More information about Ayurveda

For a long time up until the 1970s Ayurveda was viewed as an esoteric science unfamiliar and alien to the West. Actually, the opposite holds true – Ayurveda is a simple, practical science, the principles of which can be universally applied in the everyday life of the individual. Ayurveda is a medical system covering all areas of human life, the directions of which are time-tested and its immense knowledge and experience is a real treasury for those who seek a harmonious, peaceful and long life.

According to Ayurveda every human being has four basic material and spiritual necessities: subsistence, race preservation, security and religion. A balanced life and good health are indispensable in the development and fulfilment of these four basic necessities. Thus Ayurveda is a science of life which increases the quality of life both medically and spiritually, it is the ancestress of all healing arts.

The practical directions of Ayurveda are intended to serve the happiness, health and creative thinking of human beings. Ayurveda helps the healthy to stay healthy and helps the sick to regain their health. Unlike western medicine, Ayurveda stresses not only healing but also heavily focuses on prevention. Studying the teachings of Ayurveda under the guidance of proper specialists enables everyone to acquire the science of self-healing. By restoring the balance of the forces in the body degeneration can be reversed, diseases and their root causes can be eliminated.

One of the basic teachings of Ayurveda is to awake the self-healing ability of the person. In other words Ayurveda considers the individual to be an active part of the healing process. Besides diet, treatment procedures and herbs, the role of the individual is also pivotal in Ayurveda. The thoughts and feelings of the person desiring to recover receive great emphasis in the healing process. The Ayurvedic physician, the Vaidya always explains the “why”-s to the patient, in other words the reasons why he/she has to follow a certain diet, method or medicine in the treatment.

Ayurveda also stresses the personal relationship between the physician and the patient. The physician also relies on their senses while establishing the diagnosis. Although this may not be a novelty; western medicine still seems to work in a different way. The Ayurvedic doctor derives valuable information by touching the pulse of the patient and considering their smell, appearance, voice and words. Following this he recommends food and herbs that will restore the balance in the patient’s individual bodily constitution through their specific qualities and taste. On the other hand, the western method is usually based on laboratory tests and blood analysis performed by machines etc. The western physician tries to establish a diagnosis on the basis of abstract numbers. Of course in the West there are also good doctors who trust their common sense and perceptions. However, in Ayurveda this is the basic method of both the medical training and practice. The best Ayurvedic doctors can sense the subtle differences in the shades of the patient’s pulse with their fingers and intuition on the basis of which the nature of the disease becomes absolutely clear for them. Therefore, they primarily rely on their senses instead of lifeless machines.