WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN THE AYUSH LEARNING HUB?
This information is intended to educate interested practitioners about the utility of Ayurvedic medicine and the benefits of integrating Ayurvedic philosophy into their treatment space.
Content within the Ayush Learning Hub is curated to be useful to all professions and specialties, regardless of their experience with Ayurvedic medicine. Whether you are just curious to learn more about the world’s oldest written medical philosophy, or if you are experienced with Ayurvedic medicine, we strive to have content that is easily digested and immediately useful to all practitioners from all walks of life.
The History of Ayurveda: The Oldest Recorded Medical Philosophy
While its earliest concepts were set out in the portion of the Vedas known as the Atharvaveda in the 2nd millennium BCE, the development of Ayurveda to what it is today occurred from 800 BCE until about 1000 CE. During the millennia of development, Ayurvedic doctors performed the first recorded surgeries, detailed anatomy, and generated medical treatises known as the Caraka-samhita and Susruta-samhita, attributed respectively to Caraka, a physician, and Susruta, a surgeon.
Today, over 80% of families in India and Nepal report using Ayurvedic medicine either exclusively, or in conjunction with modern medicine, demonstrating not only Ayurveda’s lasting legacy, but also its ability to exist in harmony with modern medical advances.
Ayurveda 101: What are the Ayurvedic Concepts Of Prakruti & Doshas?
Ayurveda teaches that three energetic movements, called doshas, govern all processes and substances of life. These doshas are called vata, pitta, and kapha, and they all have specific influences on bodily functions. They exist in a ratio to one another with each unique life form having differing amounts of each dosha. The three dosha and their unique ratio within a person is what determines their prakruti, or constitution. Throughout life, an individual's underlying prakruti remains the same. However, one's prakruti is constantly influenced by various internal, external and environmental factors like day and night, seasonal changes, diet, lifestyle choices, and more.
Adherents of Ayurvedic medicine believe that each person has a unique balance of the three doshas. These individual doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha), are constantly "in flux," and are influenced by eating, exercising, and relating to others.
This explains what makes each of us so unique from one another, even if some traits may be similar. This is also one of the ways Ayurveda tailors treatment recommendations to be specific to the doshic makeup of the individual. So while two patients could have the same western medical diagnosis, they may receive different recommendations from an Ayurvedic doctor since the individual’s prakruti is factored into medical decision making.
Applying Ayurveda Clinically: How To Use This Information
As you explore Ayurvedic philosophy, you will learn that its principles integrate seamlessly for any health professional. Because Ayurvedic medicine focuses on maintaining optimal health through diet, herbs, and regular lifestyle practices, it provides guidelines for the best practices that can be added to any treatment plan to help expand and enhance healing and recovery. Furthermore, through use of the dosha system, Ayurvedic medicine becomes extremely holistic and individualized, which can provide a unique lens with which to view clients and their concerns. The Ayurvedic approach can be an excellent tool to help enrich your practice and even may assist with inspiration for more difficult cases.