Ayurveda Medicine

Description

• Preventative and Curative Aspects

• Advice on aspects of daily life

– Cleaning teeth

– Diet

– Exercise and regimen

Definition

• Ayurveda can be translated from Sanskrit as

the “knowledge or science of life.”

• It is called ‘ayurveda’ because it tells us

(vedayati) which substances,qualities, and

actions are life enhancing and (aursuya)

which are not.

Focus

• Ayurvedic medicine focuses on achieving

optimal health through the integration of

mind and body with nature

Treatments

• Designed for the needs of each individual

and include:

• yoga, meditation & breathing exercises

• diet

• internal cleansings

• herbal preparations

• aromatherapy

• massage

Treatments

• Practitioners are also familiar with:

• Climatolgy

• Psychology

• Astrology

• Gem therapy

• Sound therapy

• Color therapy

History

• Ayurveda is possibly the oldest medical

system in the world

• It originated in the Indus River Valley

approximately 5,000 years ago

Indus Age

• Population was nature-oriented

• Agriculture provided a stable economy

• Trade flourished

• Merchant class ruled

• Urbanized & sophisticated culture

• City-states shared a pictographic script &

system of weights and measures

Indus Age

• Well developed sewage system and bathing

facilities led to sanitary conditions and

literature of the time reveals a strong

emphasis on hygiene

• During this time the wise sages gathered in

the foothills of the Himalayas and directed

their attention to disease and its

consequences for humanity

Indus Age

• They left civilization to gain the peace and

serenity they needed for their group

meditation and to attain the knowledge they

sought

• This is where Ayurveda began

Vedic Age

• Early Aryans were semi-nomadic

• Kept large herds of cattle

• Engaged in agriculture

• Religion was nature based

• No temples, prayers consisted of mantras

• No awareness of caste

Vedic Age

• People rather than land were considered the

society’s strength

• Warriors ruled society and priests

performed rituals for protection

• The first of the four Vedas, the Rig Veda

was believed to have been composed during

this time

The Vedas

• Described the origin of the universe

• Described the natural world

• Described the human race

• Described the social order

Rig Veda

• Collection of more than 1,000 poetic hymns

• Provides the basic concepts for all the other

Vedas

• Contains most aspects of Vedic science

– Yoga

– Meditation

– Mantra

– Ayurveda

Other Vedas

• Sama Veda - puts musical chant to the Rig

Veda hymns

• Yazur Veda - deals with yoga rituals and

sacrifices for purifying the mind and

awakening consciousness

• Atharva Veda - literature containing chants

and incantations to ward off evil,

misfortune, and disease

All Vedas Have Two Parts

• The mantra - consists of prayer and praise

to the Absolute

• The brahmana - a set of detailed directions

to follow in the ceremonies at which the

mantras were used

Other Components of Vedas

• Anranyakas - secret & mystical

explanations of the rituals

• The Upanishads - the basic philosophical

tenets of Ayurveda

Earliest Texts

• Caraka Samhita

– English translation is over 1,000 pages

• Susruta Samhita

– English translation is over 1,700 pages

• Bhela Samhita

– Not yet translated

• The Sanskrit word samhita means

’compendium’

Basic Tenets of Chraka

• Chraka contains classifications of diseases

• Sections related to:

– herbs

– nutrition

– embryology & anatomy

Basic Tenets of Susruta

• Susruta contain descriptive surgical

techniques:

– eye surgery

– removal of foreign bodies

– plastic surgery on the face

Eight Specialties in the

Samhitas

• Internal medicine

• Pediatrics

• Psychological medicine

• Ophthalmology

• General & Specialized Surgery

• Toxicology

• Geriatrics

• Eugenics and Aphrodisiacs

Indicators of Good Health

• All 3 doshas are in balance

• All bodily tissues are functioning properly

• All 5 senses are functioning normally

• Normal elimination of waste products

• The channels of the body are unimpeded

• Perfect harmony of min, body and

consciousnes, individual is happy

Samhitas

• Chraka - Associated with Northwest India

• Susruta - Composed in Benares

• Exact date of compositions not known

• May date back to the time of Buddha (4th

century BC)

• Sanskrit texts available today represent

work of the latter Ist millennium AD

Samhitas

• Chraka & Susruta considered cornerstone

texts of Ayurveda

• The texts explicitly state that they have been

edited, supplemented,and partially rewritten

by later authors

Samhitas

• Chraka popular in Northern India

• Susruta popular in Southern India

• Reasons - geographical distribution of

surviving manuscripts, and by the location

of surviving living traditions of orally

transmitted medical literature

Medicines found in Samhitas

• An array of animal vegetable, and mineral

substances

– Animal - the urine, milk, flesh, fat, and blood of

several animals such as horses, goats,

elephants, camels, cows, and sheep

– Plants - the seeds, flowers, fruit, tree bark, and

leaves

– Mineral - various gems, silver, copper, salt,

clay, tin , lead, gold, and sulphur

Chraka Oath of Initiation

• Comparable to Hippocratic Oath

• Rite of Initiation

– live a celibate life

– speak the truth

– eat a vegetarian diet

– total confidentiality of privileged information

– work night & day for relief of his patients

– Be free of envy and never carry firearms

Chraka Oath of Initiation • Rite of Initiation

– complete subjugation to his teacher, except

where this would be in conflict with higher

ethical values

– never desert or take sexual advantage of

patients

– with hold treatment from enemies of the king,

generally wicked people & women unattended

by husbands or guardians

– visited patients’ homes with an acquaintance

Theoretical Foundation

• Based on a doctrine of 3 bodily humors

– wind

– bile

– phlegm

• Theory is comparable to Hippocrates and

Galen

• Medicines are mainly herbal

Emphasis on Moderation

• Intake of food

• Sleep

• Exercise

• Sex

• Dosage of Medicines

• It is important to stay within the limits of

reasonable measure and balance

In Practice

• Diagnostic & practical aspects depended on

through knowledge of Sanskrit texts

• Memorization of large amounts of material

and verse associated with the 3 humors

• Examining patient and their symptoms

recalled verses that encapsulated the

condition confronting him

In Practice

• These triggered further recollection of

verses and presented a prognosis and

treatment

• A wide range of substances,qualities, and

actions offered the Ayurvedic physician an

excellent combination of freedom to act and

structure within which to exercise choice

In Practice

• To be good at Ayurveda required years of

training

• Required native intelligence and sensitivity

• Physicians were judged by reputation alone

• Sanskrit literature contains satrical passage

about ill-qualified practioners

Susruta Samhita & Surgery

• Extensive chapters on surgery

• Describes how surgeons should be trained

• Tells exactly how to perform operations

• Claims surgery is most effective of 8

branches of medical knowledge

• Little evidence of these practices persisted

beyond the time of the text

Decline of Surgery

• Some may have existed as caste skills,

separated from mainstream Ayurvedic

practice

• Surgical instruments did not survive

• Later literature shows no evidence of

procedures performed by Susruta

• Caste taboos forbidding physical contact

Decline of Surgery

• Examination of pulse and urine gained

popularity

• Massage therapies gained popularity

• Evidence seems to indicate that early

surgical practices were an isolated

phenomenon

The Practice of Ayurveda

• A good physician tries to first discover a

patient’s strengths before looking for

weakness, hoping to use the former to

counteract the later

• All physicians must constantly radiated

curative energy toward their patients

• Faith & hope must be continually reinforced

by physician

Doshas

• Ayurvedic medicine takes into

consideration the different mind/body types

based on the three doshas within the body

• Vatta - principle of movement

• Pitta -heat & metabolism

• Kapha - structure & solidity

Ayurvedic Assessment

• Assessment of patient

• Assessment of disease

• Areas examined

– pulse

– site of disease

– digestion

– general metabolism

– eyes & tongue

– tactile response

Other Considerations

• Age

• Gender

• Dietary habits

• The season