Ayurveda

Ancient knowledge for today`s world

Ayurvedic Pulse Diagnosis

Ayurvedic medicine has been using the pulse as a form of diagnosis since it was created 5000 years ago.

This is the most powerful diagnostic tool for understanding the cause of any ailment or disease in the human body.

Using pulse diagnosis the ayurvedic practitioner can detect imbalances can before they manifest as symptons or be detectable by orthodox medical investigations and can also detect longstanding imbalances or illnesses from the past that have not been fully resolved.

You can learn to read your own pulse by taking a self-pulse reading course  

The basic philosophy of Ayurveda

Ancient knowledge relevant for modern life

Conventional or allopathic medicine views the human being primarily as a “physical” body made up of different parts – cells, tissues, organs, systems that have to be fixed or replaced when they go wrong.  According to this model human perception, experience and emotion is wholly a product of biochemical activity in the brain – i.e. consciousness is an emergent property of matter when it gets to a certain level of complexity – matter is primary and consciousness is subordinate or epiphenomenal.

 In contrast, Ayurveda considers the human body from a quantum mechanical perspective and that all matter derives from consciousness – consciousness is primary and precedes matter.  In very simplistic terms the quantum mechanical view is that when we analyse matter through molecular structure, down to atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons etc we eventually get to a level where the conventional rationale breaks down and there are no “particles”, no solid building blocks of matter – only vibrational states of a field– from which particles are created when an observer chooses to observe.

Ayurveda considers the human body as being built up from layers of increasing densification and materialisation beginning with and according to an energetic blueprint whose origins are in Source energy and intelligence.  Ayurveda considers the human being as an eternal soul whose true nature is unbounded pure consciousness – the physical body being a projection into this dimension.  The ultimate ideal of Ayurveda is to help the person to realise his/her true nature – unbounded and infinite.  The ayurvedic approach to disease and illhealth is to bring the whole being back into balance and in alignment with the original blueprint of perfection.

The concept of quantum mechanical “vibrational states” is represented in the philosophy of Ayurveda as the five panchamahabhoota (5 elements) theory.  The whole universe including the human body is an interplay of the energies of five elements

The basic philosophy of Ayurveda is based on the panchamahabhoota (5 elements) theory. The whole universe including the human body is made up of five elements:

These elements combine to form controlling forces or biological humours called Doshas.   There are 3 doshas:

                 Vata                              Pitta                      Kapha

Each dosha is made up of the 5 elements as follows:

                      Vata = akasha + vayu                       Pitta = agni + apsa              Kapha = apas + prithvi

                                 (space + air)                                 (fire + water)                            (water + earth)

All things  living and non living have all 3 doshas to a greater or lesser degree.    An elephant or a rock is predominantly kapha,  a butterfly is more vata, a scorpion is more pitta but they all have all three doshas – nothing can exist without all 3 doshas.

These elements combine to form controlling forces or biological humours called Doshas.   There are 3 doshas:

                 Vata                              Pitta                      Kapha

Each dosha is made up of the 5 elements as follows:

                      Vata = akasha + vayu                       Pitta = agni + apsa              Kapha = apas + prithvi

                                 (space + air)                                 (fire + water)                            (water + earth)

All things  living and non living have all 3 doshas to a greater or lesser degree.    An elephant or a rock is predominantly kapha,  a butterfly is more vata, a scorpion is more pitta but they all have all three doshas – nothing can exist without all 3 doshas.

And various combination types

 Vata-pitta  Vata-kapha                                     Pitta-vata  Pitta-kapha                      Kapha-vata   Kapha-pitta

 Vata-pitta-kapha                                                        Pitta-vata-kapha                                       Kapha-vata-pitta 

                                                                    Vata-kapha-pitta                                                       

People with vata type constitutions are of thin build, quickly moving, talk fast, have thin hair, dry skin, thin hollow facial features, learn quickly but forget quickly, with a tendency to overthinking, worrying, scatterbrained, being imaginative, impulsive, forgetful,  vivacious, lively, exuberant.  They are prone to dry type asthma,  insomnia, constipation, circulatory disorders, burn out, M.E. and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinsons disease.

Pitta type constitutions are of medium build and tend to be blond or red haired, having fair skin and freckles and sharp facial features, have sharp speech and intellect,  are mentally focussed but tend to be impatient, critical and have a sense of pressure due to time urgency, amorous, passionate.  They are prone to anger, skin and eye complaints, gastric or duodenal ulcer, heart complaints and burn out.

Kapha type constitutions are of heavy build, with a tendency to be plump and put on weight easily.  They tend to have thick hair, soft skin and fleshy full lips and large soft brown eyes.  They tend to be slow, steady and methodical, slow to learn but slow to forget, greedy, possessive, loving, affectionate, good memory.  They tend to suffer from obesity, diabetes, depression, joint problems and productive type respiratory complaints.

Everyone has a constitutional type that they inherit or are born with called the Prakriti.   However the doshas are affected by our lifestyle and external environmental influences.   The  doshas change as we get older – childhood is predominantly a kapha time, puberty/adolescence to mid-life is more pitta time and old age is vata time – this is why babies are soft and plumb, adolescents get acne and tend to be rebellious and old people have dry skin, hair and bones. 

Foods affect the doshas as follows:

Dry light cold foods, astringent and bitter tastes increase vata

Hot spicy foods, sour, salty and pungent tastes increase pitta

Heavy cold unctuous oily foods, sweet and salty tastes increase kapha

Examples of foods that increase vata:  dry light foods eg crispbread, caffeinated drinks, tea, coffee, cold food, bitter and astringent tastes eg crociferous vegetables (brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, spinach, lettuce), lentils, legumes, potatoes.

Examples of foods that increase pitta:  fermented foods eg pickles, spicy foods, chillis, curries, red meat, smoked foods, fried food.

Examples of foods that increase kapha: heavy foods, stodgy puddings, cold foods, oily foods, sweet foods, milk, bananas, dairy produce, rice, fish, white meat

Lifestyle/activities etc that affect the doshas

Vata is increased by lack of sleep, shift working, working late at night, taking “recreational” drugs, exposure to cold dry windy weather, skipping meals, sex, irregular lifestyle, travel, exercise, overworking, mental work eg studying for exams, anxiety, worrying, fear

Pitta is increased by consumption of alcohol, smoking cigarrettes, taking pharmaceutical drugs, hot weather, hot environment, time pressure, anger, conflict

Kapha is increased by cold wet/damp weather/environment, lack of exercise, laziness/sloth, oversleeping, overeating, greed, attachment, envy.

The doshas and the seasons

The seasons of the year affect the doshas as follows:

Autumn/early Winter is Vata time – the coolness dryness of autumn (leaves fall off trees) increases vata which accumulates and gets aggravated especially with the frenetic and stressful activity of preparing for Christmas and other winter festivals and this is why people go down with the `flu at Christmas – flu forces you to go to bed and the bed rest pacifies vata – don`t take over the counter pharmaceuticals in order to force yourself to keep going – this will derrange vata even more to the point where there is deep damage to the nervous system and that is why people can get M.E. – a cold of `flu they never recover from – thats why M.E. was dubbed “yuppie `flu”.  Getting `flu has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria – you don`t “catch” `flu from another person – people go down with `flu because everyone is vata aggravated due to the time of year.  It`s no accident that we all have a rest around the time of the winter solstace to allow the system to rest and pacify vata.

Late Winter/early Spring is Kapha time and kapha increases and accumulates which is why in Spring people get “colds” – Kapha is the most material and solid of the doshas and it accumulates mainly in the chest area – Kapha accumulates because of the cold weather and the heavy food people have eaten over the winter.  When the warmer weather comes with Spring the kapha liquefies (like the snow melts) and the body expells it as mucous or vomit – hence people go down with colds or with stomach bugs.  Again this has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria – you don`t “catch” a cold – the body is simply discharging impurities it needs to get rid of – the easiest way is through a the upper respiratory tract or stomach.  The body wraps impurities in mucopolysaccharides which is the scientific term for mucous or snot, so that the foreign material doesn`t harm the body and also so it can be moved along the passageways easily.  Don`t be tempted to take over the counter pharmaceuticals because that just forces the toxic material to remain in the body and then the body has to store it somewhere – usually the joints, or the body maybe tries to get rid of it through the skin.

Summer is Pitta time and pitta dosha increases and accumulates.  Excess pitta dosha is discharged through the skin as “eczema” or via the small intestine as diarrhoea.  Again don`t suppress it with pharmaceuticals or you can end up with a skin condition like acne or rosacea.

Take a dosha self-test which can be found at one of the following sites:-

www.diturophotography.com/typ/files/DoshaTest.pdf

or

 http://www.elfuturoesverde.com/testdosha

or

www.omwellness.net/website_assets/dosha_test.html

or

http://www.ayurvedicbalance.com/mini-dosha-test.pdf

Every activity and everything we eat affects the doshas.   One or more dosha can become increased through mistakes in dietary habits and lifestyle – for example if we do not get enough sleep, rest, exercise or the correct food or we are subjected to some kind of trauma such as an emotional upset, an injury, are exposed to cold or too much heat for example.  When one or more doshas become out of balance – increased, aggravated or accumulated – if unchecked eventually symptoms will manifest.  An ayurvedic practitioner skilled and experienced in pulse diagnosis can detect imbalances before they manifest as symptoms.  A doshic imbalance is called Vrikriti.

Mild imbalances in the doshas can be treated with diet and lifestyle alone.  Severe imbalances require panchakarma and/or ayurvedic herbal medicine.

Subdoshas

Each of the 3 doshas has 5 subdoshas which govern various organs and parts of the body.  The subdoashas can be felt in the pulse by an ayurvedic practitioner experienced in pulse reading.  The following is a very simplified overview for the layperson – for a detailed description of the subdoshas refer to the book by Dr Lad.

The subdoshas of Vata:

Prana vata: governs functions of the central nervous system and breath.  When prana feels out of balance in the pusle it can indicate overthinking, mental strain and fatigue, worry, anxiety, burn out, low vitality due to poor lifestyle or substance abuse.

Udana vata:  governs speech, sneezing, the contents of the throat and upper chest such as the larynx and thyroid.  When udana feels out of balance in the pulse it can indicate neck pain, sore throat, problems with the larynx or thyroid, a period of over-exertion physically or mentally.

Samana: governs the processes that prepare the body for digestion such as the signals from the brain to tell the body it needs food and to prepare the digestive tract for digestion and movements of the digestive tract.

Apana: governs downward movement and expulsion from the body of urine, stool, menstrual blood, semen, foetus and flatus (wind).  When apana feels disturbed in the pulse it can indicate low back pain, menstrual problems, period pain, bladder problems, constipation, erectile dysfunction in the male, sciatica or problems in the lower limbs.  Apana is responsible for the movement of sperm in the man and ovulation in the woman.  Apana is responsible for conception – if apana is weak conception is not possible.   Apana pushes the baby from the womb and if apana is stuck or weak labour is delayed.  In women if apana is weak fat collects on the thighs. 

Apana is the most important of the subdoshas – if the movement of apana is disturbed or blocked it tends to move upwards and cause all manner of havoc – it can disturb all the other subdoshas and especially it can derrange prana vayu and cause mental/emotional problems – this is what happens in whiplash accidents and postnatal depression.

Vyana: governs the circulation of blood ad lymph.  When vyana feels disturbed in the pulse it can indicate low or high blood pressure or some imbalance or disease of the circulation or sudden lack of oxygenation.

Subdoshas of Pitta:

Pachaka: governs the digestive enzymes and the stomach acid that breakdown food so that it can be absorbed by the body.  When pachaka feels disturbed in the pulse it can mean weak digestion, gastric ulcer, high or low stomach acid.

Ranjaka:  is responsible for the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow and giving colour to the tissues i.e. blood, hair, skin, eyes etc.  and the breakdown of haemoglobin in the liver.

Sadaka: is responsible for the functioning of the physical heart and the emotional heart and the normal functioning of the mind.  When sadaka feels disturbed in the pulse it can indicate an emotional trauma or upset, disappointment, lack of fulfilment in life, problems with the functioning of the physical heart.

Alochaka: governs the biochemical activity of the eye, the perception of vision, production of tears.  When alochaka feels disturbed in the pulse it can indicate eye problems such as conjunctivitis, glaucoma, iritis, styes, disturbances of vision or that tears are due or have been falling.

Brajaka:  is responsible for the lustre of the skin and the skin’s ability to absorb and the sense of touch.  When brajaka is disturbed in the pulse it is due to a skin condition – for example acne, psoriasis, eczema etc. and also lack of sensation of the skin.

Subdoshas of Kapha: 

Kledaka: governs the production of the protective lining of the stomach and the moist secretions in the digestive tract which help dissolve the food and provide a liquid medium in which the digestive enzymes can work.  When kledaka feels disturbed in the pulse it indicates that digestion is not efficient and food is not being digested properly.

Avalambaka:  provides support for all kapha systems in the body functionally and structurally – especially of the lungs, heart and vertebral column.   When avalambaka is disturbed in the pulse it can mean back pain or respiratory problems such as bronchiectasis, asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.  Psychologically avalambaka is associated with support, love and compassion.  When there is excessive grief and sadness, avalambaka kapha becomes sticky and lung function is affected – the lungs are the seat of grief and sadness.

Bodhaka:  is associated with the production of saliva by the salivary glands, lubrication of the vocal cords and the sense of taste.   When bodhaka is disturbed in the pulse it can indicate the accumulation of thick catarrh at the back of the throat, sepsis in the tonsils, or disturbance/loss of the sense of taste.

Tarpaka: The word tarpaka derives from the word tarpana which means to nourish and also to retain or record.  Tarpaka kapha is predominantly present in the white matter of the brain, it is thick, sticky, slimy and soft.  Tarpaka nourishes the brain cells.  The liquid qualities of tarpaka kapha are present in the meninges and cerebrospinal fluid and it also lubricates the sinuses and nasal cavities.  Tarpaka is also sited in the myelin sheaths of the nerves and in the DNA. Tarpaka is also the site of biological memory –  our life experiences are recorded and stored in our tissues.

Shleshaka:  Shleshaka kapha is thick, sticky, liquid, oily and slimy.  It is present all over the body and especially in the joint spaces where two bones come together – it lubricates the joints and nourishes the articular (joint) surfaces and cartilages to promote easy movement.  One of the important functions of shleshaka kapha is to support the skeletal system and strengthen the ligaments.  If shleshaka  kapha looses its unctuous and liquid qualities, it ceases to nourish the joint.  When joints crack or pop it indicates a lack od shleshaka kapha.  When the kapha molecules are dried up vata enters the joint; vata is rough and so the bone surface of the joint becomes dry and rough.  Crystals of calcium can form in the joint space causing pain and stiffness.  Disorders or shleshaka kapha include degenerative arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Excessive jogging can be stressful to the joint.  Vigorous exercise can change the quality of shleshaka kapha and hurt the joint.

An ayuvedic practitioner experienced in pulse reading can determine from the quality of the pulse of each subdosha the nature of imbalances in the subdoshas – for example whether there is inflammation or congestion, how long the imbalance has been there.

Weak digestion and formation of Ama

The majority of common health problems in the West stem from toxic byproducts from improperly digested food.  It is important not to eat unless you are genuinely hungry and the body is asking for food and no to eat late at night.  If the body is not hungry then the digestive power is not there to digest the food, likewise in the evening the digestive power is not as strong as it is during the day – food eaten in these situations will not get properly digested and assimilated by the body and  acts as a toxin – when this is done habitually there is an accumulation – in Ayurveda it is called “ama”.  It is like putting too much wood on a fire when there is not enough heat and oxygen to burn it.  Ama collects in the joints causing arthritis, in the blood vessels causing atheromatous plaques eventually leading to atherosclerosis and strokes, in the connective tissue causing cellulite.  The health tips given below will help to prevent ama.  To get rid of existing ama drink hot water with 1/4 lemon first thing in the morning and late afternoon.

Health tips for all constitutions 

Never eat if you are not hungry.  This is the most important health tip of all.   Most of the diseases in the West are due to eating the main meal in the evening – which often does not get digested properly and then becomes toxic waste which is often not satisfactorily eliminated and accumulates in the joints causing “arthritis”, accumulates in the blood vessels causing “atheroma/atherosclerosis” and accumulates in adipose (fat) tissue as a place to store it and also causes water retention to dilute the toxins leading to obesity.

Always eat if you are hungry

Don`t eat whilst engaged in some other activity such as reading, watching TV or speaking on the phone because this diverts the body`s attention from the process of digestion. In ayurveda “digestion” is a larger concept than it is in western medicine.

A proper meal should have all the six tastes – sweet, bitter, atsringent, pungent, sour and salty.   Fast food or “junk food” has only sweet, sour and salty tastes – the body registers that it is not satisfied because the other three tastes are absent in the food and so more food is eaten but still of sweet, sour and salty – a vicious circle sets up – you eat more and more but the body still does not get what it needs – this is how obesity develops.

Don`t snack or eat on the hoof – sit down to proper meals.

Have your main meal between 12 and 2pm when the digestive fire is strongest.  Just following this advice alone can have a huge benficial impact upon your health.  The money you spend on taking time out in the middle of the day to sit down to a proper balanced cooked meal will save you a hundred fold on healthcare expenses in the future.

Have a light vegetable soup in the evening.

Always have fresh food – never eat left overs from the previous day or even the previous meal

Be in bed by 10pm and don`t read or watch TV in bed

Meditate twice a day

Becoming your own physician with Ayurveda

The ayurvedic practitioner assists their patient in becoming aware of their own physiological signals and in living life around their own phsyiology rather than coercing the physiology to bend to external demands.

By having a basic understanding of the doshas (the information on this page) you can avoid imbalances becoming symptoms by simple dietary and lifestyle measures

You can learn self-pulse reading which enables you to self-diagnose and self-treat through the pulse.

Regular practice of Transcendental Meditation heals the body from the quantum level, restores and maintains balance in the autonomic nervous system.

 Further reading

Perfect Health by Dr Deepak Chopra

Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles  by Dr Vasant Lad (gives a detailed and scientific explanation of the subdoshas, the philosophy and all aspects of Ayurveda)

The Handbook of Ayurveda by Dr Shantha Godagama

The complete book of Ayurvedic home remedies:  A comprehensive guide to the ancient healing of India by Dr Vasant Lad

The Book of Ayurveda: A Guide to personal wellbeing by Judith H Morrison

Total Heart Health by Robert Schneider and Jeremy Fields

The Answer to Cancer Is Never Giving It A Chance To Start (Very Simple Ways to Avert  A Very Big Calamity) by Hari Sharma & Rama K Mishra

Julia Spivack’s article on Ayurvedic Medicine:-

Ayurveda is the oldest system of medicine known to mankind – estimated to be about 5,000 years old.  The word Ayurveda is composed of two Sanskrit roots, Ayusha (lifespan) and Veda (knowledge) which contracts to Ayurveda which means “knowledge of lifespan”.

Ayurveda is an “upaveda” or subordinate veda of the Veda’s – which means an applied aspect of Veda.  There are four main Vedas – Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.   There is dispute among Vedic scholars as to whether Ayurveda is an upaveda of Rig Veda or Atharva Veda but most assert it is Atharva Veda.

It is important to understand that Ayurveda is much more than a system of medicine or healing – to see it as a system of medicine only is to miss the point entirely as we will see later on in this article after I have explained the context of the development of Ayurveda.  Although having said that it is a very potent and profound therapeutic system getting to the very root of chronic disorders where other therapeutic systems fail.  

Ayurveda was the system of medicine used throughout India until British occupation when the British Empire suppressed Ayurveda in favour of allopathic medicine which remains the dominant medical system in India today.  However since India achieved independence from Britain Ayurveda is experiencing a revival that is fast spreading outside India also.

The Vedas are considered to be the oldest body of knowledge and they were transmitted by oral tradition for many thousands of years before they were ever written down.   There is no complete written form of any of the Vedas including Ayurveda – only fragments of Sanskrit texts of any of the Vedas were ever created and even less remain intact.  However these remaining fragments nonetheless constitute an enormous body of classical texts.

The knowledge embodied in the Vedas is knowledge of consciousness – it is not encyclopaedic knowledge – it is direct cognition of the mechanics of creation of the universe by sages in higher states of consciousness.   It is essentially mystical knowledge which transcends the limitations of language.  It has been transmitted orally in a codified form in Sanskrit poetry as Sama Veda and Rig Veda.

The Sanskrit alphabet is constructed so as to create resonance in the various parts of the cranium when the consonants and vowels are spoken and chanting of Sanskrit mantras is designed to create reverberations in the cranial cavities to have a positive influence upon the functioning of the central nervous system.   Sanskrit is the language of Ayurveda and the classical texts of Ayurveda such as Astanga Hrdya, Charaka Samhita (of which there are 7 volumes) and Sushruta Samhita are all written in Sanskrit.  Practitioners of Ayurveda are required to learn the Sanskrit language. 

From the perspective of Ayurveda man is part of the macrocosm or the cosmos and one of the basic tenets of Ayurveda is “as is the macrocosm so is the microcosm” – the same intelligent principles that govern the entire universe also govern our physiology.  The whole of the universe is reflected in each part because every particle is a holographic representation of the whole.  In fact Ayurveda is part of the whole yogic tradition of preparing the body and the mind to support the development of higher states of consciousness to experience union with the Divine cosmic intelligence and to achieve “moksha” or liberation from the wheel of karma by realisation of the eternal immortal Self and being released from the ego-identification with relative forms.  The true aim of Ayurveda is to awaken our awareness to our connection to the source of cosmic intelligence.  Indeed Ayurveda considers that the root cause of all suffering is the illusion of seperateness or “maya” – in Ayurveda this is called “pragya aparadh” or mistake of the intellect.  It is the prison of our limited five-sensory perception in the limitations of the illusion of space-time which obscures the reality of the eternal oneness of all creation.

One of the approaches of Ayurveda is a means to transcend the activity of the mind and experience pure consciousness which is a very powerful experience affecting the body at a cellular level and even beyond.   In ayurvedic anatomy and physiology the human being is not considered in terms of material parts such as tissues and organs but in terms of unfoldment from the field of the unmanifest through the subtle levels of existence to the gross material levels – so preceeding the manifestation of the material body which is called the annamayakosha or the body that eats food, there are a number of “sheaths” – there is the pranamayakosha (sheath of vital essence, which is an electromagnetic field or the etheric body and is 6cm away from the skin), the manomayakosha (sheath of mind), the jnanamayakosha (sheath of knowledge) which is often incorporated into the vijnanamayakosha (sheath of intellect or causal body) and the anandamayakosha (sheath of bliss).  The astral body is a combination of the prana kosha and the mano kosha.  These koshas or “bodies” are vibrations of the mind and the mind operates through them through a central canal which runs from the centre of the head to 31/2 feet above the crown where a person is connected to the universal mind – at that point there is a meeting of universal mind and the individual mind.  The reason why Ayurveda can cure chronic condirions where other systems fail is because it has the potential to heal at the level of the energetic blueprint which preceeds the manifestation of the physical body at the level of matter. Ayurveda is a bio-chemical, bio-energetic, bio-spiritual system of medicine.

The clinical scope of Ayuveda is vast and includes therapeutic approaches  from meditation to surgery.  In fact much of modern surgery originally derives from Ayurveda.  Ayurveda includes sound therapy, gem therapy, aromatherapy, colour therapy, marma therapy, and a very comprehensive system of herbal medicine and detoxification, cleansing and rejuvenating treatments called panchakarma.  It can reach chronic disease where other systems of medicine cannot and it come into its own par excellence in the field of preventive medicine.  Diagnostically Ayurveda includes case history taking, observation of the patient and palpation and pulse diagnosis based on a tri-doshic five-element system.   In India the training is a five-year full-time training after successful completion you are awarded a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery (B.A.M.S.).  There is a higher qualification of Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery (D.A.M.S)

Although coming from a culture very different from ours in the West, the principles of Ayurveda are easily translated to other cultures because they are principles of living in harmony with the physiology – they are universal principles – and much of the dietary and lifestyle advice can be readily picked up by the layperson.

It is the cumulative violation of very simple physiological principles that leads to chronic disease.  For example Ayurveda dictates that the main meal should be taken at the middle of the day when the power of digestion is at its strongest.  The main meal of the day should not be taken in the evening when the digestive power is waning otherwise that food will not be digested properly and therefore proper tissue generation cannot occur from it and it will become putrefied inside the body and remain as toxins – in Ayurveda this is called “ama”.  Ayurveda also advises on combining of foods so that they are digested properly.  There are food combinations that are considered “asatmya” or unwholesome because they do not produce good products of digestion and create toxins – for example meat and milk and fruit and milk should not be taken together in the same meal nor mixed in any way.

Ayurveda places paramount importance upon digestion which is a much larger concept in Ayurveda that just the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller molecules – it encompasses the whole process of metabolism and the creation of new tissue.  The quality of the digestive process and the quality of new tissue determines the strength and immunity.

Ayurveda considers that the main cause of disease is weak or improper digestion, wrong diet and lifestyle and karma from actions in previous incarnations.

Myself I started training in Ayurveda in 1985 and started practising in 1994.  I trained in the days when there was no regulatory or training infrastructure for Ayurveda in the UK and I had to go abroad for my training.  Over the last few years there has been degree courses set up and there is now good voluntary regulation in place and moves to statutory regulation. Currently the main registering and representative body for Ayurveda in the UK is the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association which is guiding the profession through the process of becoming regulated under statute.  The main training institution in the UK is the College of Ayurveda (UK) in partnership with Middlesex University which offers a BSc (Hons) degree in Ayurvedic Medicine, an Advanced Diploma for medical doctors which and a Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degree.  There is a mandatory requirement to complete a clinical attachment in internal medicine and surgery at various Ayurvedic teaching hospitals in India. 

Dr Julia Spivack BSc (Hons) (Pharmacology), DO, MSCC, MICO, Dip Hom, MSc. (Ayur), BSc (Hons) (Homeopathy)

References:

Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental principles.  Lad V.   ISBN: 1-883725-07-0