Ayurveda

1. Ayurveda Rels 120 4October 2013

2. Ayurveda = the Science of Life • Developed in the Vedic period • Transmitted orally for centuries • Goal is to promote health and well-being • More a way of life than a system of medicine • But it has been developed as a medical system • 80% of the population in India (especially in rural areas) rely on Ayurvedic medicine • Support health by integrating and balancing the body, mind and spirit 120 - appleby

3. “Our health is mostly influenced by the food we eat, our way of thinking, our relationship towards ourselves and the world, and the influence of the environment.”Swami Maheshwaranda • Mind • Body • Behaviour and lifestyle • Environment 120 - appleby

4. 8 Branches of Ayurveda • Internal medicine • Surgery • Head & neck diseases • Gynecology, obstetrics & pediatrics • Toxicology • Psychiatry • Geriatrics and rejuvenation • Sexual vitality 120 - appleby

5. Foundational concepts #1 • Interconnectedness of all elements within the universe (living and nonliving) • Every human being is composed of elements that are found elsewhere in the universe • Health reflects natural and wholesome interaction with the universe • Disease reflects disharmonious interaction with the universe • Physical, emotional, spiritual lack or harmony 120 - appleby

6. Foundational concepts #2 • Every person has one of 3 particular constitutions(prakriti) • Unique combination that remains constant throughout life • Physical characteristics • Psychological characteristics • Characteristic strengths & weaknesses • Characteristic way of achieving harmony 120 - appleby

7. Foundational concepts #3 • Life forces(doshas) • Health is promoted by balance among 3 life forces or energies; each dosha: • is constituted by 2 basic elements • has physical & psychological characteristics • is related to specific body functions • Each person has a predominant dosha that may be balanced (= health) or unbalanced (= lack of health, illness or disease) 120 - appleby

8. Ayurveda – the History(video clip – 2:40) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Zw-vYn270 120 - appleby

9. http://mohfw.nic.in/index.php • Department of Health & Family Welfare • Department of Ayush • = Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy • Department of Health Research • Department of AIDS Control • http://indianmedicine.nic.in 120 - appleby

10. ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA (AIIA)Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,Government of IndiaGautampuri, Mathura Road, SaritaVihar, New Delhi – 110076 120 - appleby

11. Department of AYUSH • Ayurveda – integrate and balance in body, mind & spirit • Yoga – disciplined development of one’s spirit • Naturopathy – restore physical, mental, moral & spiritual balance • Unani – Hippocratic science for maintaining health • Siddha – return to health by knowledge of chemicals in foods & drugs • Homeopathy – treat diseases with remedies that produce similar symptoms in healthy people – “Likes are cured by likes” 120 - appleby

12. Understanding Health and Sickness • “Health or sickness depends on the presence or absence of a balanced state of the total body matrix including the balance between its different constituents.” • Both internal & external factors can cause disturbances in the natural balance • Loss of equilibrium can be caused by poor diet, undesirable habits and ignoring rules of healthy living • Treatment consists of restoring the balance of the disturbed body-mind matrix • regulating diet, correcting life-routine and behaviour, administration of drugs, detoxification, and strengthening the immune system 120 - appleby

13. Doshas are the 3 energies that govern the bodyAt conception, each person assumes a unique blend of the 5 great elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth)That unique blend, our individual body constitution,is a combination of the three doshasvata(ether + air), pitta (fire + water), and kapha (water + earth). If we know what doshasare dominant in us, we know what our balanced state should be;when the body goes out of balance we can use the opposite elements to bring us back to balance. 120 - appleby

14. Interested in knowing your dosha?Here are two series of questions (of many on the web) designed to help you figure this out: • http://heymonicab.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dosha-test.pdf • http://doshaquiz.chopra.com/ • Let’s look at one of them 120 - appleby

15. Consider the following 15 questions: • Write #1 to #15 on a sheet of paper • Beside each # indicate which answer best describes you, marking each with an a), b), or c) • Then total up the number of a)’s, b)’s and c)’s 120 - appleby

16. Vata dosha • Constituted by ether & air • Controls cell division, heart, breathing, elimination, the mind, and body functions involving movement & communication • Weakened by fear, grief, late nights, dry fruits, and eating before previous meal is digested • Manifested in skin conditions, neurological conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, anxiety, & insomnia 120 - appleby

17. Pitta dosha • Constituted by fire and water • Controls hormones, digestive system, and transformative functions • Weakened by anger, spicy or sour foods, fatigue, too much sun • Manifested in hypertension, heart disease, infectious diseases, and digestive conditions such as Crohn’s 120 - appleby

18. Kapha dosha • Constituted by water and earth • Controls growth, strength and immune function, bodily structure and cohesion • Weakened by greed, daytime naps, sweet foods, overeating, ingesting too much salt & water • Manifested by diabetes, cancer, obesity, and respiratory diseases such as asthma 120 - appleby

19. Secrets of Ayurveda(video clip – 7:18) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS41-iXuPnE 120 - appleby

20. Ayurvedic treatments • Diagnose person’s primary dosha and balance among doshas • Diet, behaviour, lifestyle, recent illnesses & symptoms, and resilience • Examine teeth & tongue, skin, eyes, weight, and general appearance • Analyse urine, stool, speech & voice, and pulse • Eliminate impurities, reduce symptoms, strengthen resilience, reduce anxiety, increase harmony & balance 120 - appleby

21. 4 Strategies for regaining health • Eliminate toxins & impurities (Panchakarma) • Cleanse digestive tract and respiratory system using enemas, massage, nasal sprays • Reduce symptoms • Exercise, stretching, breathing, massage, sun, dietary (herbs or restrictions), metals & minerals • Increase resistance • Tonics made with herbs, proteins, minerals and vitamins to improve digestions, increase appetite • Reduce worry, increase harmony • Nurture mental state (release negative emotions) and spiritual healing 120 - appleby

22. Diet • Vegetarian diet • Meat is “dead food” • Killing animals violates human duties to life • Ahimsa = non-injury, non-violence • God’s light dwells in animals as well as humans • Health benefits of vegetarian diet • Detoxification, cleansing & purification, increased resistance to disease 120 - appleby

23. Foods maintain or restore balance Foods are characterized by six tastes: • Sweet (sugar, milk, butter, rice, breads) • Sour (yogurt, lemon, cheese) • Salty (salt) • Pungent (spicy foods, peppers, ginger) • Bitter (green leafy vegetables) • Astringent (beans, walnuts) • e.g., pittadoshais reduced by sweet, bitter and astringent foods; increased by pungent, salty and sour foods 120 - appleby

24. Botanical Preparations • Used to balance doshas • Cleanse, purify, remove toxins, increase metabolism for digestion & elimination • Rejuvenation therapies repair tissues, reverse deterioration, delay aging processes, promote longevity • Stimulate resistance, promote vitality, increase stamina • Protect against predispositions for genetic diseases; lessen severity of illness Each change of season – detoxify and purify 120 - appleby

25. Safety and Efficacy • Limited scientific studies – need for well-designed research studies • Concerns about Ayurvedic therapies • Toxicity of preparations: both botanicals and minerals (especially mercury & lead) • With complex formulations, effective active ingredients are hard to identify • Possible negative interactions with multiple preparations or with pharmaceuticals 120 - appleby

26. According to Ayurvedic practitioners • Ayurveda excels at managing chronic conditions and degenerative disease • Western medicine excels at managing acute conditions • Health (Swatha) = experience of bliss • Doshasare balanced • Appetite and sleep are good • Tissues and organs are functioning well • Good elimination of toxins and digestive remains • Body, mind & senses are in a state of bliss 120 - appleby

27. Meditation • Meditation to achieve pure consciousness is central to maintaining health (www.yogaindailylife.org) • Vedas refer to a nonmaterial field of pure intelligence and consciousness which becomes manifest in the material universe through vibrational energy • Disease or illness is a manifestation of the loss of this unifield of pure consciousness. • Prevention & treatment of illness involves restoring or reconnecting one’s unity with pure consciousness 120 - appleby

28. Visiting an Ayurvedic Spa . . . The Panchakarma Procedure • Five actions used for cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness • Designed to cleanse the body’s deep tissues of toxins, open the subtle channels, bring life-enhancing energy, increase vitality, inner peace, confidence and well-being http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weHDT5I3aDM&feature=related (video clip – Pancha Karma at the California College of Ayurveda, 7:01) 120 - appleby

29. Toronto, Ontario • M4B 2T5 • Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Science • A 4-year degree http://iiacm.com/ 120 - appleby

30. World Health Organization “Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world's oldest medical systems. It originated in India and has evolved there over thousands of years. “Examples of whole medical systems include traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, and naturopathy “The aim of Ayurvedic medicine is to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit. This is believed to help prevent illness and promote wellness.” • “Traditional medicine (TM) refers to the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. • “Traditional medicine has been used for thousands of years with great contributions made by practitioners to human health, particularly as primary health care providers at the community level…Since the 1990s its use has surged in many developed and developing countries.” 120 - appleby