The word Ayurveda is composed of two Sanskrit terms – Ayu meaning ‘life’ and Veda meaning ‘knowledge’. Therefore Ayurveda means the knowledge of life or science of life. Sprouted in the pristine land of India some 5000 years ago, Ayurveda has gained a lot of global attention
Ayurveda is the oldest healthcare system in the world and it combines the profound thoughts of medicine and philosophy. Today, it is seen as a unique, indispensable branch of medicine, a complete naturalists system that depends on the diagnosis of your body’s humours-vata, pitta and kapha-to achieve the right balance.
In Ayurveda, diagnosis is always done of the patient as a whole which sums up the principal objectives of Ayurveda, i.e. maintenance and promotion of health, prevention of diseases and cure of sickness.
According to Ayurveda all objects in the universe including the human body are composed of five basic elements namely, earth, water, fire, air and vacuum(ether).
There is a balanced condensation of these elements in different proportions to suit the needs and requirements of different structures and functions of the body matrix and its parts. The growth and development of the body matrix depend on its nutrition, i.e. on food. The food, in turn, is composed of the above five elements, which replenish or nourish the like elements of the body after the action of bio-fire (Agni). The tissues of the body are structural whereas humours are physiological entities, derived from different combinations and permutations of Panchamahabhutas.
The basic therapeutic approach is, that alone is the right treatment which makes for health and he alone is the best doctor who frees one from the disease. This sums up the principal objectives of Ayurveda, i.e. maintenance and promotion of health, prevention of disease and cure of sickness.
Treatment of the disease consists in avoiding causative factors responsible for disequilibrium of the body matrix or of any of its constituent parts through the use of Panchkarma procedures, medicines, suitable diet, activity and regimen for restoring the balance and strengthening the body mechanisms to prevent or minimize the future occurrence of the disease.
Normally treatment measures involve the use of medicines, specific diet and prescribed activity routine. Use of these three measures is done in two ways. In one approach of treatment, the three measures antagonize the disease by counteracting the etiological factors and various manifestations of the disease. In the second approach, the same three measures of medicine, diet and activity are targeted to exert effects similar to the etiological factors and manifestations of the disease process.
Today, a large number of people from all over the world visit India for specialized Ayurvedic treatment. In pursuance of furthering the cause of Ayurveda, the Embassy of India participated in the recently held Belgrade international Tourism fair with ‘Ayurveda Tourism’ as the main theme. Soon there will be an Ayurveda Centre in the Embassy of India in Belgrade to guide the practice of Ayurveda in Serbia in the right direction. An International Symposium on Ayurveda is being organized on 9-10 May 2016 in Belgrade in association with Ayurveda Association of Serbia. Indian Ayurveda companies such as Himalaya Herbal and Maharishi Ayurveda have a presence in Serbia and in other parts of Europe. To guide the international practice of Ayurveda, the Government of India has created a separate Ministry AYUSH. Ayurveda is legal in Serbia. Ayurveda Panchakarma centres can be found in different parts of Europe including Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands etc.
Benefits of Ayurveda
* Ayurveda aims at removing the cause of illness and not just curing the disease itself. Based solely on herbs and herbal compounds, Ayurvedic remedies do not operate against the body’s metabolism.
* Ayurvedic and herbal medicines ensure physical and mental health without side effects. The natural ingredients of herbs help bring ‘arogya’ (health) to the human body and mind.
* Ayurvedic treatment is non-invasive and non-toxic, so it can be used safely as an alternative therapy or alongside conventional therapies.
* Ayurvedic physicians claim that their methods can also help stress-related, metabolic, and chronic conditions.
* Ayurveda has been used to treat acne, allergies, asthma, anxiety, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, colds, colitis, constipation, depression, diabetes, flu, heart disease, hypertension, immune problems, inflammation, insomnia, nervous disorders, obesity, skin problems, and ulcers.