Indians have inherited the unique knowledge of the human body, energy and spirit from their ancestors. They have also preserved the knowledge of various herbs, foods, therapies and physical activities that can help us stay young, beautiful and healthy for much longer. The peoples who nowadays inhabit the territories of Ancient India are numerous and extremely diverse. This has contributed to shape the unique local ancient traditional medicine, which has found a cure for even the most severe diseases that are a challenge for the modern methods of the Western science.
Dhanvantari is the virgin – goddess, who patronized the medicine and doctors in Ancient India. The power of Dhanvantari is praised in the Puranas – literary sources from Hindu texts that are considered to represent one of the most accurate sources of knowledge of life of some of the most ancient followers of Hinduism.
Ever since ancient times, Indians have known that our existence is an integral trinity between matter, spirit and vital forces – energies which are called “doshas” in the Ayurvedic science. The main energies are three: Vata, Pitta and Kapha dosha. They form the so-called constitution of the person, and these energies manifest in various combinations: Pitta-Kapha and Kapha-Pitta, Vata-Pitta and Pitta-Vata, Vata-Kapha and Kapha-Vata (depending on which of the two dominant doshas is more predominant), as sometimes all three doshas are in balance (synchronization between the three types of energies), and less often the energies manifest only in their pure form (Pitta, Kapha or Vata). These are also the different types that we can be in terms of our own constitution.
The balance of the doshas is very important. These energies manage various key aspects of our lives – our emotions and temperament, as well as things related to personal preferences such as foods we love to consume and whether these foods will be good or harmful to us, illnesses to which we will be predisposed and specific herbs that can help us heal ourselves. To a certain extent, these energies determine our appearance because every type of constitution in Ayurveda has specifics, for example, people with predominant Vata dosha are thinner and in better shape than people with predominant Kapha dosha.
Indian Ayurvedic teachers initially ask their patients questions and examine them thoroughly to identify their type of dosha and find the right remedy for their complaints.
The solutions of Ayurveda have many advantages. One of their biggest advantages is the almost complete absence of side effects, unlike most modern Western medicine remedies. At the same time, there are no contraindications to Ayurvedic medicines and therapies being used in parallel with conventional drug therapies. For this reason, many people suffering from more serious chronic and even incurable diseases turn to the wisdom of ancient Indian healers. For example, according to a number of studies, there are reports that Ayurveda massages can be beneficial for patients with poliomyelitis. Patients with various types of cancer experience better healing with the help of Indian medicine combined with chemotherapy compared to patients relying only on conventional treatment. In addition to the prescribed treatment that includes specific herbs, massages, meditation, etc., for a number of diseases, the most important thing is the diet – sufficient food (in moderate quantities), program with physical activities and a healthy lifestyle in general. As all of this often results in a smooth and rather effective weight loss, many people turn to this science precisely in seeking this effect. Ayurveda has actually gained particular popularity over the last century, thanks to the thousands of weight loss programs based on the principles of this ancient science.
In modern India, as well as in the US and around the world, a number of centers, faculties, as well as entire colleges, universities and institutes are working towards the goal to explore the vast Ayurvedic sources as well as to find new discoveries in the area and to expand the dimensions of knowledge and treatment options for millions of patients worldwide.
