Exploring Ayurvedic Treatments: A Path to Holistic Health
By Dennis Bluthardt at Namaste Studios
Ayurvedic treatments are a system of medicine that emphasizes spiritual balance and holistic treatments rather than the treatment of symptoms. This treatment style is rooted in ancient Indian philosophy and accents the person being treated as opposed to the ailment. This “treat the person, not the ailment” style of medicine has seen a boom in modern day, as the central tenets and takeaways are not unlike contemporary boomer philosophies. Indeed, eating to fit your body’s needs and the “discovery” of the spiritual component of wellness are both essential aspects of Ayurvedic treatment.
Unique to this philosophy are the practices and treatments suggested by practitioners. Ayurvedic “packages” can include realigning your diet, detrimental health care practices, mental and emotional states, and certain “prime times” for medication and procedures, all in addition to ingestible remedies. Treatments involve the use of “medicated” (in the Eastern tradition) oils or “application” drugs, massages, steam treatments, and “medicated enemas,” all by the specific needs or goals of the person being treated.
Of course, you shouldn’t take my word (or any other single source) for it, read more about the philosophy and, if you’re still interested, try to find someone in your area who offers a consultation session and get a first-hand experience of something new. I’d advise that you read the “Wikipedia” page to get a fuller view of Ayurveda and its theories/practices. Another beneficial piece of literature covers the “dosha,” or the “energy states.”
Ayurvedic Remedies for Common Ailments
“Ayurveda,” the ancient Indian-medicine system, holistically treats health by integrating herbs into lifestyle applications.
Curcumin has been recognized for reducing inflammation. Therefore, it is often recommended for conditions like arthritis. Cook with a sprinkle of turmeric on your dinner to not only add an exciting twist to your food but also to prevent disease.
Ashwagandha root supports the body’s adrenal system and helps the body manage stress. With regular use, individuals commonly notice a reduction of “fight-or-flight” stress triggers and become better equipped to handle anxiety from daily fatigue.
Like many other herbs, ashwagandha is non-addictive, which is another reason herbs could become the future of mental health.
Intermittently, these herbs will be sold in Ayurvedic “bundles” that also serve “exercise routines,” much of which are intended to serve “diet books,” and often under the masquerading term “dinacharya.”
Embracing an Ayurvedic Lifestyle
In Ayurveda, Dinacharya, i.e., daily routines, are the foundation of physical and mental health. A consistent routine, a consistent wake-up, eat, and sleep time, helps ground the individual’s biology to the cyclical time of the day. Regularity optimizes all other body processes, significantly amplifying the power of our digestion and giving us the right energy and other ‘uplifting’ health benefits. Other daily routines, such as scraping the tongue and oil pulling, for example, also help to clear our environment and consciousness for a fresh start to a fantastic day.
Routines extend to the seasonal level too, or what we call Ritucharya in Ayurveda, where we sync our lifestyle to the season. Every season brings out the different qualities of nature. Our Doshas are not exempt from these changes. A hot body tends not to get heated up in winter. Maintaining homeostasis during a colder winter (lake breeze comes to mind) can be difficult when the body has less heat.
The Future of Ayurvedic Treatments
The growing movement toward Ayurvedic treatments in today’s modern healthcare culture is proof of a Paradigm shift that has been taking place over the last few years. This shift toward ‘alternative medicine,’ or, perhaps the descriptor clinging most pervasively to the idea of Ayurveda, this shift toward ‘natural’ and ‘balanced’ medicine, is an occurrence being observed more and more, particularly with the sudden, exponential emergence of integrative health clinics: places that propound a seamless fusion of the practices of Ayurveda with 100% ‘normal’ American medicinal treatments.
Another topic of investigative interest worldwide is the conclusion that ‘alternative’ results from recent studies support an improper, undesirable, potentially deleterious, and backward term. Ayurvedic medicines have been shown to control high-stress levels primarily through Ayurvedic Yoga, meditation, and diet, and these natural methods improve the patient’s ability to control symptoms of almost any disease or issue. Even specific Ayurvedic herbs have been utilized to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure, and allow for a healthier, more regularized stress response. Unfortunately, based on these three conditions being the three chronic conditions most pervasive within the U.S. today, Americans are predicted to have as little as 10 or 20 years more before coming to a head with a strange and previously unimaginable chronic disease (assuming this is an event that does not occur within one’s life even sooner). Furthermore, creating an imperative argument is potentially highly beneficial to patients if the U.S. healthcare system adopts these herbs/drug adjustments at large.
Understanding Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurvedic medicine is among the oldest holistic healing systems in the world. It was developed in India over 3,000 years ago and treats the whole body.
This kind of care assumes that an individual’s health and wellness stem from the intricate balance of their mental, physical, and spiritual selves. Its main philosophy is to promote good health, not fight disease. But wait, treatments may be aimed at or focused on specific health problems. Oh well. Still, at the core of this care approach is believing in the helix of good health and the mind, body, and spirit.
It’s considered a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States.
Vata dosha (space and air)
Pitta dosha (fire and water)
Kapha dosha (water and earth)
For followers of Ayurveda, anything affecting these spiritual planes is also said to affect your physical body.
Everyone inherits a distinctive mix of the three doshas, though one usually dominates the others. Every dosha controls a separate function of the body. The state of your doshas has much to do with your health, for better or worse. It has a lot to do with the kinds of health problems you might have and your health problems.
It’s the Ayurvedic way to stay in good health.
Ayurveda emphasizes good health and prevention through practices meant to restore balance and harmony.
Common Ayurvedic Treatments
“The ancient Indian science and art of Ayurvedic health revolve around balance and harmony within the body, mind, and spirit.
Panchakarma: This Ayurvedic treatment is an extensive process consisting of five vital procedures to help detoxify the body, reset homeostatic balance, and rebuild inner Zoh (brightness and vitality). Like Chang, the resident healer at Anantara Phuket who performs a “detoxifying” Panchakarma, many of us have developed toxins in the body. The heavy intake of toxins (e.g., sugars, additives, processed foods) in the body outweighs the toxins the body can naturally eliminate; thus, the body becomes impure. In a pure body, we attain the achievement of physical health.
Abhyanga: We increasingly hear Gurus repeating the concept of “mind-body connection.” Guru Anand Dhupa says, “The more and more the body becomes healthy, like a ‘Shaucha (pure) body, ‘ the mind achieves a clean mind.” Anand’s comments touch on the “sacredness and purity” of the body and mind. We will interpret his insights according to our understanding of purity and sacredness. Many others will attribute religiousness to it. Only a few will understand it according to the science of Ayurveda. Yet, at a simple basic level, we overcome physical impurities in the body through Abhyanga, where a practitioner (someone who practices Ayurveda with skill) massages your entire body using warm herbal oil.
Shirodhara: In Shirodhara, a practitioner pours warm oil onto the middle of the forehead (the ‘third eye’). The oil pouring encloses this area in a cocoon, enabling the person to meditate deeply. Oils used in Shirdarhara include medicinal oil, buttermilk, and medicated milk.
Shirodhara benefits anxiety, sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia), and memory loss. Like other Ayurvedic treatments, Shirodhara enhances the person’s overall quality of life.”
Ayurvedic treatments take a comprehensive approach to health that concentrates on achieving balance and harmony within the body, mind, and spirit. This route to wellness is based on the ancient teachings of Indian masters and addresses everyone’s unique constitution, known in Ayurveda as doshas. The plan developed for you will be custom-made to suit your dosha result and address areas of your life, such as diet, sleep, and movement, necessary to restore you to vibrant health. This is a personal blend of science and philosophy that has, in my experience, often led to better physical health, more stable emotions, and a clearer mind.
Few other systems available today offer this comprehensive, all-in-one approach to overall well-being. In India, the Ayurvedic practices you’ll learn are handed down through generations as a way of life. We at SOURCE believe that this modern adaptation of Ayurvedic practices, applied daily, can help many others, too.
Your daily choices, what you eat, when you move your body, the herbs and supplements you take for overall nutrition, and any specific health conditions you may have directly impact your total well-being.
This is one of the few books available from an industry insider that teaches you, step by step, how to use both the mind and body to achieve your health goals. Improve one, and success is sure to follow in the other.
To learn more, visit Ayurveda at Namaste Studios to book an Ayurveda session. Additionally, you can find more of our Ayurveda Blogs here.
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