In Sanskrit, Ayur means life and Veda means knowledge or science… Ayurveda or knowledge of life is a natural healing system that originated in India about five millennia ago. Ayurvedic medicine is still widely practiced in India and there are Ayurvedic clinics in most countries around the world.
Some conventional or Western medical practitioners consider Ayurveda to be a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and may incorporate it alongside their conventional treatments.
How the Ayurvedic healing system works
In Ayurvedic medicine, health is defined as a state of balance within yourself and between you and your surroundings. To achieve this balance, your Ayurvedic doctor will prescribe changes to your individual lifestyle and diet. These changes are based on your personal body type or constitution, called your dosha.
This health system places great emphasis on Ayurvedic lifestyle practices along with personalized, nutrient-dense diets to prevent disease and optimize physical and mental well-being.
It targets the whole person? Body Mind and Soul? This means that diet, use of herbs and supplements, stress management, sleep, and exercise all work together to promote overall health. It can also include CAM treatments such as homeopathy, massage, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy and exercise.
In order to follow Ayurveda, your specific dosha must be determined.
The three basic doshas
Every person’s dosha or body type is different and unique.
However, there are three different basic doshas…vata, pitta, and kapha…and each person has a unique combination of these three doshas that determines his or her physical and psychological characteristics.
Here is a brief overview of the three basic doshas:
vata…these people tend to be thin with smaller bones, have difficulty gaining weight and have digestive problems. You are curious, outgoing, creative and energetic but tend to be anxious, stressed and scattered.
Vata energy plays a role in essential functions such as breathing, circulation, mobility and movement. Vata people are prone to physical problems like neurological disorders, insomnia, arthritis, and heart disease, as well as psychological problems like anxiety and grief.
Pitta…these people are mostly medium build and find it easy to gain weight or muscle. You are smart, hardworking, ambitious, competitive but also angry and aggressive at times.
Pitta energy plays an important role in metabolic functions such as digestion, absorption of nutrients, energy expenditure and body temperature. They can overexert themselves and are prone to heart disease, high blood pressure, infectious diseases and digestive problems.
kapha… these people are generally strong and tend to be overweight. They are realists, supportive, loving and forgiving but tend to be lazy, jealous, sad and insecure.
Kapha energy plays a role in lubrication, fluid balance, nourishment, rest, relaxation, caring for others, reproduction, and building a strong immune system. Their health problems include diabetes, cancer, obesity, water retention and respiratory diseases.
These doshas are general types, and a person’s personal dosha is a combination of the three basic types in a relationship unique to that person.
Your dosha is determined by an Ayurvedic practitioner. However, you can try to find out for yourself by reading an accompanying article on how to self-determine your unique personal dosha.
How your Ayurveda doctor determines your personal dosha
To determine your dosha, your consultant will take your medical history, examine your skin, tongue and gums, check your vital signs (heartbeat, pulse, reflexes, etc.), and so on.
He or she will also discuss your personal relationships and ask you about your sleeping habits, exercise routines, work and so on. His questions will examine a very large number of variables, such as…your physical characteristics…your personality traits…the food you eat…your activity level…and so on. Determining your primary dosha can be a lengthy process.
Once that is done, the consultant will find out what aspects of your doshas are out of balance and why…perhaps for example you are not eating healthily, sleeping too little or overexerting yourself and so on.
Ayurvedic lifestyle
In Ayurvedic medicine, health means making sure that the three doshas are in balance within you and between you and your environment.
To find out where this balance is located, you need to:
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tune into your body’s natural rhythms and
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Synchronize your lifestyle with nature and its cyclical patterns, ie align your eating habits, sleeping habits, activity level, etc. with the seasons, the time of day and, if you are a woman, your menstrual cycle.
After your unique personal dosha has been determined and which aspects of your dosha are out of balance, the Ayurveda consultant will prescribe a lifestyle and diet combined with specific herbs and restorative practices.
Ayurvedic nutrition is discussed in a separate article. Can Ayurvedic Diet Help Control Blood Sugar Levels?
Important points about an Ayurvedic lifestyle
Your advisor will determine the lifestyle you need to follow to bring your dosha back into balance. Below are some of the key points he or she will cover:
Surroundings… Create a tranquil environment for your work and home by decluttering (removing all unnecessary materials), letting in fresh air, and adding plants or flowers to brighten it up.
meditation…make a habit of waking up around the same time each day and spending about 15 minutes quietly thinking about what you want to do for the day.
avoidance of certain foods… these are foods that are not suitable for your dosha and are therefore harmful, such as: B. Processed foods. Your advisor will give you a list.
Eat nutritious foods…which are specific to your dosha, such as vegetables, legumes, spices, etc. Again, your advisor will provide you with a list.
The exercise…regular exercise that suits your body type…not too strenuous but strong enough to improve circulation and functionality.
The benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle
The core belief of the Ayurvedic health system is that illness and disease are the result of an imbalance of the three doshas and a disconnection from nature. The goal is to make you healthy by restoring that balance and reconnecting you with your surroundings.
But is this lifestyle beneficial?
Yes… according to a report released in 2015 by the University of Maryland Medical Center. The report states that Ayurvedic medical practices coupled with a personalized Ayurvedic diet can help treat a variety of inflammatory, hormonal, digestive, and autoimmune disorders.
Particularly interesting for type 2 diabetics, Ayurveda:
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Helps you lower your high blood pressure
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Helps you lower your cholesterol levels
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Reduces your weight and especially your belly fat
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Gives you better control over your stress
The first three bulleted items relate to metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders affecting certain biochemical processes…high blood sugar levels, elevated blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, or excess body fat around the waist…which are very common at the same time Time in your body and are connected. If you have three of these conditions, you have metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome occurs before you become diabetic, and it increases your chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, or having a stroke. If you have one component of the syndrome, you likely have the others as well.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that the Ayurvedic lifestyle will benefit you in controlling your blood sugar and in any case, as a diabetic there is an 85% chance that you will have problems with your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
When people with type 2 diabetes are under psychological stress, they typically experience a spike in their blood sugar levels. Blood sugar can also rise during physical exertion, for example due to injuries or illnesses.
Better control of stress appears to be one of the main benefits of Ayurveda according to western medical understanding. We know that chronic stress can ruin your quality of life, and that lower stress levels are correlated with better health, longevity, weight control, and overall happiness. There is no doubt that the Ayurvedic lifestyle can help you beat your type 2 diabetes.
Thanks to Paul D Kennedy