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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 Ayurvedic clinics exist in most countries in the world.

Some Western or conventional practitioners 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 yourself plus between yourself 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 body type or personal constitution, called a 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.

Is it addressed to the whole person? the body, mind and spirit? meaning that diet, the use of herbs and supplements, stress management, sleep, and movement all 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

Each person’s dosha or body type 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 gaining weight, and have digestive problems. They are curious, open-minded, creative, and energetic, but tend to be fearful, stressful, and clueless.

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.

Whistle… these people are mainly of medium build and find it easy to gain weight or 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 push themselves too hard and are prone to heart disease, hypertension, infectious diseases, and digestive problems.

Kapha… these people tend to have large, solid builds and tend to be overweight. They are down to earth, 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 will be determined by an Ayurvedic physician. However, you can try to figure it out yourself by reading a companion article How To Determine Your Unique Personal Dosha For Yourself.

How Your Ayurvedic Physician Determines Your Personal Dosha

To determine your dosha, your consultant will take your medical history, check your skin and tongue and gums, check your vital signs (heartbeat, pulse, reflexes, etc.), and so on.

They will also talk about your personal relationships and ask you about your sleep patterns, exercise routines, work, etc. Your questions will examine a host of variables, such as … your physical characteristics … your personality traits … the food you eat … your activity level … your mind, emotions and moods, and so on. Determining your main dosha can be a long process.

Once this is done, the consultant will determine 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 overworked, etc.

Ayurvedic lifestyle

In Ayurvedic medicine, good health means ensuring that all three doshas are in a state of balance within you and between you and your environment.

To find out where this balance is, you must:

  • tune in to your body’s natural rhythms, and

  • Synchronize your lifestyle with nature and its cyclical patterns, that is, aligning your food choices, sleep patterns, and activity level, etc. with the seasons, the time of day and, if you are a woman, your 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 consultant will determine the lifestyle you should follow to regain balance in your dosha. The following are some of the key points it will cover:

Environment… creating a calm environment for your work and home by tidying it up (removing all unnecessary materials), allowing fresh air in, and adding plants or flowers to brighten it up.

Meditation… get into the habit of waking up at around the same time every day and meditating silently for about 15 minutes on what you plan to do during the day.

Avoiding certain foods… these are foods that are not appropriate for your dosha and therefore harmful, like processed foods. Your consultant will give you a list.

Eat nutritious food… that are specific to your dosha, such as vegetables, legumes, spices, etc. Again, your consultant will provide you with a list.

Exercise… exercising regularly that is appropriate for your body type … not too vigorous, but strong enough to improve circulation and functionality.

The benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle

The fundamental 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 healthier 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 stated that Ayurvedic medical practices in conjunction with a personalized Ayurvedic diet can help in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory, hormonal, digestive and health conditions. autoimmune. .

Of particular interest to type 2 diabetics, Ayurveda:

  • Helps you lower your high blood pressure

  • It helps you lower your cholesterol.

  • Reduce your weight and especially your belly fat.

  • It gives you better control over your stress.

The first three points refer to metabolic syndrome, a set 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 probably have the others.

Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that the Ayurvedic lifestyle will benefit you in controlling your blood glucose, and in any case, as a diabetic, there is an 85% chance that you will have problems with your blood pressure and blood levels. cholesterol.

When people with type 2 diabetes are under mental stress, they generally experience a spike in their blood glucose levels. When they are under physical stress, due, for example, to injury or illness, their blood sugar 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 levels of stress correlate with better health, longevity, weight control, and overall happiness. There is no doubt that the Ayurvedic lifestyle can help you beat your type 2 diabetes.

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