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Ayurveda,
the traditional Indian system of medicine, is the sum total of the knowledge, skills and practices indigenous to different cultures, experiences used in maintenance of health as well as the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental illness. The long history of the use of many practices of traditional medicine, and experiences passed down from generation to generations have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of Ayurveda. The compilers of Ayurveda held that the science of healing is one without the beginning. Ayurveda is intellectually coherent organized medical system of our land. The documented knowledge of Ayurveda comes from classical treatises like chakra samhitha, Susruta samhitha, Ashtanga hrudaya, Kasypasamhitha etc.
Ayurveda is not merely an empirical system of medicine as envisaged by the modern scientific world. In a broader out look it teaches the knowledge of life sciences as a whole and mainly looks into complete promotion and protection of health pattern of human beings to achieve the prime objective i.e. positive health of body, mind and spirit. Further it stresses the importance of maintaining complete harmony with all the living and non-living components of earth. To maintain positive health, Ayurveda advocates certain curative measures as supplement.
According to Ayurveda, a healthy person is one in whom there is an equilibrium of humors and the body tissues with normal digestive as well as excretory functions associated with gratification of senses mind and soul. Ayurveda emphasized that the medical treatment shall be oriented not merely to the disease but has to take into account the patient , his environment, the meteorological consideration, age, sex, race, habits, diet, appetite, physical conditions, mental frame, physiological constitution, strength, vitality, and number of factors like this. The concept of holistic approach into the disease and patient is the cornerstone of Ayurveda.
It is well known that the physiological and pathological doctrines of Ayurveda are based on the concept of doshas, dhatus and malas. These factors are held to be the sinequanon of life and its processes. The state of health and disease are fully depended upon the doshas and its balanced state.
The specialties of Ayurveda
- Kayachikitsa (internal medicine)
- Kaumara bhruthya (peadiatrics)
- Grahachikita (psychiatry)
- Shalya thathra (surgery)
- Agadathanthra (toxicology)
- Shalakya thanthra (otto rhino laryngology)
- Resayanam (rejufvenation) and
- Vajeekarana (aphrodisiac)
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