5 reasons to embrace ayurveda

Unlike modern medicine, traditional ayurvedic techniques look at human health and healing from the prism of lifestyle, habits and behaviour. Read on to know how it can help you manage certain conditions effectively without inflicting side effects.

Editorial Team | Published: May 19, 2019 7:07 pm

Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medicine and treatment modality that approaches human health and diseases in a holistic way. It takes into consideration the conditions that modern medicine overlooks. That is probably the reason it is so popular worldwide.

Much like yoga, ayurveda is a mind-body technique. Unlike modern medicine which looks at human body like a chemical factory or a structure which can be broken down into smaller molecules or atom, ayurveda has broader elements like lifestyle, mind and behaviour inbuilt in its approach. That’s why it pays a lot of importance to our inherent habits while taking care of a disease. In fact, this age-old Indian alternative medicine treats a person as a whole more than a specific disease because it looks at human body as a manifestation of prana (life force). In the Ayurvedic school of thought, human body is constituted of as three doshas: Vata (space and air), pitta (fire and water) and kapha (earth and water). All the treatments are based on the constitution of an individual. To put it simply, your dosha and lifestyle (which is also dependent on your dosha) determines your treatment in ayurveda.

Ayurveda recognises that many of our diseases are rooted in our behaviour and mindset. Even the bacteria in our gut flora impact our brain functions and psychology. So, with its herbs, meditational practices and clinical methods it teaches us how to manage our brain chemistry, behaviour and life situations on a whole.

Unfortunately, ayurveda is respected more on the global front than in India now. While the relevance and necessity of modern medicine is unquestionable, the role of ayurveda in improving your health and wellness is also undeniable. Here we talk about a few diseases and conditions that can be addressed successfully by this age-old Indian medicine. Bonus? The herbs and medicines don’t give you side effects.

Stress and anxiety

Transcendental meditation helps lower symptoms of anxiety with regular practice. © Shutterstock

Stress and anxiety occur due to increased levels of cortisol hormone in your body. Meditation, yoga, herbal treatments, breathing exercises, skin brushing, visualization or repeating inspirational mantras are some of the ayurvedic ways of rebalancing the levels of body’s hormones and treating the symptoms of these conditions effectively. According to various studies, transcendental meditation helps lower symptoms of anxiety with regular practice. This meditation is a component of one branch of Ayurveda called Maharishi. Pranayama, which is a series of targeted breathing exercises, also calms your nerves and results in higher energy levels, proper sleep and improved hormonal function. According to a study conducted at the St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Massachusetts, yoga (an important component of ayurvedic tradition), can effectively help improve signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety. Regular yoga practice can improve autonomic nervous functions by triggering neuro-hormonal mechanisms and suppressing sympathetic activity (body’s fight response). Apart from this, various reports suggest that yoga is also beneficial for cancer patient’s physical health as it can effectively fight free radical damage.

High blood pressure and cholesterol levels

Ayurvedic diets and relaxation techniques can help lower your blood pressure. © Shutterstock

It has been proven by science that Ayurvedic diets (which includes vegetables, legumes, herbs and spices) and relaxation techniques can help lower your blood pressure and treat inflammation. Also, they can reduce plaque (cholesterol, fats and other substances) build-up in the blood that causes atherosclerosis (a condition that causes narrowing and thickening of your artery wall). Notably, this condition is a major cause of heart diseases like heart failure, stroke, and heart attack. Ayurveda helps treat atherosclerosis by lowering your cholesterol levels.

Obesity

Ayurveda reduces your stress and cholesterol levels and helps you with weight loss. © Shutterstock

Ayurveda focusses on factors that lead to weight gain. For example, stress and cholesterol are two of the major factors behind weight gain. Ayurveda attacks these problems. It reduces your stress and cholesterol levels and helps you with weight loss. Some of the ayurvedic remedies like fenugreek, guggul, and cinnamon can help by cubing your cravings and keeping you satiated in fewer calories for long. Also, they stimulate your body’s metabolism and help in cutting belly fat. Additionally, they reduce the chance of water retention in the body. The ayurvedic way of living that includes yoga exercises and a minimalistic diet also help in shedding extra kilos.

Inflammatory diseases

According to Ayurveda practitioners, negative biological responses to a poor diet, disturbed sleep, improper digestion, imbalance in metabolism, and low lung capacity (which affects your oxygen intake) are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Along with exercise, yoga, meditation, a few ayurvedic herbs like turmeric, ashwagandha, and ginger, that can help you get rid of inflammation. An important compound called curcumin is present in turmeric, that has anti-inflammatory properties, says a study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research. It works by blocking a molecule known as NF-kB, that turns on genes associated with inflammation in the nucleus of your cells. Ashwagandha helps by increasing the activity of your natural killer cells, the immune cells that fight infection and help you stay healthy, says a study published in the same journal. Additionally, it decreases markers of inflammation including C-reactive protein. Ayurvedic medicines improve blood flow and help manage inflammatory conditions including arthritis and fibromyalgia. After making comparisons between classic Ayurveda, prescription drug treatment and a combination of these two, a study published in The Journal of Clinical Rheumatology found that improvements were significant in the group of people under Ayurvedic treatment compared to the people of other two groups.

Hormonal imbalance

Meditation, yoga, herbal treatments, are some of the ayurvedic ways of rebalancing the levels of body’s hormones. © Shutterstock

Hormones are essential for almost all your important body functions like digestion, cognitive function, sexual activities, conception, etc. Any imbalance in their secretion can put you at risk developing a wide range of diseases and conditions. Apart from the genetic factors, certain environmental, dietary, and lifestyle factors can also lead to hormonal imbalance in your body. Ayurveda recommends herbs like ashwagandha, chasteberry, turmeric, ginger, etc. to bringback your hormonal balance. According to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, ashwagandha improves underactive thyroid function and thus helps in maintaining the levels of hormones secreted by your thyroid glands. Chasteberry promotes secretion of sex hormones. Imbalance in these hormones can be responsible for problems like irregular periods, painful periods, infertility, PMS, menopause, birth control discontinuation etc.

Published: May 19, 2019 7:07 pm

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