Modern Medicine Aligns with Asian Traditions
Sep
4
Ginger and Turmeric are among the key herbs for a healthy Ayurvedic based diet.
Perhaps modern medicine is circling back coincidentally with traditional Asian health care traditions, such as India’s Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic medicine is an over 3,000 years old Indian holistic healing approach that depends on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit, to paraphrase WebMD.
Ayurveda proponents believe that your chances of getting sick -- and the health issues you develop -- are linked to the balance of your three doshas, each of which controls different body functions. The three doshas are Vata dosha (space and air); Pitta dosha (fire and water); and Kapha dosha (water and earth).
Ayurveda not only endorses the belief that the mind and body are intimately interconnected, it goes beyond mind and body to suggest we have interconnections with our environment and spirituality. According to Ayurveda, disease develops when we disconnect from nature and the five elements in nature and within our minds and bodies - earth, water, fire, air, and space.
Japan's Shinrinyoku
Likewise, Japanese health care evolving from the Shinto and Buddhist traditions seek to integrate our connection to nature with our physical and spiritual health, and recommend regular “Shinrinyoku”, or “bathing in the forest”. Ayurveda seeks to integrate the mind, body and spirit to promote health and wellness, as stated by the National Institute of Health. The Ayurvedic approach considers each individual’s unique needs for food and application, even lifestyle.
It parallels modern science- based approaches that include healthy living. It supports the belief that the fundamentals of even meditation are factors influencing our overall health, such as slowing down, being present, mindful, and conscious in our breathing. In these holistic traditions, the fundamentals of Hinduism and Buddhism are a worthy consideration, not necessarily to replace western traditions but to complement them.
神谷保険