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Dear Goanetters, The article below may be of general interest to those interested in healthy living. Full text is available on Goa Traveller, distributed free to the tourists and travel agencies. AYURVEDA: the science of life by Dr.Laxmi Bharne, Anjuna. Ayurveda the traditional system of medicines is gaining popularity all over the world. It is not just a health fad that would pass off with time but an enduring part of the global health pattern. Ayurveda proves to be the perfect choice today, as it offers a comprehensive and complete system of healing, which is real and rational and close to both nature and earth. Ayurveda is based on simple but strong principles, which till date remain uncontradicted. Ayurveda's approach to healing is to re-establish harmony between self and environment and create an optimal environment for health. Basic belief of this system is 'to achieve a perfect health'. Theory of tridosha forms the first step of Ayurveda. The tridosha are responsible for the functioning of the body and mind. These comprise of the vata ,pitta and kapha. These three are compared to the air, sun & moon. In the balanced state the tridoshas promote health. When they are vitiated due to other factors they give rise to diseases. The tridoshas origin from the combination of the five basic elements The Pancha Mahabhutas(Earth ,Water, Fire ,Air, Space.) Vata, which is the combination of air and space, is the principle of kinetic energy and controls all the movements of the body and mind, right from intake of food to evolution of thought. Kapha is the combination of earth and water and is the principle of potential energy and is responsible for the stability and lubrication. Pitta is the combination of fire and water and controls the balance between kinetic and potential energy. Its function involves transformation or digestion. It is responsible for the transformation of food that enters the gut or the sensory data that reaches the brain. The field of action of the tridoshas is the body which is made up of seven tissues-Saptadhatus [Ras ;Rakta; Mamsa ;Meda; Asthi ;Majja ;Shukra] The Sapta dhatus form the site of the disease. When the doshas get disturbed they in turn vitiate the dhatus to give rise to diseases. In Ayurveda, the treatment begins with normalizing the disturbed dosha and in this process balancing all three. Depending on the degree of vitiation of doshas, treatment is of two types- Shaman & Shodhan. Shaman means to suppress. When the degree of vitiation is still within bounds, treatment is by giving internal medicines. Shodhan is to clean. When the doshas vitiate beyond limits they have to be removed out of the body. This is done through 'Panchakarma' Panchakarma are the five types of detoxification therapies. These therapies prove very effective for treatment of serious & chronic ailments and it can offer a complete cure. Moreover, Panchakarma prevents diseases, rejuvenates and virilises. The five therapies are as follows- Vaman- [emetics] to balance kapha. Virechan- [purgatives] to balance pitta. Basti - [enema] to balance vata Nasya- [nasal drops] to clean doshas from the head region. Raktamokshan - [ bloodletting]-to purify blood. These therapies are very strong on the body and therefore body has to be made ready to bear the therapy by pre-Panchakarma treatment. This includes Snehan & Svedan. Snehan-oleation of the body, externally & internally. Externally by 13 different types oil massages ; Internally by intake of medicated ghee. Svedan-Steam bath or various other methods to sweat the body. The treatments mentioned above differ for different individuals, as Ayurveda believes that 'no two individuals are same'. Each person has different constitution depending upon the dominance of the dosha in the body. Thus constitutional check up forms an important part of treatment i.e. the Prakriti Parikshan. Ayurvedic cure always involves modification of diet and lifestyle, which is prescribed, considering the ailment as well as the prakriti of the person. This makes the medicines more effective. Ayurveda is the only holistic science, which defines health as the soundness of the body, mind and soul and not merely absence of disease. Thus it puts forth an ideal way of life and maintaining positive health. ........................................................................... This is the basic philosophy behind ayurvedic treatment. A massage is not everything. It may be a fun experience just the same. Viva Goa. Miguel