head, nose, mouth, tongue, throat, stomach, joints and the lymphatic system. The human body’s tissue types are described as seven dhatus, the interplay of which either reinforces or reduces health.
The system identifies three waste products called Malas namely sweat, urine and feces which if not expelled lead to diseases. All substances circulate through 16 channels in the body known as Srotas which when blocked can cause ill health. Correct balance of enzymes named as Agni help digestion and concurrently the health of an individual. The Ayurvedic system attempts to identify the imbalances in an individual’s overall system and then applies a range of therapies to bring back the homeostasis.
A careful assessment of the patient’s psychological profile, present lifestyle and some clinical examination of bodily fluids are carried out as preliminaries after which the treatment is devised. Each patient is considered as unique and the degree, composition of Ayurvedic medicines and range and duration of massage or medication is carefully calibrated. Ayurveda has been known to alleviate a variety of human diseases ranging from hair loss, stomach disorders, sexual dysfunction, liver problems, heart problems, skin diseases, psychological problems to name a few.
According to Maclean & Shane (1999) “Ayurveda remains the main healing system for millions of people in India, where Ayurvedic practitioners are treating more and more HIV-positive patients”. Since the 1970s, Ayurveda has gained steady popularity in the United States. A number of colleges and institutions in the US offer diplomas and degrees in Ayurveda. According to Halpern (2000) “Ayurveda training programs in the US fall into four categories:(1) correspondence programs, (2) correspondence with classroom training programs, (3) on-site training programs without state certification (4) on-site training programs with state certification.
” The National Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine are spearheading the growth and acceptability of Ayurveda by mainstream medical institutions in the US. At present there are no laws governing the practice of Ayurveda in the US and thus it is legal to practice Ayurveda with a caveat. As per legal laws, practice of Allopathy in the US requires a requisite license. Practitioners of Ayurveda have to avoid using allopathic medicines, allopathic procedures and diagnosis in dealing with their patients.
This is the main reason why in the US, Ayurveda experts lay greater emphasis on lifestyle changes, massage therapies and herbal treatment to remain ‘aligned’ with the provisions of law. In the future, the importance of Ayurveda and other alternative systems of medicines is estimated to grow as greater scientific research further validates the efficacy of such treatments in the overall body of medical science.
References
Halpern, Marc. January 2000. “ Status and Development of Ayurveda in US”. Retrieved on September 14, 2008 from http://www. ayurvedacollege. com/articles/013. htm Maclean, Deirdre & Shane Adam. 1999. “Ayurveda”. Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange. Retrieved on September 14, 2008 from http://www. catie. ca/pdf/supple-e/ayurveda. pdf National Institute of Health website. 2008. Retrieved on September 14, 2008 from http://grants. nih. gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AT-05-004. html