Is Ayurveda scientific or not?

“If you strive for bliss, your diet should be such that new disease cannot manifest and existing disease is alleviated.” – Charaka

Man has come up with many inventions applying his intelligence and wisdom. Some have been successful. Some have failed to see daylight. The same can be said about the various medicinal approaches from around the globe that have come and gone over the centuries. Health has a clear foundation – principles that prove to show what works for the body and what does not. The core principle being the connection between mind, body, soul. And Ayurveda works around this very same school of thought. Over the years, there have been questions around the treatment approach of Ayurveda and the medicinal properties applied.

To understand the path of Ayurvedic healing, you first need to understand what is Ayurveda and the system that it follows.

 

Origin, Approach and Prevalence of Ayurveda

Ayurveda means ‘science of life’ and is one of the earliest forms of holistic treatment from one of the oldest civilizations, India. Its writings and basic principles have been practiced for over 5000 years. One such being the writings of Sushruta Acharya, who is also known as the Father of surgery. Over the years, Ayurveda has evolved to co-exist with other forms of medical care.

In Ayurveda, each being is considered to be a different expression of the universe. It follows the basic understanding of ‘no two people are alike’. Even if two individuals were to walk in with a fever,  the medicine prescribed would be based on the person’s body constitution and the actual illness.  The purpose of Ayurveda is in maintaining health and curing the disease. Food in itself is the medicine in Ayurvedic healing. It is used wisely so that they don’t cause any accumulations or trigger any problems in you.

People seek Ayurvedic care for two primary reasons:

– Chronic illness where they are at the extreme stage and modern medicine has no solution

– Holistic check-up to understand body constitution for the right nourishment and maintain health to age well

As our Holistic Ayurveda Doctor, Dr. Mohammed Rifas quotes: “Today, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic fear, people have slowly begun to realise and understand the importance of being healthy. They are approaching us to maintain their health and not just to resolve an existing illness.”

 

The science behind Ayurveda

For anything to be scientific, you give different values for the different variables – length, breadth, height, molecules etc. In Ayurveda, it has a unique kind of scientific approach with its variables termed as Doshas used for measuring purpose. Being scientific means we have tools to measure everything and Ayurveda has this. It may be different to the measures used by modern science, but the purpose remains the same which is, health.

In Ayurveda specifically, it is believed that if you are about to come down with an illness, you almost always have symptoms that show from the early beginnings. In the case of Diabetes, it would almost always have premonitory symptoms. Back in the ancient times, even when there were no so called equipment or tools to identify sugar levels, the practice was to have patients urinate outside the treatment facility – if ants approached it, it was a clear indication of high sugar levels in the patient’s body. Today with technology, we make use of the convenience of blood check ups instead of nature’s own ants.

Ayurveda is scientific but in its own unique approach. It is a traditional medicinal practice that has stood the test of time. 

And time is the most important witness and validation of all.