111 lines
4.7 KiB
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111 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
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Reflections on Ayurvedic Medicine
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Editor's note: This article is the first of a series, that will
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uncover and discuss the principles that govern Ayurvedic
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medicine. Ayurvedic physicians are renowned for their skilled use
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of medicinal plants and further articles in this series will
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expand upon this.
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Ayurveda, the science of life, has its origin in the Indian
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subcontinent. The main emphasis of Ayurvedic Medicine is to
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prevent loss of harmony in the person and to regain it if
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disharmony has occurred. From the dawn of history, dating back
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many thousands of years, Ayurveda has practised pharmacy, surgery
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and psychology.
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The principles of Ayurveda may be summarized as follows:
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1. Regulation of the daily regimen of life
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1.1 Elimination.
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1.2 Cleaning and washing. (Cleaning teeth and mouth, washing
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the body and the application of oil, care of the hair, beard,
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nails etc).
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1.3 Meals.
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Time when meals are to be taken.
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Drinking copious amount of clear water, (rain water being the
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best), after meals.
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Types of food - cereals, fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices. legumes
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and lentils and the best kinds of meats (eg) birds.
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1.4 Exercise, massage, baths, rest and sleep.
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1.5 Regulation of sexual intimacy. (eg) days and time etc.
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2. Diet
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Taste of food while eating. Taste during and after digestion are
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important. The potency of articles consumed and their food types.
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Food articles and their effect on the person are crucial for
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health, (eg) foods that upset the harmony of life are those
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producing excessive fermentation or flatulence; bitter taste in
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the mouth, after food or otherwise, is considered as a cardinal
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symptom; excessive secretion of phlegm. Diet changes are
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necessary according to the change of seasons.
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Diet must also be modified so as to be based on the constitution
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of the person.
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3. Clothing and footwear.
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Clean clothes and head dress and well fitting footwear are
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recommended. Jewels and garlands are known to have strengthening
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effects on the vital power of the person.
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4. Wholistic Health.
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Ayurvedic Medicine while emphasizing the importance of physical
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and mental health, deals with health in a comprehensive wholistic
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manner. Along with diet, exercise, rest etc, acquiring right and
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proper knowledge, temperance (self control) and mental
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concentration (meditation) are recommended. Mistakes of the mind
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include uncontrolled passion, expression of extremes of grief,
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anger, fear, pride, jealousy, stealing, feelings of attachment or
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solitude and an unruly tongue. Keeping company with people of
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virtuous life is important for health.
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5. Diagnosis
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Diagnosis mainly is made by observation, palpation, percussion
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and auscultation; pulse, respiration, the look of eyes, colour of
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skin, tone of voice, nature of bowel movement, urine (colour,
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smell, etc) taste and colour of tongue, and sleep are generally
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the main indicators of health and illness. The taking of a
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personal history is very important for proper diagnosis.
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6. Treatment
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Diseases are classified into curable and incurable. Curable ones
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are further grouped into curable by easy methods; neither easy
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nor difficult; or difficult methods.
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In the treating of disease, regimen of life and diet play an
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important part and work in conjunction with any drugs used.
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Medicines are prepared from the vegetable, animal and mineral
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kingdoms and are; (1) taken internally; (2) applied externally.
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Surgery is reserved for conditions which cannot be treated with
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medicine. Common surgical procedures used are excision, incision,
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puncture, drainage, extraction, suturing, correcting deformities
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and treating deviations due to injuries.
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Ref: Kutumbiah, P. Ancient Indian Medicine, Orient Longmans Ltd.,
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Bombay, India 1962, P. 130-143.
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Notes from my family records collected since my younger days.
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This Article is taken from The Herbalist, newsletter of the
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Canadian Herbal Research Society. COPYRIGHT June 1988.
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Membership in the Society is $25.00 Canadian per year. You
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receive four copies of the Journal each year and help to promote
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herbalism and botanic medicine throughout Canada.
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THE SOCIETY HAS NO PAID OFFICIALS and is run entirely by
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volunteers from among the membership.
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Why not call our BBS? Files available for download covering all
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aspects of holistic health and lifestyle. International e-mail
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service for holistic practitioners and those interested in
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complimentary/alternative therapies.
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If you have any files that you feel may be of interest to our
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users please feel free to upload them.
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Herbal Research Society BBS (416) 730-1702
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Canadian Herbal Research Society.
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P.O. Box 82. Stn. A.
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Willowdale, Ont. CANADA.
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M2N 5S7.
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(416) 730-8077 (voice)
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