The Four Key Entities of Treatment

When it comes to applying the great wisdom of Ayurveda into practice, there are four key entities.

The first and foremost is called the Vaidya. This is a Sanskrit word which can roughly be translated to ‘the one who knows’. An Ayurveda physician is called so, but a vaidya is much beyond a doctor or physician. They have in-depth textual knowledge and undergo rigorous practical training and are adept in putting what they have learned to practice. In short they have to be a specialist to earn this title. Moreover, they are expected to maintain pristine cleanliness. Not just in their appearance and behaviour but also in the way in which they deliver treatment. We look for these qualities in all of our physicians. Here at MAYA AYURVEDA we know that the Vaidya has the most important role in managing your health. Even if all the other key entities are not satisfactory, a good Vaidya can surpass all shortcomings to assure your wellness.

The second key role is attributed to objects for treatment. All the substances that a Vaidya may use for treatment are pivotal. They are the very tools of a Vaidya. The herbs, medicines, instruments, they all are considered as ‘Dravya’ or the substances that a Vaidya relies on to deliver his expertise. The more flexibility and functionality a tool has, the better its utility. Likewise a medicine that can be administered in many ways for different kinds of conditions without any complication becomes a Vaidya’s favourite. An ideal medicine will provide you fast relief for a long period of time without any complications or side effects. It is these qualities of its formulations coupled by the prudence of Vaidya that makes Ayurveda one of the most efficacious and hassle free medical systems in the world.

Another great aspect of Ayurveda is that healthcare is always addressed as a team work. All the personnel involved in implementing the directives of the physician are called Paricārakaḥ. They are an integral part of the healing process and they should be compassionate towards the patient and compliant to the Vaidya. Like the Vaidya, the caregivers should also observe cleanliness and expertise in administering the therapies. Above all they should be intelligent and sensible.

Now, what is the fourth key entity? It is the very purpose of existence for the Vaidya, his tools and caregivers. It is nothing but the person getting treatment itself, the Rogi. While just a ‘subject’ for most medical systems, the person needing care also has a pivotal role in healing as per Ayurveda. This is because Ayurveda always considers that the healing comes from within. So a person undergoing Ayurveda therapy should be noble and learned enough to understand the guidelines of Ayurveda. Another very important quality that they should have is compliance to the Vaidya. It is ideal that this person is observant and expressive to convey their health conditions as it is to the physicians. The mind of a person plays a great role in treatment. Mental strength of the person is decisive in the outcome of a treatment.

Our Diagnostic Philosophy

The bulk of healthcare advice from Ayurveda can be broadly classified into two. Ayurveda primarily advocates the maintenance of health for who is already healthy. So there are diet and lifestyle advises that a healthy person has to diligently follow to stay healthy. This part of Ayurveda is called the śvasthavṛtta.

It is considered in Ayurveda that ‘those who regularly use the right diet and follow the lifestyle in accordance to their pṛakṛti and environment, see everything in a neutral perspective, do not overindulge in material pleasures, are of benevolent nature, see everyone as equals, always adhere to truthfulness, are having patience and follow the general advises of authentic knowledge or the wise- will always stay arogaḥ or without diseases.

But if at all one falls sick, it could be either due to factors within us or due to external factors. An accident is due to an external factor whereas diabetes is caused by factors within our body. Ayurveda believes that either under-involvement or over-involvement or wrongful involvement of Time (season, climate etc), Objects (the materials our five senses can perceive) or Our actions (karma) are the only causes of all diseases.

Every Vaidya at MAYA AYURVEDA, strictly adheres to the Ayurveda way of examining a patient and arriving at diagnosis. They are trained to use their sense organs like scanners and can get hints about your condition even from your posture or voice. They are also proficient in the mystic science of pulse diagnosis. As said earlier, each and every cell in our body is communicating back to us on what is our normalcy (prakṛti) and what has gone wrong (vikṛti). A learned Vaidya can decipher these communications by a special technique of reading the pulse. An experienced Vaidya can even pinpoint the exact anomaly even within an organ.

A Vaidya is ideally a very good listener. They can spend hours listening to your health problems. They are effective communicators too. So they will also have an elaborate set of questions to ask about a person’s health and condition. At first you may not feel how the question and condition are connected and at times may even feel that these queries are irrelevant. But trust us, these questions are very relevant and specific. In fact, at MAYA AYURVEDA, our Vaidyas have a standard approach to cover ten cardinal areas for accurate diagnosis. So, these questions or examinations may be to evaluate any or all of the following

• Derangement of bio-energies (dūṣyam)
• Location or environment (deśam)
• Strength- of the patient or disease (balam)
• Time of day, seasons etc. (kālam)
• Neuro-Hormonal status (anilam)
• Person type (prakṛti)
• Age (vayaḥ)
• Psyche (satvam)
• Habits (sātmyam)
• Diet (āhāram)

At MAYA AYURVEDA, we also follow a methodical and scientific clinical documentation to aid research and development in the field of Ayurveda.

Focus Areas of Treatment

Diabetes

Modern medicine identifies diabetes as a metabolic disorder where the body fails to utilize glucose produced at the end of digestion which will lead to increased glucose level in blood and urine. But Ayurveda has a whole different viewpoint on diabetes and this has been well documented 1000s of years back. According to Ayurveda, there are 20 types of diabetes! Each type is qualitatively identified from subtle or definitive changes in the urine. It is more interesting to note that the common Diabetes Mellitus may be equated to the type madhu meha (literally honey-diabetes) which is the final and most difficult type of diabetes as per Ayurveda. This means that a closer examination of urine may very well help in even preventing or delaying diabetes. Even though madhu meha is difficult, Ayurveda has a good line of management for it. Exclusive maya ayurveda treatments ranging from oral medicines to cleansing therapies can be done under strict supervision depending upon the severity of the condition. Regular anaerobic exercise and individually customized low carbohydrate diet with a low stress level helps in maintaining body glucose to normal levels.

Arthritis

In general, arthritis is of two broad kinds. One that may come as part of old age or wear and tear. The second one occurs when a joint gets flared up as part of an inflammatory reaction. The managements for these two types of arthritis are poles apart in Ayurveda.

The former is usually chronic arthritis without much swelling but with restricted movements and pain. This is called sandhi-vāta in Ayurveda which is similar to osteo-arthritis. It is generally managed with oil massages and oil irrigation (pizhiccil). After the correct assessment of doṣa imbalance, certain pañcakarma therapies like vasti or virecana may be done. Along with these procedures, internal medicines may also have to be taken.

The second type is usually associated with metabolic toxins or auto-immune factors generated excessively in the body. It is usually categorized as āma-vāta in Ayurveda. It may present with fever, swelling, local rise of temperature, heaviness and restricted movements, is usually diagnosed as reactive or rheumatoid arthritis. Ayurveda Management is often started with dry heat, dry massage and medicines to correct the digestion and to improve mobility of joints.

Obesity

Obesity has become the most common nutritional disorder in the modern world. Most often, it is caused by over-nourishment coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. This is characterized by an excess accumulation of fat which ends up obstructing the metabolic channels causing a series of health conditions such as hypertension, increased cholesterol, diabetes and irregular digestion. Deep and dry massages with herbal powders or pastes (udvarttanam), special ayurveda massage with specific oils (abhyaṃgam) and a controlled steam bath can mobilize the accumulated fat from the seat, where as specially designed diet and yoga programs prevent its further accumulation. Appropriate pañcakarma therapies can also be administered based on the requirement of the individual.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease with red scales and patches and itching formed generally on the body and scalp. Treatment of such conditions includes administration of medicated ghee (snehapānam) which will loosen accumulated specific toxins of the blood and are eliminated from the body through either medicated emesis (vamanam) or therapeutic purgation (virecanam) or both of them together. Some of the external procedures like oil irrigation (taila-dhāra) and buttermilk irrigation (takra-dhāra) are specifically carried out to renew the texture of the skin while most of the internal medications will purify the blood.

Womens’ Care

Ayurveda gives great importance to various physiological conditions a woman goes through in her life. There are details on the exclusive diet and lifestyle to be followed during periods, pregnancy and delivery. Main pathological conditions encountered by them are menstruation related problems, infertility, polycystic ovarian disease, endometriosis, fibroids in the uterus, menopausal syndrome etc. are attended with specific treatments of Ayurveda. This is a carefully planned health package which includes traditional therapies like sitz bath (avagāham), oil swabs (picu), cleansing procedures (kṣālanam) and irrigation (sekam) apart from some pañcakarma treatments. Internal medicines with these external therapies, a specific vegetarian diet and sessions of yoga, meditation, pranayama etc. collectively act on the body as well as mind to maintain a normal body homeostasis.

Leucorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular periods, Post-Menopausal Syndrome, osteoporosis, fibroids etc. are some of the common problems troubling women these days. All these conditions can be effectively managed with Ayurveda and that too with minimal side effects. Ayurveda addresses a multitude of gynecological problems (yoni vyapat). Some conditions however need to be treated at an early stage to be effective. Others may be managed in an integrated fashion for the best benefit of the patient.

Motherhood is a beautiful phase in a woman’s life which is beyond words to describe. Our mother-care programme offers both pre-natal as well as post-natal consultation and care. The effects of specific Ayurveda herbal preparations in the above conditions are astounding and MAYA AYURVEDA assures women suffering from these ailments a better physical and mental health through this programme.

Infertility and Sexual Health

Ayurveda enumerates four main factors for the effective conception such as proper ovulation and healthy permeation (ṛtu), pure and favorable uterine atmosphere (kṣetram), proper nourishment and blood circulation (aṃbu) and healthy zygote (bījam). Abnormality in any one of these factors can cause infertility. Ayurveda works wonders in conditions where couples despite having normal physiological or structural environments.

Vṛṣya cikitsa or vājīkaraṇa is one among eight branches of Ayurveda that has effective cures for conditions like infertility, impotency, low libido and erectile dysfunction. It bestows both a healthy sex life as well as a healthy progeny.

Digestive disorders

Ayurveda links almost all the digestive disorders to not paying attention to the ‘nature of our gut’ and dietary capacity. Indigestion is one among various root causes. Early detection as well as proper management in the initial stage itself checks most of the digestive problems from worsening. Ayurveda medicines and therapies have a great effect in Digestive disorders but what is most essential is to identify the digestive pattern exclusive to the person by evaluating their prakṛti. Once this is estimated, the diet has to be customized to suit what is best for them. So at MAYA AYURVEDA , after assessing the prakṛti and in addition to advising specific medications, we also ensure a long-term well being by coupling special diet plans and lifestyle to keep such conditions at bay.

Here are some of the common digestive disorders that we encounter most commonly:

Hyperacidity:

Here, an increase of Pitta causes a derangement in the digestive fire which is characterized by the inflammation and irritation of the gastric mucosa. Treatment mainly includes diet restrictions and internal medicines to pacify the aggravated Pitta. Persons with a chronic history of this disease may have to undergo some correcting or cleansing procedures including pañcakarma procedures like virecanam before starting the medications. As hyperacidity is often found linked with stress and other emotional disturbances, the treatments are also usually complemented with Yoga and Pranayama.

Constipation:

Inadequate fiber and water intake is the most common cause for constipation. Also, a hectic lifestyle is often a culprit for this nagging health problem. There is a faction of Vāta called apāna vāta which is located in the lower abdomen and pelvic area and controls the neuro-hormonal activities of this region. Factors, deranging this Vāta may lead to constipation. Conversely constipation can derange this Vāta and cause further problems like weakening of bio-fire and so on.

Treatment aims at lifestyle modifications such as scheduling regular meal timings, timely response to natural urges, high fluid and fiber intake, exercises to stimulate and strengthen the muscles of the intestinal tract and muscles around anus along with the administration of carminatives and mild laxatives. For chronic constipation, specific pañcakarma procedures are advised such as medicated oil enemas (sneha-vasti) and or medicated decoction enemas (kaṣāya-vasti) may have to be done to rectify the deranged apāna vāta.

Headache:

Headaches result from a wide range of causes including tension, eye problems, sinusitis, high blood pressure and so on. Usually a headache manifests as a constant or occasional throbbing pain around the head. Whatever be the cause or nature, common types of headaches that we come across always have aggravated Vāta in play and are found to respond very favorably to treatments that pacify Vāta. Treatments such as nasyam, śirodhāra, śirovasti and picu clears the blockage and provides good relief. Stress management through yoga and meditation reduce the tension and anxiety.

Skincare and Cosmetics:

‘Beauty is only Skin Deep’- is a popular saying in the modern world. But in Ayurveda, skin enjoys a very high status. It is considered as one of the five sensory organs. The skin is where one of the five factions of pitta or bio-fire resides. This faction of pitta, the ‘bhrājaka pitta’ not only expresses the skin tone but also reflects the deepest of our health conditions. Studying the skin alone can give an adept physician enough information on the overall health status of the person. So, in Ayurveda, Skin care is much beyond mere cosmetic care. If it is intertwined with the understanding that true beauty manifests only from a healthy core. This is why cosmetic care is also corrective in Ayurveda. Rather than making one’s skin fair, Ayurveda focuses on bringing out the natural best of that skin. Needless to say that there are very effective and long standing remedies for numerous skin conditions, from pimples to dry skin. And at MAYA AYURVEDA, we are putting all of the beauty care mantras in Ayurveda into practice. As a matter of fact, we approach cosmetic care also as a full of condition and implement detailed prakṛti evaluation and health condition to offer you a comprehensive beauty solution in place of the conventional ‘skin-deep’ temporary fix.