In Sanskrit ayur means life and veda means knowledge or science… Ayurveda or knowledge of life is a natural system of healing that originated in India about five millennia ago. Ayurvedic medicine is still widely practiced in India and there are Ayurvedic clinics in most countries of the world.
Some conventional or Western doctors consider Ayurveda to be a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and may include it alongside their conventional treatments.
How the Ayurvedic healing system works
In Ayurvedic medicine, good health is defined as a state of balance within oneself plus between you and your environment. To achieve this balance, your Ayurvedic doctor will prescribe changes to your individual lifestyle and diet. These changes will be based on your personal body type or constitution, called your dosha.
This health system places great emphasis on Ayurvedic lifestyle practices, along with personalized nutrient-dense diets, to help prevent disease and optimize well-being, both physical and mental.
Does it address the whole person? body, mind and spirit? meaning that diet, use of herbs and supplements, stress management, sleep, and movement combine to promote overall health. It can also include CAM treatments such as homeopathy, massage, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, and exercise.
To follow Ayurveda, your particular dosha must be determined.
The three basic doshas
The dosha or body type of each person is different and unique.
However, there are three different basic doshas…vata, pitta, and kapha…and each individual has a unique combination of these three doshas that determines their physical and psychological characteristics.
Here is a brief description of the three basic doshas:
Vata… these people tend to be thin with smaller bones, have a hard time putting on weight, and have digestive problems. They are curious, open-minded, creative, and energetic, but tend to be fearful, stressful, and reckless.
Vata energy plays a role in essential functions such as breathing, circulation, mobility, and movement. Vata people are susceptible to physical problems such as neurological disorders, insomnia, arthritis, and heart disease, and mental problems such as fear and pain.
Pita…these people are mostly of medium build and find it easy to gain weight or gain muscle. They are smart, hard-working, ambitious, competitive, but sometimes angry and aggressive.
Pitta energy plays an important role in metabolic functions such as digestion, nutrient absorption, energy expenditure, and body temperature. They can overexert themselves and are prone to heart disease, hypertension, infectious diseases, and digestive problems.
kafa…these people usually have a large, solid build and tend to be overweight. They are realistic, supportive, loving, and forgiving, but tend to be lazy, envious, sad, and insecure.
Kapha energy plays a role in lubrication, fluid balance, nutrition, rest, relaxation, caring for others, reproduction, and building a strong immune system. His health problems include diabetes, cancer, obesity, fluid retention and respiratory diseases.
These doshas are general types and an individual’s personal dosha will be a combination of the three basic types in a ratio unique to that person.
Your dosha is determined by an Ayurvedic doctor. However, you can try to figure it out yourself by reading a companion article How to Determine Your Unique Personal Dosha Yourself.
How your Ayurvedic doctor determines your personal dosha
To determine your dosha, your consultant will take your medical history, check your skin and your tongue and gums, check your vital signs (heartbeat, pulse, reflexes, etc.), and so on.
He or she will also discuss your personal relationships and ask about your sleep patterns, exercise routines, work, etc. Your questions will examine a very wide number of variables, such as… your physical characteristics… your personality traits… the foods you eat… your activity level… your mind, emotions, and moods , and so. Determining your main dosha can be a lengthy process.
Once this is done, the consultant will find out which aspects of your doshas are out of balance and why… perhaps, for example, because you are not eating a healthy diet, not getting enough sleep, or working too much, etc.
Ayurvedic lifestyle
In Ayurvedic medicine, good health means ensuring that all three doshas are in a state of balance within yourself and between you and your environment.
To find out where this balance is, you must:
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tune into the natural rhythms of your body, and
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it synchronizes your lifestyle with nature and its cyclical patterns, that is, it aligns your food choices, sleep patterns and activity level, etc. with the seasons, the time of day and, if a woman, her menstrual cycle.
Therefore, after determining your unique personal dosha and which aspects of your dosha are out of balance, the Ayurvedic consultant will prescribe a particular lifestyle and diet combined with specific herbs and relaxing practices.
The Ayurvedic diet is discussed in a separate article. Can the Ayurvedic diet help control blood glucose levels?
Key points about an Ayurvedic lifestyle
Your advisor will determine the lifestyle you need to follow to bring your dosha back into balance. The following are some of the key points you will cover:
Environment… creating a calm environment for your work and home by decluttering it (removing all unnecessary materials), letting fresh air in, and adding plants or flowers to brighten it up.
Meditation…get into the habit of waking up at about the same time every day and meditating silently for about 15 minutes on what you plan to do during the day.
avoid certain foods…these are foods that are not appropriate for your dosha and therefore harmful, such as processed foods. Your consultant will give you a list.
eat nutritious food… that are specific to your dosha, such as vegetables, legumes, spices, etc. Once again, your advisor will provide you with a list.
working out…engage in regular exercise that is appropriate for your body type…not too vigorous, but strong enough to improve circulation and function.
The benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle
The core belief in the Ayurvedic health system is that illness and disease are the result of an imbalance in the three doshas and a disconnection from nature. Its goal is to make you healthy by restoring that balance and reconnecting you with your surroundings.
But is this lifestyle beneficial?
Yes…according to a report published by the University of Maryland Medical Center in 2015. The report indicated that Ayurvedic medical practices in conjunction with a personalized Ayurvedic diet can aid in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory, hormonal, digestive, and autoimmune. .
Of particular interest in type 2 diabetics, Ayurveda:
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It helps you lower your high blood pressure.
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Helps you lower cholesterol
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Reduce your weight and especially your belly fat.
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Gives you better control over your stress
The first three points refer to metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders related to certain biochemical processes… high blood glucose levels, increased blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, or excess body fat around the waist. .which very often occur at the same time in your body and are interrelated. If you have three of these conditions, you have metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome occurs before you become diabetic and increases your chances of developing diabetes and heart disease or having a stroke. If you have one component of the syndrome, you likely have the others.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that the Ayurvedic lifestyle will benefit you in blood glucose control, and in any case, as a diabetic, there is an 85% chance that you will have problems with your blood pressure and glucose levels. cholesterol.
When people with type 2 diabetes are under mental stress, they typically experience an increase in their blood glucose levels. When they are under physical stress, due to, for example, injury or illness, their blood sugar level can also rise.
Better stress management seems to be one of the main benefits of Ayurveda, according to a Western medical point of view. We know that chronic stress can ruin your quality of life, and that lower stress levels correlate with better health, longevity, weight management, and overall happiness. There is no doubt that the Ayurvedic lifestyle can help you beat your type 2 diabetes.
