Āyurveda - Health, Diet and Medicine
समदोश समाग्निस्च समधातु मलक्रिया
प्रसन्न आतमेंदिृय मनः स्वसतः इत्याभिदीयते||
Health is a state where in the three doshas, digestive fire, all the body tissues, components and physiological processes are in perfect harmony and the soul, the sense organs and the mind are in a state of complete satisfaction.-Suśruta Saṃhitā, Chap. 15, Suśruta
Āyurveda, meaning "the knowledge of life" in Samskrta, is the world's oldest system of health and medicine that has been practiced in India for at least 5000 years. It's a system of healing that examines physical constitution, emotional nature, and spiritual outlook in the context of the universe. According to Samkhyā philosophy, universal life force manifests as three different energies, or doshas, known as vāta, pitta, and kapha. For optimal health, these energies must be in a state of balance.
Charaka Saṃhitā, Suśruta Saṃhitā, and Ashtangā Hridayaṃ are three ancient classics of Āyurveda and are still referenced by Vaidyas around the world.
The Science of Life
Tired of contradictory "scientific" studies and health reports on food, diet and exercise ? Overwhelmed with incessant "expert" opinions about lifestyle and habits ? One day dairy is good for you, another day not so much; high protein or carb-rich diet; raw food or supplements. Ever wondered why there is still no cure in sight for arthritis, asthma, AIDS, cancer or diabetes; why bacterial illness such as Tuberculosis and Malaria have resurfaced; what makes primary healthcare so expensive; why almost every synthetic drug comes with a list of side effects, some including death; why vaccines may be causing autism in children; why medicines flushed down the drain are responsible hormonal imbalance in fish populations; why hospitals produce tonnes of toxic biomedical waste !
The problem you see, is that modern western medicine takes a narrow reductionist approach towards health and the environment. It views the body as a machine, organs as its parts, emotions as chemical secretions and intelligence as an emergent property of the neurons. Health specialists are trained to treat body parts rather than the human being in his entirety. Until recently, modern medicine had completely ignored the mind-body connection. It is such mechanistic thinking, that drives medics to rationalize isolated compounds, radiation, vitamin supplements, transgenic organisms, animal trials etc. Research in these areas are either inconclusive or have devastating long-term consequences.
Vaidya - Āyurvedic Gurus
