Health as Perceived in Ayurveda

Ayurveda, the oldest science of medication emphasizes on preservation of good health (prevention of ailments) more than letting a person succumbing to the ailment and then cure it. Hence, the focus is on following a lifestyle (also called a healthy lifestyle) instead of an event to be followed during the course of a disease. So, what is a healthy lifestyle? What is the meaning of being "healthy"? How can one know if the activities (s)he is involved in day-to-day chores helping her to be healthy?

Sushruta, a great surgeon who is believed to have lived between 1200 B. C. to 600 B. C., defined "Health" as a balanced condition of the following:

  1. The three fundamental principles, called DOSHAS: Vaata (Gas), Pitta (Acid) and Cough
  2.  AGNI (Fire), responsible to carry out the digestive & metabolic activities of the body. Sama agni (balanced fire) results in smooth metabolism, Visham agni (erratic fire) results in irregular metabolism, Tikshna agni (extreme fire) results in hypermetabolism in which a person develops insatiable appetite and Mand-agni (low and dull fire) results in hypometabolism in which are person looses appetite and feels dull.
  3. MALAS: The excrements being pushed out of the body in forms of stools, urine, sweat, saliva and at times blood
  4. DHATUS: The seven rooted-principles: Rasa (water), Rakta (blood), Mamsa (skin tissues), Meda (fat), Asthi (bones), Majja (nervous system) and Sukhra (reproductive tissues) respectively.
 
(Ref: Page 396, An English Translation of Sushruta Samhita, Vol III, UTTARA TANTRA, by: K. L. Bhishagranta)

So, while our primary aim to start with this blog is to help people going back to the roots and start leading a healthy lifestyle and take care of the health of family members within home. Also, we aim to make the great plethora of knowledge accessible to everyone who is having a need of it. In the next blog, we shall get into more details about a healthy lifestyle working on the four constituents mentioned above.

Till then...Be #AyurHealthy!

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