India has been practicing this holistic type of medicine for thousands of years (5000 year-old system). Most recently, western societies are using ayurvedic medicine as an alternative to traditional medical practices. Ayurveda medicine is based on prevention rather than on treatment of diseases and ailments. It is a more holistic approach to human health. It is a millenary science based on tradition and it is claimed to have many herbal preparations for curing disease.
Ayurveda medicine is based on balancing three natural elements within the human body (in fact in nature): spirit, bile, and phlegm. These are god given forces (doshas) that act within our bodies and they should be in correct balance for good health. Ayurvedic medicine believes that people should eat right, have a good metabolism and excrete properly. To accomplish this there is a complete set of dietary recommendations as well as the incorporation of exercise, massages, meditation and yoga. In Ayurveda, prevention is the key to good health.
More specifically, Ayurveda has some basic principles: 1) Each person has a unique set of doshas (personality plays a key role in dosha determination), which should be balanced properly 2) Dosha imbalances may come from bad nutrition, lack of exercise, or influence of external agent to humans (chemicals, environment, etc) 3) The Ayurvedic treatment goal is to balance doshas by eliminating impurities from the body, increase harmony, reduce symptoms by using yoga, herbs, massage, etc, and minimize mental imbalances.
Naturally, we westerners would be skeptical to such an alternative approach. However, there have been many scientific reports on aspects of Ayurveda medicine. For example, in a recent study, research found that curcumin (the main component of turmeric herb) has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. In another report, Tildesley et al. (2003) found that Spanish sage has improving effects on memory retention. There are hundreds of reports that give “scientific” validation to Ayurveda although Ayurveda has not been completely tested.
Chopra on Ayurveda
Aggarwal B.B., et al. 2007. Curcumin: the Indian solid gold. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 595: 1–75.
Tildesley N.T. et al. 2003. Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage) enhances memory in healthy young volunteers". Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 75 (3): 669–74.