Conclusion:
Ayurveda is comprised of āyus, meaning‘ life’ and veda, meaning‘ science.’ As the name suggests, Ayurveda is the science of life, encompassing all aspects of our being to address underlying disease to help relieve symptoms, prevent or eradicate disease and achieve optimal health in our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual planes.
In Ayurveda, food is medicine and can impact your overall health. The whole food and not just its constituents are considered as having beneficial or harmful effects, particularly when it comes to an individual’ s dominant dosha( s). Good digestion is a key aspect in Ayurvedic thinking. When food is poorly digested there will be an accumulation of toxins( agni) in the body that will make it less efficient.
To find your personal balance one must take into account your dosha or body type( prakriti). We are born with a particular dosha( vata, pitta and kapha) in which one or more of the three is dominant. In Ayurveda, dosha is a unique concept based on the five-element theory. Each dosha is a combination of one of these five elements: ether, air, fire, water or earth. Each element expresses different characteristics. Determining your dosha will allow you to create balance in your mind, body, and spirit, thus allowing you to achieve optimal wellness. Vata = ether + air Pitta = fire + water Kapha = water + earth
Potential Ayurvedic treatments to balance your dosha / doshas may include dietary changes, breathing, exercise, yoga, proper sleep, relationship and emotional balance, and / or herbal remedy recommendations.
Conclusion:
What are common contributors that may lead to states of imbalance? These are vast and range anywhere from infection, to loss of a loved one. People also have many toxic relationships in their lives. A lot of people’ s jobs are unfulfilling and / or they’ re over worked.
I see a number of patient’ s that have extremely poor eating habits, don’ t exercise and have inadequate sleep routines, all further compounding states of imbalance.
For the most part, medicine attempts to address the pathology, while neglecting the underlying physiology. Naturopathic, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines tend to not only address the pathology, but also help to correct and optimize the physiology and psychology of the individual, thereby leading to better health outcomes.
Again, imbalance is much more apparent, while balance is much more subjective. Besides the aforementioned basics of achieving balance, what achieves balance for one, may not for another. The key is to find the combinations that bring one to that inner state of peace and contentment, and balance will come.
Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born is a licensed Naturopathic Physician in Connecticut, and is an active member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Summer 2013 THE PINK PAPER
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