Ayurveda aims for a holistic man with sharp intellect which can pierce in to the hidden truths of nature, and a heart concerned about the fellow beings, well supported with a physical efficiency to perform duties properly.

Ayurveda considers man as an integral part of Mother Nature. Therefore the laws of nature are very well applicable for him also. Ancient philosophy which ponders the “secret of life and beyond” gives prime importance for health. It has understood the need of longevity and effectiveness to attain the supreme goal. The most ancient scriptures and the reference point of Indian life are Vedas. Ayurveda is an offshoot of Vedas. The umbilical cord connection of Ayurveda with the Vedas explains its strong philosophical basement. Earlier Ayurveda was taught in Gurukulas where the disciples stay serving their guru learning both theory and practical of life in a very organic way.

Broadly Ayurveda is divided into two different school of thoughts, namely Charaka and Dhanwantari schools. The former stresses the importance of medicine where as the later gives importance for the surgical interventions. The prominent surgeon of the Dhanwantari School, Susrutha is considered as the” father of surgery”. Both the schools agree on the number of specialties as eight but differ in priorities. They are Kayachikitsa, Bala chikitsa, Manasika chikitsa, Urdhwanga chikitsa, Salya chikitsa, Visha chikitsa. Rasayana &Vajeekarana.

Over and above the difference of opinion in the modalities of treatment everyone agrees the basics. The two major theories that drive Ayurveda are the Panchamahabhoota theory and the Tridosha theory. Tridosha theory is the derivative of the former to explain the bodily situations. The Panchabootha theory postulate the major constituents of the world are five in number and all the things, living and non living are but the combination and recombination of these five basic elements. The five elements are earth, water, fire, air, and space. Obviously human body is also formed by the five elements. This universality of constitution is the basis of treatment. Any imbalance in the basic constitution of the body can lead to disease and can be rectified by using appropriate material with the required Panchabootha combination. The Tridosha theory is the bodily version of the Panchabootha theory where the Tridosha – vata, pitta, and kapha represent the panchabhootas. The biological factors that constitute the body- Tridosha, when remain in equilibrium is health and the derangement leads to disease. The balance is maintained dynamically by intelligently adjusting to the changes happening around. It has to be done on personal level and social level. Individual can take care of the food he consume, judicious balance of rest and work, and the emotions to ensure the Tridosha balance.

In addition, authorities should take care to provide a healthy environment. Ayurveda clearly states the connection of bad governance and the deterioration of health of masses. Good environmental awareness is essential for a healthy society. Guard against epidemics, natural calamities like famine, flood, drought etc are essentially man made. Ayurveda blames the responsibility on the governance there by not leaving any area unnoticed which has any bearing on health – direct or indirect. The duty of society to protect the environment by preventing pollution and by planting trees in large scale is the need of the hour. Being an integral part of the nature any harm to nature will harm man’s very existence.

The prime effort of Ayurveda is to ensure health. The preventive aspects are described in great detail. The daily regimen and seasonal regimen are mentioned separately. Promotive medicine is another major area where Ayurveda has greater say. The rejuvenative and aphrodisiac treatments cater this need. Finally, in the curative domain, the etiology is analyzed and the imbalance it has created is evaluated before deciding the mode of treatment. The cardinal reasons for all diseases are the derailed intellect, weak will, and impaired memory together is termed as Pranjaparadha. To conceive the right practice of health one need clear intellect. To put them in to practice one need a strong will. To avoid the wrong doings of the past, memory has to be intact. So Pranjaparadha remains the reason behind all the reasons that cause diseases. Apart from this, environmental and genetical reasons of disease are also recognized by Ayurveda.

In all diseases in spite of varying reasons, the basic reason is the imbalance of Tridosha and the treatment principle is to bring back the normalcy. The disease can manifest as somatic, psychiatric, or psycho somatic. The balance is achieved by internal purification, external treatment modalities, administering medicine internally and also using holistic methods addressing both body and mind. It ranges from pancha karma, Rasayana, Yoga, meditation and so on.

Panchakarma is a unique treatment package which is meant to cleanse both body and mind. They are emesis, purgation, enema, nasal medication, and bloodletting.

Rasayana is the rejuvenative therapy which delays aging, provides immunity, enhances memory and increases sensory perception.

Personal health is the sum total of good food, good regimen, good emotions and good environment.

Ayurveda elaborate the science of diet stating the pros and cons of different food items. The quantity and quality of food is instructed. Ayurveda warns against the improper combination of food stuffs in detail and enlist the diseases it can cause.

About exercise, sleep, and sex, Ayurveda gives clear guidelines. The timings and frequency have to be adjusted according to the seasonal variations. Six seasons have been identified in the Indian context and detailed seasonal regimens are given along with the method of changing one regimen to another in a gradual smooth manner. This helps to prevent seasonal disease and position the body against the seasonal variations.

Ayurveda has some of the best answers for degenerative disorders, immune disorders, life style disorders and psychic disorders. Life disorders like coronary heart diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, acid peptic diseases and cancer can be better managed by Ayurveda. The psychic diseases and stress related conditions can be managed by the cleansing methods, other external and internal medications and counseling.

Ayurveda rep

Sanveer Rajkumar, 23, was a car-racing champion in South Africa. A person of Indian origin, he was enjoying every second of his life by racing towards new horizons. Until destiny razed all his ambitions to the ground.

On February 23, 2008, Sanveer was returning to his Johannesburg home in his car when armed robbers stopped him. Their demand was simple: leave the car with them. A demand he could little approve. A scuffle ensued and the robbers shot at him. The injury on the head was near fatal. Though surgeons in a local hospital removed the bullets stuck in his head, he continued to be a vegetable.

He remained in the ICU for four months but little changed. His memory screen blanked out for months. He was not able even to blink his eyes or move his hands. Sanveer’s family had little hope left on his return to his normal active life.

It was then that a family friend of them, who had taken treatment for multiple sclerosis at Punarnava Ayurveda Hospital in Kochi, India, suggested that they try Ayurveda. As a last resort Bijili Rajkumar, Sanveer’s mother, decided to go by the advice. That decision turned luck in his favour. Bijli, who was running a profitable business, left it and chose to accompany her son to Kerala.

Dr Anvar’s experience  “I was hesitant to take up the case as Sanveer was in a serious condition,” Dr A M Anvar, Chairman and Managing Director, Punarnavasaid. “But Sanveer’s mother’s words, when she, along with Sanveer and his family members, came to meet me on 30, January 2009, changed my mind. She said: ‘Whether the result is positive or negative, you should go ahead. I hope Ayurveda can do it.’ These words lifted my confidence level.”

There were many tubes such as Folley’s catheter and other ones used in gastrostomy, trachostomy. That Sanveer had regular fits made the condition more difficult to tackle in the initial stages. Dr Anvar started off giving some special combinations of Ayurvedic medicines and brought it under control.

First stage

The treatment started with a special treatment for the head (thalam) using a tablet (marma gulika) to stimulate the body. In the next two weeks, the doctor administered two medicinal concoctions (amruthotharam kashayam and alaajeerakaadi kashayam) along with fumigation. The other treatments included administration of a medicine prepared by boiling and fermenting different pulses and cereals (dhanyaamlam), oil massage and bath (abhyangam) and continuous pouring of milk onto the affected parts (ksheeradhara) with a special combination of herbs and oil.

The treatments started showing results: Sanveer slowly tried to move his eyes, tears started rolling down his cheeks.

“Since Sanveer was able to withstand mild line of therapies we did massaging with sachets containing medicinal mixture dipped in medicinal solutions (Njavarakizhi) and oil bath with sahacharadi oil in the second stage.” After this, Sanveer was able to move his hands and sit. “Then I witnessed a challenging condition – Sanveer’s BP used to drop while sitting. To counter this I prescribed siddhamakaradhwajam by mixing drops of betel leaf juice. And it worked.”

Sanveer got tremendous improvement after mamsa kizhi (in which sachets containing animal meat is used), different kinds of enema such as mathra vasti, dhanwantharam vasti etc were perfomed. He could then move his neck and take his mobile phone. All these happened during a 60-day treatment course.

“Once his condition improved to this stage, I advised them to return home and come back after six months,” Dr Anvar said.

After discharge, they came after six months. By this time, he had begun to eat fruits such as banana and could walk to the bathroom with the aid of others.

He underwent a second course of treatment from 20, November 2009. With the 30-day treatment, his memory improved. Sanveer recollected some phone numbers of his friends and wrote them. Besides, he ate food without the aid of others. A remarkable change!

Though Sanveer has not started speaking, his family members are hopeful. “I thank Ayurveda that my son is making steady progress,” said Bijli. “The hospital gave him the best treatment and us, the best hospitality.”

“I’m very confident that Ayurveda can manage trauma and accident-like conditions,” Dr Anvar said. “However, it should be ensured that there is an emergency management team to handle it. Modern equipment and skilled physicians are also vital.”

Sanveer was almost like a vegetable when he landed in India for Ayurveda treatment.

Today, he hopes to go back to his normal life.

Sanveer’s family had little hope left on his return to normal life. It was then that a family friend, who had taken treatment for multiple sclerosis at Punarnava Ayurveda Hospital in Kochi, India, suggested that they try Ayurveda.

Article By: K Govindan Nampoothiry

Article From: Ayurveda International