Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced for thousands of years in India; it is based on a natural system where treatments aim to restore balance to the body’s three doshas or energies. This brings relief from symptoms of the disease which are thought to be caused by the imbalance. Ayurveda is still widely practiced and has gained popularity in the western world in recent years, advocates are quick to sing its praises and many people claim that it has relieved them of symptoms that other avenues did not.
Ayurveda treatments include a program of lifestyle and dietary changes which regulate you’re waking, sleeping and other routines, diet is to include the six different tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent) at every meal if possible and in any case be natural. This offers optimal nutrition to the body. Tea, coffee, alcohol and recreational drugs are to be eliminated as are excesses in other areas such as late nights, overeating etc. These echo many suggestions for healthy living we find in other aspects of medicine and positive reasons can be found for all.
The holistic approach the health and well being taken by Ayurveda practitioners ensures that consideration of the body, mind and even spirit is made when deciding how to treat illness or improve health. This is achieved through massage, yoga, and meditation with the latter said to improve self-awareness and with it the desire to keep the body in balance and therefore increase wellbeing. This idea is often the central theme to an Ayurveda Retreat where the focus is on improving health and hopefully longevity of life. Such retreats usually include a regime of cleansing and purification to eliminate toxins from the body and restore the flow of energy which can block wellness.