In 2010 the World Health Organisation commissioned a report on Training in Ayurveda document. It engaged with over 274 reviewers including experts and national authorities who provided advice on the Benchmarks for Training in Ayurveda.
In the last three decades there has been a huge surge in popularity of traditional medicines such as Ayurvedic medicine. It is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The World Health Organisation passed a resolution 2009 urging member states to establish systems for qualifying and accrediting practitioners of traditional medicines. The Benchmarks for Training was the result from the community of practitioners in each of the traditional disciplines, of what they considered to be reasonable practice in training professionals. They provided a reference point for actual practice.
Ayurveda is one of the oldest systems of medicine dating back to India around 2000 B.C. Ancient seers of India based their observations and experience to develop a unique system called Ayurveda, The Science of Life.
- Ayurveda derived from the Vedas, the compendium of ancient Indian knowledge
- RigVeda 2000 BC is the oldest recorded document on the use of plant medicine in India
- The original texts of Ayurveda in India are The Charaka Samhita, 1000 BC, and Sushruta Samhita, 1000BC
- While the western system of medicine was introduced into India by the British, Ayurvedic medicine made a resurgence and a five year degree course in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery was established in 1927.
- The Government of India published the Ayurvedic Formulary of India in 1970 which contains over 600 compound Ayurvedic formulations.
- The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India was published in 1999.
Traditional forms of teaching Ayurveda started with a master-disciple systems until the 7th century when it was institutionalised.
The definition of health according to Ayurveda is the state of equilibrium of doshas, (body humours), agni (digestive juices, enzymes, hormones), dhatus (7 body tissues) and malas (body waste material). Together with these aspects Ayurveda considers a state of atma or soul, indriya, (senory and motor organs), and manas (the mind).
The World Health Organisation Definition is Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. As one of the four main objectives of the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2005 was to support countries to integrate traditional medicine into their own health systems.
According to Ayurveda basic concepts and fundamental principles both the universe and the human body are made up of five elements, the elemental composition of the body is explained in the theory of dosha, dhatu and mala. The aim of Ayurveda is to bring a balance between the elements in the body for health and longevity.
Ayurvedic therapeutics are based on the doctrine of the three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These 3 doshas are the main supports of the body. For example, the activities of the nervous systems are governed by Vata, endocrine and exocrine glandular activities by Pitta and the musculoskeletal and anabolic systems by Kapha. The 7 dhatu basic tissues of the body are;
- Rasa, the nutritive elements constituting the end product of the GI tract (gastrointestinal digestion – chyle, lymph, tissue fluid)
- Rakta, blood
- Mansa, muscle tissue
- Medas, adipose tissue
- Asthi, cartilage and osseous tissue
- Majja, red bone marrow
- Shukra, reproductive elements
Ayurveda aims to bring balance of dosha, dhatu, malas (urine, sweat and faeces), patency of srotas, (channels), and a healthy state of the Agni. The agni corresponds to digestive juices, enzymes, hormones involved in digestion and metabolism.
To restore balance within the body depends on the use of medicines (dravya) or diet (ahara) in terms of various properties known as
- RASA – taste
- GUNA – properties detected by sense organs includes 10 pairs of contrasting characteristics – heavy(guru)/light(laghu); dull(manda)/sharp(tikshna); cold(skta)/hot(ushna); unctuous(snigdha)/non-uncturous(ruksha); smooth (slakshna)/rough(khara); immobile (sthira)/mobile (sara); soft (nridu)/hard (kathina); clear (visada)/slimy (picchila); solid (Sandra)/fluid (drava); bulky (sthula)fine (sukshma).
- VIRYA – potency of the medicine. There are 8 Viryas for the active Gunas that have 2 broad categories – Sita (cooling) and Ushna (heating).
- VIPAKA – is the state of the Rasa after digestion based on their actions. There are 3 Vipakas.. Sweet taste becomes madhura vipaka, sour and salty tastes become amla vipaka and pungent, bitter and astring tastes become katu vipaka.
- PRABHAVA – special property of some medicines which cannot be explained – such as honey
The three main causes of disease according to Ayurveda are
- Indiscriminate use of senses and their objects (Asatmyendriyartha Samyoga)
- Error of intellect resulting in a loss of discrimination between wholesome and unwholesome (Prajanparadha)
- Imbalance between seasonal variations and the effects of time (Parinama)
To assist diagnoses Ayurveda has 5 components of the pathology of a disease which include causative factors (nidana), subtle symptoms (purvarupa), signs and symptoms (rupa), pathogenesis or origin of disease (samprapti) and causes (upashaya). The 6 stages of understanding the origin of pathological state of the doshas that result in disease,are (1) accumulation (2) aggravation (3) overflowing (4) localisation (5) manifestation and (6) classification or dissolution) of doshas.
Treatment of disease is in one of 3 main ways.
- Avoidance of causative or provocative factors (nidana parivarjana)
- Purifying therapies (shodhana and panchakarma)
- Palliative therapies (shama)
In a state of health in Ayurveda, the equilibrium of the dhatus is preserved so disease is prevented. In a state of disease, treatment eliminates the imbalances between the doshas and the body is restored to balance. In preventing senility and related disorders Rasayana (rejuvenative) and Vajikaran (aphrodisiac) modalities are used to maintain equilibrium.
Some of the therapies used in Ayurvedic medicine include food (ahara), behaviour, conduct (achara), purification (samsodhana), rejuvenation (rasayana), oil (snehana), heavy sweating (svedana).
Finally, fundamental principles of Ayurveda cover the various schools of philosophy including relations of the universe and human being Ayur (life), Prakriti, Purusha and Manas, connection between Indriya (organs) and their Arhas (object), limitations of sensory perception, Dravya (substances/herb medicines) and theories of Panchamahabhutas (5 elements).
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