Ayurveda's definition of health

In Ayurveda, 'svastha', the Sanskrit word for perfect health is defined as "a balance between body, mind, spirit and social well being". Ayurveda has a holistic approach to health and believes that restoring balance between our mental, physical and spiritual side is essential to be healthy. For instance, there can be no physical health without mental or spiritual health and vice versa. This balance is not only internal but also external. External balance is the balance between the individual and the environment. Hence, it emphasizes on a balanced relationship with nature on one side and the people around us on the other.
Basic tenants include:

• All things in the universe (both living and nonliving) are linked together. In fact, everything in the universe is actually made of the same five natural elements: space, air, fire, water and earth.
• There is a deep connection between the self and the environment and harmony between the two is essential for living a healthy life.
• Disharmony between our mental, physical and spiritual self leads to sickness.
• Our lifestyle choices are important. Our choices in areas like diet, exercise, profession and relationships etc have the potential to create physical, emotional or spiritual imbalances making us more susceptible to disease.

Thus Ayurveda places responsibility of one's health on oneself. It is not simply about taking herbal concoctions and treatments and encourages you to be an active participant in your own journey toward healing.

Theory of Five Elements (Panchamahabhoota)

Ayurveda views the human body as an evolutionary wonder no different from the rest of the universe. According to this theory all matter in this universe is composed of five basic elements - the Pancha Mahabhootas, namely Earth (prithvi), Water (jala), Fire (agni), Air (vayu) and Space (akasha). These elements are the building blocks of our world and can be found in everything around us in varying proportions. They combine in unique ways to create different environments and a wide variety of flora and fauna including human beings. The ancient Ayurveda texts mention the orderly sequential unfoldment of the Bhutas with each preceding element being subtler in nature than the succeeding one. The first element to come in to physical existence is space/akash which has the most expansive but the least concrete value. Space/akash is followed by vayu/air which is more tangible than akash/space and yet not as much as its successor agni/fire element. The last two elements to manifest in this wondrous sequence are jala/water and finally earth/prithvi; the most concrete/tangible ones.

The root cause of disease according to Ayurveda

According to Ayurveda, the root cause of disease is the imbalance of the three Doshas. This imbalance is primarily caused by bad habits, an erratic and fast paced life style, unhealthy eating habits, poor hygiene, stress and anxiety, overwork, suppressed emotions, personal, social or family problems, insufficient sleep, trauma and negativity. The weather conditions are also known to cause this imbalance or aggravate it. Living in a windy place can aggravate vata, hot weather can magnify pitta and humidity and moist weather can worsen kapha.

This imbalance weakens the immune structure and eventually lets diseases and ailments manifest easily. Sushruta, the ancient sage, revered as the 'father of Surgery' in Ayurveda defined good health as a state of physiological, psychological and spiritual equilibrium. In Ayurveda none of these states are studied in isolation and each one impacts the other. Hence in Ayurveda, the Ama or the toxins are not only related to food but also to the mental thoughts that we consume and process.

The interdependence between the three states can also be understood by understanding our digestive system. It is a known fact that a robust digestive system leads to a strong and capable mind. In fact the food we eat has a direct bearing on our mood. When the digestive system works well, we feel light and happy both physically and emotionally. On the other hand, when our digestive system is impaired, we feel more heavy/lethargic and irritable. Please note that Ayurveda does not imply that a good digestive system automatically ends all emotional turbulence. It however, boosts a person's physical and emotional strength and helps him/her to cope a lot better with situation and the ensuing stress.

Disease management in Ayurveda

Ayurveda believes that we are all born with a unique constitution. If we understand this basic blue print of our constitution, we can find ways to maintain our own unique balance and achieve optimum health.

The doshas are the connecting links between our physical body and the life-force energy that flows through our body and the outside world. These dos has are not in a static state and therefore each one of us will experience aggravated and decreased doshas from time to time due to our environment, lifestyle and emotions. Ayurveda teaches us to keep our body constitution as close as possible to its original state for which it prescribes diet and lifestyle recommendations according to our unique body-type. To restore health, there are following seven traditional components in Ayurveda disease management:

• Determining a person's constitution.
• Locating the imbalance of doshas in the body.
• Finding the underlying causes of the illness, such as diet, stress lifestyle, emotional or relationship problem.
• Detoxification treatment by elimination like Panchkarma or Shodhana. This purifies the body by eliminating the toxins - the underlying causes of disease.
• Rejuvenation in order to strengthen specific organs and tissues.
• Providing treatment and medicines to remove the cause.
• Prescribing appropriate regimen according to the person's body constitution (Prakriti), present condition and outside elements like season and work. This regimen consists of diet, lifestyle, exercise/yoga and relaxation recommendations.

These processes unearth many things, such as an improper lifestyle, bad eating habits and unprocessed stored negative emotions, that the individual might not have proper cognisance of. Uncovering these issues, helps the individual make changes that help in restoring good emotional and physical health. A holistic ayurvedic treatment will consist of all the earlier mentioned recommendations, therapies, as well as herbal remedies. The strength of this process lies in the fact, that while the treatment starts and we adjust our lifestyle to our natural rhythm, the body tunes in with its own nature and will start to react more positively to restore balance and begin its natural process of healing. Depending on the severity of the complaints and the intensity of the treatment, this can be a long but rewarding process.

Disease management in Ayurveda

These seven steps have the following objective:

• To identify the health problem
• To eliminate underlying causes of illness
• To purify the body
• Tore-establish and restore balance
• To strengthen and revitalize affected organs, tissues and circulation to prevent reappearance.

These processes unearth many things, such as an improper lifestyle, bad eating habits and unprocessed stored negative emotions, that the individual might not have proper cognisance of. Uncovering these issues, helps the individual make changes that help in restoring good emotional and physical health. A holistic ayurvedic treatment will consist of all the earlier mentioned recommendations, therapies, as well as herbal remedies. The strength of this process lies in the fact, that while the treatment starts and we adjust our lifestyle to our natural rhythm, the body tunes in with its own nature and will start to react more positively to restore balance and begin its natural process of healing. Depending on the severity of the complaints and the intensity of the treatment, this can be a long but rewarding process.

Agni- the digestive fire - the key to good health

"Agni is the flame of life. When the flame goes out, life will end as well"

Ayurveda emphasizes that all diseases originate first in the mind which on a physical level manifest as a breakdown in metabolic function governed by the digestive system. It is cyclic. Thus, if the digestive system is impaired, it effects the metabolic functions which in turn impact the general health of the human body and mind. It is the Agni or fire element that propels this digestive system and helps in breaking down our food intake into energy and nutrients which can be easily assimilated by the body. Agni is also needed for the assimilation and elimination process. Agni gives the body heat and keeps it alive at a certain temperature. This natural fire controls all transformative processes, including mental, physical and spiritual and plays a critical role in the maintenance of overall health. It impacts and affects everything from our digestive and excretory functions, to our mental capacity, emotional health and enthusiasm for life. A perfect example is to study how we behave when we suffer from a stomach disorder. In a situation like that, everything seems listless and one feels emotionally and physically exhausted. It is thus, important to appreciate this life force and protect and care for it.