In today’s times everyone seeks better health and longevity with a holistic approach. So, how can one achieve this? The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda – a healing system that concentrates on balancing the mind, body, and spirit to encourage complete wellness is the answer to this.
To understand more about the true nature of this ancient healing science, Ayurvedic physician, author and teacher with more than 40 years of experience, Dr. Vasant Lad was invited as a guest on The Navhind Times, talk show, Talk from the Heart which aired on the Goa 365 channel.
Lad who served for three years as Medical Director of the Ayurveda Hospital in Pune was also the Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Pune University College of Ayurvedic Medicine for fifteen years. In 1984 he founded the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, USA and is at present the principal instructor and Director of the institute.
Ayurveda is often referred to as the ‘Mother of All Healing‘ and expounding on the basic concept of this science, Lad said, “Ayurveda is the ‘Science / Knowledge of Life’ and life is a tripod based on the relationship between body, mind and consciousness in intimate relationship with everything else in the cosmos- material and non material. According to Ayurveda every individual is indivisible and total with a unique blueprint. At the time of conception the vata, pitha and kappa from both parents contribute to the prakruti or psycho-physiology of an individual. Ayurveda is a wonderful science that speaks about the prakruti and vikruti paradigm.” He further explained how our traits can be identified as per our dosha which is derived from the five elements. “Vata (space and air) governs movement, pitta (fire and water) regulates metabolism and kapha (earth and water) manages assimilation in the body. These are dynamic energies, constantly responding to a person’s thoughts, emotions, environment and actions,” he said. Highlighting the role of awareness and knowing your constitution as the keys to remaining healthy, he added, “These can help you to remain alert to how your mind, body, and emotions respond to the changing conditions in your environment and the numerous facets of your daily life, such as the food you eat, etcetera.“
The first step in any treatment is diagnosis and in Ayurveda, diagnosis is done through nadi pariksha. Demonstrating how this pulse examination is done to determine a person’s prakruti and vikruti, he said, “This technique is an art and a science and can accurately diagnose diseases and dosha imbalances.“
One of the common treatments in Ayurveda is Panchakarma a cleansing and rejuvenating programme. Elaboration this treatment, Lad explained, “Panchakarma means five treatments or actions and is done individually for each person with their specific constitution and specific disorder in mind, thus it requires close observation and supervision. Treatment starts with pre-purification measures of Snehan (oil massage) and Svedana (sudation or sweating), and then cleansing methods – Shodanas, are applied.“
He also spoke extensively on various ghees and oils and their uses and benefits. “When we use ghee in our diet, it will improve ojas-vigour, cellular intelligence – tejas and even the intercellular communication. Ghee maintains psycho-neuro immunological response besides the other benefits.” Herbs too play an important role in Ayurvedic treatments and are thought to protect the body from disease and offer a variety of health benefits, including improved digestion and mental health. Lad gave tips as to the herbs to be used for various conditions and how to use the same.
