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Authors
Anupama Kizhakkeveettil, Jayagopal Parla, Kishor Patwardhan, Aanchal Sharma, Swati Sharma
Abstract
Ayurveda, India’s traditional healthcare system, originated more than 5,000 years ago. Originally transmitted orally, Ayurveda’s earliest concepts were first recorded during Vedic period. Documented history available today from the Indian subcontinent dates 3,500 years and those references suggests that the oral tradition of Ayurveda is much older. Ayurveda is considered as a time-tested system of healthcare which reflects applied aspects of human life. This health care system incorporates the physical, psychological, spiritual, social, and subtle dimensions of life as well as bringing balance in life by health promotion and wellness care, prevention, and management of diseases. This comprehensive system of traditional medicine mainly focuses on bringing optimum quality of life.Ayurveda Medicine explains building a healthy community, by making individual person responsible and actively participating in the process of health maintenance and health promoting actions through various lifestyle practices. Ayurvedic Medicine utilizes various interventions such as medications including herbs, detoxification therapies, body work therapies, rejuvenation therapies, diet, yoga/exercise, daily routine, seasonal routine, self, inter-personal and social perspective conduct.
Ayurveda has an age-old history since the Vedic period and Ayurveda textbooks were composed somewhere between 4 th century BCE and 2 nd century AD. Ayurveda Medicine, evolved as a system of medicine with a rational and logical foundation. During the 6 th century BC to 7 th century AD there was systematic development of this science and that period is considered as Samhita period. Major literary work developed during this period. The current status of Ayurveda in countries outside India is reflected in its increasing visibility globally. While these traditional Indian life science applications have been enthusiastically embraced in many Western countries, most Westerners have yet to realize the value of Ayurveda as a medical system whose scope encompasses the prevention, treatment,and management of a plethora of diseases. The World Health Organization has played a key role in spreading Ayurvedic knowledge worldwide. The traditional health systems that are officially recognized in India include Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, and so on, which are represented by the acronym AYUSH. AYUSH systems have been absorbed into the national healthcare delivery system in India and play a major role in development of Ayurveda nationally and internationally. Since few decades, there has been increased awareness in Ayurveda happening globally. But there is an urgent need for strategic planning to address certain challenges. The advancement of Ayurvedic Medicine both within and beyond India will require a multi-pronged effort to align it with contemporary evidence-based medicine. Pharmaco-epidemiologic studies documenting its safety and effectiveness and new clinical processes, research protocols, and whole system treatment regimens are needed. As one of the oldest traditional health care system that pioneered a holistic,personalized approach to medicine that has thrived for thousands of years, Ayurveda promises to play an innovative, dynamic, and highly-valued role in the continued evolution of integrative healthcare. This chapter provides comprehensive overview of basic foundational concepts in Ayurvedic Medicine including historical background, and present status of Ayurveda in India and other foreign countries.
Keywords
Ayurveda Medicine, Indian Traditional Medicine, Holistic Healing, herbal medicine, lifestyle medicine, evidence based complementary and alternative medicine
Introduction
Ayurveda, India’s indigenous medical system, has flourished on the Indian subcontinent for more than 5,000 years. Originally transmitted orally, Ayurveda’s earliest concepts were first recorded during the Vedic period in the ancient Sanskrit scriptures known as the Vedas. Ayurveda is most closely associated with the fourth book of the Vedic canon, the Atharva Veda. The classical Ayurvedic textbooks that emerged in subsequent eras refined and built on these ideas, developing the fundamentals of eight branches of clinical science (i.e., internal medicine, pediatrics, toxicology,psychiatry, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, rejuvenation, and sexual vitality). Ayurveda is considered one of the world’s oldest medical system delivering personalized health care.
This holistic approach to healing that evolved from these origins relies on natural remedies —including medicinal plants and minerals, exercise, lifestyle modifications, and bodywork and detoxification therapies — to optimize health and manage disease. Ayurveda strongly advocates the pursuit of physical, mental and spiritual well-being through self-discipline and strict adherence to a code of good conduct and to proper diet, exercise, and daily living routines. As a traditional medical model that still prevails in India and many other regions of Asia, Ayurveda offers patients preventative and therapeutic strategies that are individualized according to their unique constitution and their current and long-term health needs. Ayurveda’s purpose extends beyond providing this customized approach to healthcare to serving as a source of guidance on how to live a long, healthy, happy, and peaceful life. This intention is captured in the word Ayurveda, which means “science/knowledge of life”. That science lays out the principles of harmonious living and being in tune with nature, our individual consciousness, universal consciousness, our environment, and our individual constitution.Ayurveda aims at the prevention of diseases, promotion of health and cure of diseases. Ayurveda is not just a system of medicine but deals with all the aspects of life. Ayurveda, as a system of health care and medicine, reflects time-tested knowledge of health and illness during a human life span for leading healthy, happy and peaceful life. It is still widely used in India as a system of primary health care and interest in it is growing globally.