Ayurvedic Medicine in India
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Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced in India for over 5,000 years, and is a comprehensive system of medicine, which places equal emphasis on mind, body, and spirit (Lad 63). Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word meaning "the science of life" ("Ayurvedic" 2001). It comes from the Vedas which are the basis of Hinduism, and was passed along orally for thousands of years before being written down. It is considered the world's oldest healing science. Ayurvedic medicine is practiced on a very individual level, and its aim is to restore the innate balance to the body (Lad 63). The Ayurvedic physician is concerned with who the patient is, rather than what disease they have. This means determining the patient's constitution, which is done primarily through their body type. There are three major body types, or doshas, in Ayurvedic medicine: vata, pitta, and kapha, and people are classified according to their predominant dosha, although everyone contains elements of all three doshas (Lad 2001). The doshas embody a combination of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics, and represent the body's energies, composed of the five basic elements: space, air, earth, fire, and water ("Ayurvedic" 2001). The doshas are located in different areas of the body: the vata dosha is seated in the large intestine, pelvic cavity, bones, skin, ears, and thighs (Lad 65). The pitta dosha is located in the small intestine, stomach, sweat glands, blood, skin, and eyes. The kapha dosha is located
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and made up of earth and water ("Ayurvedic" 2001; Lad 65). Kapha types tend to be heavy-set, strong types, with thick, wavy hair and cool, thick, pale, oily skin. Kapha types have a tendency to be overweight and have a slow digestion. Everything about the kapha type is slow - they are slow to anger, slow to eat, slow to act - and they sleep heavily and for a long time. They are obstinate and tend to procrastinate. The kapha type tends to suffer from allergies, sinus problems, and high cholesterol. In general, they are slow, graceful, relaxed, affectionate, forgiving, and tolerant.
Diagnosis in Ayurvedic medicine is done mostly through observation of general physical form and questioning regarding family history, palpation of the body, examination of the eyes, attention to the tone of the voice, listening to the heart, longs, and intestines, and inference ("Ayurvedic" 2001; Lad 67). Ayurvedic doctors describe three types of pulses corresponding to the three body types, and can recognize 12 radial pulses, six on each wrist. By relating these pulses to internal organs, the Ayurvedic doctor can diagnose the health of the organs at each of 12 sites. The tongue is examined, and its color and sensitivity in different areas ag
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Approximate Word count = 1501
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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