Ayurveda
The system of healing called Ayurveda (ayu means “life”, veda means “knowledge of”) originated in India sometime around 1500 B.C. Its basis is natural healing, the belief that humans are an integrated part of nature, governed by the same principles that determine the survival and health of all living matter-plant and animal. Its goal is to bring humans into harmony or equilibrium with their environment.
According to Ayurveda, each of us is born with a constitution composed of varying amounts of three doshas, of forces; vata, symbolized by air or space; pitta, by fire; and kapha, by earth and water. Your type is your individual tridosha, your combination of these three doshas. These characteristics determine what you should eat and how you should conduct your life.
The main objective of an Ayurvedic practitioner, trained in nutrition and meditation, is to characterize or define your type and prescribed accordingly. Since no two people are identical, each prescription for likfe and health must be personally tailored. As a general rule, those who are of predominantly vata constitution are full of energy and always on the move. They are most likely to be troubled by excessive gas, a bad back, arthritis and diseases of the nervous system. Pitta types are volatile, quick to anger, aggressive, and competitive; their major complaints are more likely to involve skin or liver problems, inflammation of some part of the body, ulcers and gall-bladder disease. Kaphas are similar to what conventional doctors call a type B personality: slower, relatively solid and tranquil. They are more susceptible to respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Should you head straight for an Ayurveda clinic for indoctrination into this ancient Indian school of medicine? The answer is no, there’s no scientific proof that Ayurveda is effective against disease. Should you maintain an interest in its principles and recommendations for a positive lifestyle? Definitely.
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