In the United States, one complementary and alternative medicine practice that is gaining popularity is Ayurvedic Medicine, also known as Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a whole medical system that is based on ideas from Hinduism, one of the world's oldest and largest religions. Ayurveda began in India, where it has long been their main system of health care. However, as Ayurveda becomes more common in the US, Western medicine is becoming more common in the urban areas of India, today.



The word Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words – ayur, which means life, and veda, which means science or knowledge. Thus, the word Ayurveda means “the science of life”

Many people in the United States still don't understand what Ayurveda is all about, however, so this article will discuss the important points that anyone considering Ayurveda should know.

Basic Beliefs

As with other practices of ‘untraditional' healthcare, Ayurveda has some basic beliefs that are key to how health care is practiced. Here is a primer in what they are:

• When relationships are out of balance, health and disease are affected. This is because people, their health and the universe are all related.

• A person's constitution is called his prakriti, which is a unique combination of physical and psychological characteristics and the way the body functions. There are three qualities of this constitution that control the activities of the body. These are called doshas and are known as vata, pitta, and kapha in Sanskrit.

o Every person has a unique balance of doshas and one is usually more prominent than the others. Each dosha corresponds with a certain body type and thus relates to a greater chance for a certain type of health problem that corresponds with his/her dosha or type.

o An imbalance of a dosha can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle or improper protection from the environment.

o Health is considered compromised when the dosha is out of balance.

How Ayurveda works

As with many other whole health practices, the practice of Ayurveda involves many techniques, including observation, questioning, touch, treatment plans and specific therapies. The patient is an active participant in his/her treatment because it involves changes in diet, lifestyle and habits.

The goals of Ayurvedic treatments are to eliminate impurities, which is a process of panchakarma, focusing primarily on the digestive tract and the respiratory system. Treatment options to reduce symptoms often include yoga, stretching, herbs, meditation, preparations of metal or mineral treatments, massage, breathing exercises, specific foods or diets, and even lying in the sun. A key to balance is to help the patient reduce worry and increase harmony in his/her life, and eliminate physical and psychological problems.

How to find a practitioner of Ayurvedic Medicine

The United States has no national standard for certifying or training Ayurvedic practitioners. Therefore, anyone can call themselves an Ayurvedic practitioner. Many spas and salons offer Ayurvedic services that really have no basis in knowledge of what this entails. So, it is a ‘buyers beware' market. Although no harm may be done if you have a massage by someone who claims they are an Ayurveda massage therapist, do your research if you are looking for a qualified Ayurvedic medical practitioner! Some Ayurvedic professional organizations are collaborating to develop licensing requirements that will eventually help the consumer know what he or she is getting.

Some qualified practitioners are first trained in the Western medical tradition or a whole medical system, such as naturopathic medicine, before they study Ayurveda. Many learn at one of India's many colleges for Ayurveda. Some practitioners may also practice just one aspect of Ayurveda, such as massage or preparing herbal treatments. If you are looking for a practitioner of Ayurveda, be aware that it is advised that he or she should have at least 200 hours of Ayurvedic training in order to acquire enough knowledge to adequately integrate Ayurveda into his/her practice.

Is it safe?

The big question with any non-traditional medicine practice is, does this type of medicine work? The government in India began systematic research in 1996 to answer this very question. Because treatments involve so many different modalities and products, it is impossible to say, as a type of health care, whether it works or does not work.

In the US, a more important question may be, is it safe? Properly trained Ayurvedic medical practitioners are taught the importance of using carefully prepared plant, metal and mineral preparations to protect their patients, but some Ayurvedic medications have been found to be adulterated with undesired materials and have the potential to be toxic. In traditional times and in rural areas of India, an Ayurvedic physician would identify and prepare fresh formulations for patients, but today these products are bought off the shelf and there is no standardization for reliable products. Many of these ingredients have not been thoroughly studied in either Western or Indian research. In the US, Ayurvedic medications are regulated as dietary supplements, so they are not required to meet rigorous standards for safety and purity. In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received 12 reports of lead poisoning that were linked to Ayurvedic medications. A study published in JAMA in 2004 reported that of 70 Ayurvedic remedies purchased off the shelf, 14 contained lead, mercury and/or arsenic at levels that could be harmful.

In conclusion

As with other types of ‘non-traditional' medicine, Ayurveda can be a helpful compliment to improving health naturally. It is a wonderful philosophy of wholeness that anyone in the US can benefit from. What is most important is that if you are planning to use a practitioner of Ayurveda medicine, do your homework and know the background and training of the person you select. As mentioned above, if the practitioner is going to provide you with Ayurvedic medicines, there is no guarantee of the safety and quality of many of those products in the US today. It is also important to know how much training the practitioner has had. The reason that many people turn to complementary medicine practitioners and treatments is because they believe it is a safer alternative to ‘traditional' medicine, but that is not always the case.

For more on Ayurveda, here are two important links:

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/

http://niam.com/corp-web/index.htm