Ayurveda
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda literally means "the Science of Life". For the promotion of positive health and prevention and cure of diseases, it is in practice in India since the time immemorial.
Health according to Ayurveda is not merely the freedom from diseases but the mind, sense organs and soul all should be in perfect equilibrium. Ayurveda stresses on prevention & preservation of positive health along the cure of disease. Therefore several therapeutic measures both for patients and healthy person are described in Ayurveda.
What is Health?
According to Susruta School of Ayurveda, a person with equilibrium of Doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) (Which are responsible for functioning and malfunctioning of the body) Agnis (Enzymes responsible for digestion and metabolism), Dhatus (Tissues Constituting the structure of the body) and Malas (Waste product of the body) with an equilibrium state of soul, sense & mind are the signs of health.
Classification of Therapies
Two type of therapies.
- Shodhan - Cleansing
- Samana - Saditive (Only medicines are given)
Shodhan contains purification of body before starting Samana Therapy. It means cleansing of the body so that the medicine used can have a good effect in curing the disease. The Sodhan therapy is also called Panchakarma.
Panchakarma in Ayurveda
Panchakarma or the five evacuative procedures are the Ayurvedic means or active intervention in treatment of diseases. They are means to medicine what surgical procedure are to surgery. Diseases are only label attached to the countless manifestation of perturbed vitiated "doshas". The procedure of Panchakarma are designed to eliminate the perturbed or vitiated doshas and restore their balance for good health and well being. The main seat of doshas is the Alimentary Canal in the upper, middle and lower third of he tract. When doshas accumulate, they are susceptible to perturbation by numerous factor such as dietary indiscretion, suppression of natural urges ad emotional upheavals. The accumulated doshas then enter the body compartment through the opening of countless channel that cress cross through the body. When this perturbation is severe, Panchakarma becomes very effective to eliminate the doshas.
It is not very different to eliminate by emesis and purgation whatever (Toxing) doshas has collected in the alimentary canal, but these two procedures on their own would fail to remove the perturbed doshas present in vast network of the body. Therefore, Panchkarma applies two preparatory steps - Lubrication Therapy and Fomentation Therapy to loosen and mobilize doshas from the body channel into the Alimentary Canal and deliver them into its Lumen. The role of preparatory steps is identical to the application of lubricant and steam for unclogging of a network of pipes. The loosened doshas fro the body channels return to the alimentary canal through openings which also would have been unblocked by the preparatory measures.
Panchakarma literally means five (Panch) special therapies (karma). The therapies which are included under the collective term are as follow:
- amana Karma (Emesis)
- Virechana Karma (Purgation)
- Nirooh Vasti Karma (Decoction Enema)
- Anuvasana Vasti Karma (Medicated Oil Enema)
- Nasya Karma (Nasal Administration)
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