According to Ayurveda, in a living
body all the ailments and sufferings are due to the disharmony and
disequilibrium of the doshas. Hence the Ayurvedic therapies' main
aim is to treat disorders, prevent disease and rebalance the body
doshas, dhatus, malas and mind gunas. Apart form the above said
activities the Ayurvedic therapies eliminate toxins from the body,
increase immunity and soothe the senses thereby enhancing general
physical and mental well-being.
In Ayurveda the therapies are directed to eliminate the disease
completely, permanently. To understand the Ayurvedic therapies
completely step by step understanding of the following is
necessary:
- Balancing the dosha
- Increasing the power
of digestion
- Maintaining proper
elimination of wastes
- Enhancing immunity
- Developing a
spiritual temperament.
- Types of Therapies
Ayurveda defines therapy as any
method that involves the process of balancing the doshas.
Therapies can involve activities like:
- Balancing diet
- Methods to increase
the weight and strength of weak patients
- Reduce obesity
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Internal cleansing
- Use of gems
- Herbal pastes and
compresses
- Sweating
- Massage
- Herbal medications
Types of therapies
Ayurvedic Therapies are divided into two broad types:
- Santarpan or
strengthening
The Ayurvedic strengthening therapies are basically the
rejuvenation therapies like (Rasayana) and aphrodisiacs (Vajikarana).
These therapies further aim at enhancing the immunity, Ojas,
happiness, peace of mind and longevity.
- Apatarpan or
emaciating
These therapies refer to the removal of toxins from the body and
balancing the aggravated dosha. Internal medicines and
specialized cleansing therapies are included in this.
According to Charaka Samhita the
therapies depend on the status of the doshas. Such as:
- If the disease is new and the
aggravated dosha are not very strong, fasting on its own may be
sufficient to balance the dosha.
- If the dosha are medium in
strength, specific medicines are induced to balance the dosha
inside the body and this type of therapy is termed as shamana
therapy.
- If the disease is in a chronic
stage and the dosha aggravation is strong, shodhana therapy is
applied to eliminate the excess dosha from the body.
