(NaturalNews) Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine that considers mind, body, and spirit when diagnosing and treating patients. It is the traditional system of medicine in India and has been practiced for 3,000 years. The word ayurveda means "wisdom of life" and the system of medicine maintains that all illnesses affect both the mind and the body and should be treated together not separately.
A large part of Ayurveda is spiritual which is different than Western Medicine. According to Ayurvedic beliefs, some of the factors that cause disease include planetary influences, evil spirits, and acts of gods. Another way Ayurveda differs is that remedies are natural instead of lab created. Because they are made from natural ingredients, remedies are non-toxic and usually free of side effects. These remedies will heal even if you do not believe in the spiritual aspects.
Ayurveda Medicine teaches that our bodies are made up of a combination of three bio-energies called "doshas". These energies affect all of our bodily functions. We have differing amounts of each dosha within us and most people are predominantly one dosha. The balance of these energies is determined by our diet and exercise, emotional and spiritual health, digestive systems, and elimination of wastes in our body. When these energies get out of balance, we get sick.
While it would be impossible to detail even a small percentage of Ayurvedic remedies in one article, below are a few remedies for common ailments that you can start using right away. You may have even heard of some of these before.
Ginger root is a common remedy in Ayurveda and other herbal medicines. You can eat a piece of ginger root, drink it as a tea, or use it as a compress. It is commonly used to treat upset stomach, vomiting, headaches, and the cold or flu.
Another common Ayurveda remedy you may have heard of or used before is aloe vera. You can use the gel from the aloe vera plant to heal burns, cuts, sunburn, and other skin injuries. Just cut a leaf off an established aloe vera plant and apply the gel on the inside directly to the injury. Use fresh aloe vera gel because packaged products with aloe vera gel don`t have all the healing properties fresh gel does.
Here are a few more quick remedies to try. Try a little cayenne pepper in your socks to keep your feet warm on a cold day. Place a slice of onion directly on a fresh burn to soothe the pain. Use the natural anesthetic properties of cinnamon to treat a wound by sprinkling cinnamon powder on a cut or scrape. Check out the resources below for more natural, non-toxic remedies.
Resources:
http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv_home.htmhttp://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/introduction.htmThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD
About the author
David Victor is a health and fitness enthusiast who enjoys learning about all aspects of health and sharing that information with others through writing. He maintains a
health and fitness website called Sassafras Station and an associated blog at
http://www.sassafrasstation.com/blog
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