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Ayurveda FAQ |
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Ayurveda FAQ |
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Ayurveda FAQDoes Ayurveda advocate vegetarianism?The classical texts describe three types of diets- saatvik, rajasik
and tamasik, the saatvik diet consists of leafy vegetable, fresh fruits,
milk, curd, butter, honey and so on. The rajasik diet consists of
hot and pungent foods meat, beans and so on. This is suitable only
for those who engage in heavy physical work. A tamasik diet includes
fermented and highly spiced foods, curd, wines and so on and is considered
harmful to health. Does Ayurveda have beauty treatments ?In Ayurveda, beauty is not just about carefully applied makeup or well manicured nails. Though there are various herbs to improve the texture of the skin and hair, beauty, according to Ayurveda, is the result of a radiant inner self. The radiance is caused by a healthy Ojas , the subtle quality of vigour or vitality. Which is the superfine essence of the seven dhatus. Why aren’t ayurvedic medicines standardized ?Ayurvedic medicines are not manufactured as per any of the standards that apply to allopathic medicines. Moreover, treatment of diseases in Ayurveda is more patient oriented than disease oriented and lays emphasis on the humoral aspect of the patient both in diagnosis and treatment, the patient is an unstandardizable entity in various aspects such as his prakruti (constitution), food habits, dinacharya (daily routine) and so on besides, it is the patient’s interpretation of the disease that determines the therapy as such the scope of having standardized drugs is limited though researches in the field are going on. What is the ayurvedic approach to prevention of diseases ?Traditional societies did not need a specialized approach for prevention of diseases. As such, the concept of pathogenesis in Ayurveda is basically different from theat of modern medical science. Ayurveda defines health as the state in which the dhatus are in equilibrium if this is disturbed disease is caused. Therefore the prevention of vitiation of the doshas (humors) is the first step in prevention of diseases, whether agantu( exogenous), nija ( endogenous) or manasa( mental) in nature. Why are most ayurvedic treatments time consuming ?Toxins (amam) that accumulate in the human body take a long time to manifest as some disease, in the meantime, our body and mind get somewhat habituated to them. Removal of these at one go. Like the surgical removal of a tumour, is practically impossible besides, it would also go against the wisdom of the body according to which the immune system works. This is why a comparatively lengthy purvakarma – pradhanakarma – paschatkarma mode of therapy has been designed for the elimination of disease causing factors. Does Ayurveda have antibiotics ?Antibiotics are substances derived from microorganisms to destroy harmful microorganisms, usually disease causing bacteria or fungi. There are no anibiotic drugs in Ayurveda as the term denotes in modern medicine. But the active principles of some herbs, which produce the same effects as antibiotics are used in the formulation of ayurvedic drugs. Thus infectious diseases ( krimiroga) which are exogenous ( agantu) were effectively treated even in the pre antibiotic period. But unlike antibiotics, these drugs helped the patient to develop resistance against the pathogens and were not intended to attack them. Does Ayurveda have treatment for poisoning ?Agadatantra ( toxicology), one of the eight branches of Ayurveda, is a well developed science. The charaka samhita describes treatments for the poisonous bites of snakes, scorpions, rats, spiders and so on and also lists 21 types of vegetable poisions. What is the average shelf life of an ayurvedic drug ?The classical texts mention certain general principles about the shelf life of various types of drugs. For example, pills can be stored for nearly a year without any loss in potency, ghritas and tailas are to be used within two months, however the potency of asavas, which are alcoholic extracts, increases over a specific period of time. Do Ayurvedic drugs have side effects ?Ayurvedic drugs cause neither side effects nor physical or psychological dependance. This is why ayurvedic treatment is termed shuddhachikitsa – ‘ a genuine treatment ‘. To quote vagbhata, the author of ashtanga hrudaya Prayoga: shamayedvadhim Yonyamanyamudeerayet Naason vishudha: shudhastu Shamayena prakopayet. What are the kinds of restrictions associated with ayurvedic treatment ?Pathya is the term to denote the diet regimen that forms and integral
part of most treatments. For the proper assimilation of drugs as well
as food the patient is advised to follow a new daily routine while
undergoing treatment. A diet that might cause the opposite effect
of the drug taken is to be avoided and that which increases the potency
of the drug. To be followed. Since the drug-diet interaction is considered
a significant factor, the physician decides on a suitable pathya after
considering various factors like the nature of the illness, the constitution
of the patient, his tolerance to various regimens and so on.
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