A health care system with a holistic view should deal with all aspects of life and give suggestions to make all of them better so that those who follow those will be completely healthy and peaceful physically, psychologically and socially. Ayurveda does just that. It gives us advises about routines, food, habits, social interactions and lifestyle to improve not just our health, but to improve us completely. Ayurvedic practices incorporate bio-psycho-social domains of human existence, adopting a holistic approach.Health according to ayurveda is physical, mental and spiritual health where mind and spirit are in a happy or content state. The key to health is a complete psycho somatic equilibrium that makes it essential for us to be aware of the elementary rules and laws of living. This health care involves the entire being at its optimal physical and psychological levels.
The propounding teachers of ayurveda, sages ‘Caraka’ and ‘Vagbhata’ describes the cause of diseases in a single sentence as the improper interaction or association of humans with three factors – time or climate, senses, and actions. That means diseases can firstly becaused if we are affected by the excess or less of cold, heat, rain or such change in climate; so proper measures should be taken to pacify their effect. The next factor is senses meaning vision, hearing, tastes, touch and smell. Exposure to strong and repelling impulses like pungen smell, strong light, loud noises etc for prolonged period can cause illness. It also has the meaning that over indulgence in senses can also cause disease.
One of the over indulgence in senses includes succumbing to taste sense that is over eating and eating low nutrition food because they are tasty. Also we should not neglect senses and must learn to take sufficient quality of good and tasty food that pleases us, indulge in pleasing music and sights in the right amount and keep us exposed to mild climatic conditions moderately. The urges of mind should be controlled, but completely neglecting or suppressing them can lead to mental strain and later will lead to illness. The third factor ‘action’ ranges from physical activities, exertion, exercise etc to work, rest, sleep, thought process and leisure. The increase or decrease in these factors than normal can obviously cause various physical or psychological problems. Now a days we are forced to over work neglecting food and rest. This is the cause of many psychological and physical diseases including insomnia, heart conditions, anxiety etc. Also excess comfort seeking and physical inactivity is the cause of a lot of problems like diabetes obesity etc. So a mid path is very important. This mid path is advised in all activities of life – food, indulgences, work, rest, exercises and affiliations to systems and ideologies. In general, anexcess or lack of most things are bad. According to ‘Caraka’ there are three pillars for a healthy life. They are food, sleep (rest) and celibacy (control of senses). If we use these three wisely, health wont be an issue.
Quality, quantity and timing of food is very important. Medium quantity of nutritious food should be taken in regular and proper timings and meals should not be skipped. Sleep or restиalso should be in regular and proper timings, and excess rest and laziness will only make us obese and diabetic. Celibacy means control of all senses preventing over indulgence and over use of sense organs. For example, straining eyes looking at the computer or television for too long is over use of a sense which can cause imbalance.
Ayurveda advises, to avoid diseases we should be mindful not to suppress our natural urges like cough, sneezing, sleep, thirst, hunger, vomiting, defecation and urination, sex drive etc. But also listed are urges which should be always suppressed. They are greed, envy, hatred, competition, and lust. These are the emotions which if not suppressed, can make our systemunbalanced.
While describing the pathology of diseases, ayurvedic texts points out unruly actions as the cause for many diseases. Actions like disrespectfulness, impertinence, unkindness etc are especially mentioned. These actions are said to vitiate the ‘dosha’ and cause various illness and diseases. These actions obviously increase stress and we know that accumulated stress leads to various problems, mentally and physically. Being virtuous is what ayurveda advises. All activities of all living beings are meant for their own well being or happiness. And happiness is the reward of being virtuous. One should be kind to those who seek help, to the weak and needy. Those seeking help should not be insulted or sent back. On choosing friends, we should be alert to keep away bad influences and stay with good friends. Pleasure and happiness are not for enjoying alone. They should always be shared. We must neither blindly believe everybody in everything, nor doubt everybody in everything.
Our mind and analysis should be applied in everything. We should accept both success and failure with a stable mind. Overly rejoicing in success and being depressed in failure will affect our performance afterwards. Also, we should not be jealous in ones achievement. But we should learn from the effort successful people took and must try to surpass that effort. While the above are advises in personal behaviour and morality, in the 3000 year old text there are also advises in social interaction, manners and etiquette. It is advised not to make the identity of our enemies public. Nor should we describe ourselves as another person’s enemy. This shall bring unwanted attention and may cause misunderstandings. We should keep a smile while talking, should behave respectfully and must speak the correct words in correct time without evoking hatred. Expressing the correct thing in the right time is very important. Some things should be approved and congratulated to improve the morale of others and ourselves while some other things should be disapproved before it is too late. Personal hygiene and presentation is also given importance. We should present ourselves properly groomed, with clean and properly cut nails and hair. Body should be showered and kept clean and be devoid of body odour. Simple and clean clothing will make us pleasing in appearance.
The texts reveals that what is considered as manners and etiquette in the present day world was a well developed sense in the ancient India. ‘Charaka’, in his chapter describing the cause of epidemics and diseases affecting large number of the population, pinpoints the reason for destruction of entire population of a regiony epidemics as ‘adharma’, which means immoral or unscrupulous activities of the inhabitants which in turn is the fruit of ‘prajnjaparadha’, meaning loss of reason or misconception. We know that human act is the reason which triggers the cause and spread of epidemics and the diseases like cancer which are caused by environmental factors. It is stated that the ‘deviation from normalcy’ of four factors due to improper human intervention triggers epidemics. They are air, water, land and climate. Its also noted that changes in these factors become difficult to reverse or correct in their respective order. That is change in air is easiest to correct and that of climate is most severe and difficult to cure. Isn’t it wonderful that it was understood about 3000 years ago that climate can be badly influenced by the wrongdoings of humans and that can cause diseases to humans?
We now know that pollution affects all these factors from air to land and ultimately climate, and are the cause of many diseases. Even if microbes like bacteria and viruses are identified as the cause of epidemics, its the conditions favourable of their formation and spread and decrease in immunity and resistance of humans which causes large scale damage and death. Also environmental factors cause other conditions like cancer, respiratory diseases etc.In the same chapter is described the change in human nature with centuries according the change in lifestyle from that of a modest hunter gatherer to one with balance sheets of riches, food and money.
This balance has lead humans more lazy, more greedy which in turn bred hatred and this is the cause of misery. Summing up, it can be said that being responsible to oneself and society can bring health and peace to ourselves and others. Always taking a middle or moderate path in ideologies, speech, involvement, indulgence, food, work and rest is important.
Dr. R Rajeevkumar (M.D),Chief Physician, Sree Rudra Vilasam Ayurveda Hospital,Tripunithura, Kerala, India
