What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda (pronounced "Ah-your-vay-dah') literally means “the knowledge of life”. It is a holistic approach to medicine that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda generates around the idea that we are all capable of healing ourselves, however this ability is sometimes inaccessible due to congestion created by how we live our lives. Ayurveda strives to help a person reconnect to their true nature through a variety of healing modalities which ultimately lead to a balance of mind, body, and spirit. These include diet, herbs, lifestyle change, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound therapy, massage/marma therapy, yoga and meditation.

How is Ayurveda different than Western Medicine?

One major difference is that in Ayurveda, the responsibility for health is fully shared with the client. Ayurveda approaches each person as unique and holds the keys to their own healing. A practitioner determines each client's unique "prakruti", or constitution (body/mind type), and "vikruti" or current state of imbalance, then works with them to create a highly individual plan to assist that client to her or his unique state of health and well being.

How does an Ayurvedic practitioner determine my needs?

Ayurvedic practitioners seek to understand a person's physical, mental, and spiritual constitution. Practioners are trained to use a three-prongerd inquiry: touch, including pulse-taking; oberservation, including the tongue, nails, and body structure; and questioning, including questions about current and lifelong patterns of health and imbalance. This technique is used to create a complete picture of the client's prakruti and vikruti on all three levels: body, mind, and spirit.

What are the doshas?

The three doshas are the fundamental energies that maek up the physical body and also affect the mind and emotions. The doshas include "Vata", responsible for movement within the body and mind; "Pitta", responsible for physical and mental digestion; and "Kapha", responsible for building of tissue, structure, and lubrication of the body and mind. Every person has a unique balance of the doshas which is set at the moment of conception, called "Prakruti". When the balance of the doshas differs from one's prakruti, imbalance and disease may arise.

How do herbs differ from pharmaceutical products?

Herbs work closely with the body's natural energies, helping it to regain proper functioning. Herbs may take longer to work, depending on the nature and location of the imbalance. However, herbs are generally less toxic and are less apt to have side effects than most pharmaceutical products. Also, herbs are not simply used to focus on the presenting symptoms, but are used to return the body to a state of optimal functioning--to a state where the body can heal itself.

How does Ayurveda work with Western Medicine?

The two systems are often used in a complementary manner. Increasingly, Western doctors are referring to Ayurvedic practitioners. Moveover, they are studying and incorporating Ayurveda into their practices. In like manner, Ayurvedic practitioners refer to their Western medical collegues