Curated Paper 1 - Ayurveda and Science

Ayurveda and Science

Ayurveda was a word that I had never heard of but have always understood the concept behind. I have always believed that to become the healthiest person you can be you need to have the right balance in your life, mentally, spiritually, physically, and environmentally. This is exactly what Ayurveda entails. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda refers to “The science of life.” It focuses on the balance of an individual through diet and lifestyle. Over 500 years ago it was considered the be the “mother of all healing.” (Lad 2006)

Just how everyone has a different fingerprint, everyone has their own means of balance. What works well for some may not work at all for another. Many life factors have different effects on us and the balance of our bodies. Some may be triggered by the weather, physical trauma, or even work. “Balance is the neutral order, imbalance is disorder.” The trick is for people to find what best fits their personal balance. A simple way to start the journey is by taking a quiz to learn the individual’s constitution and imbalance. There they are able to focus on what they need to improve to get their inner balance in place. As people put in the time to realign themselves with their Ayurveda they will become healthier and their life will become more balanced. (Lad 2006)

Earlier I talked about how this idea that the mind, body, and environment are all connected made sense to me. But what about looking at this idea of Ayurveda from a biological standpoint? Us as humans are organisms living in our own environment, right? So, what if we looked at cells in our body’s environment and tied in Ayurveda? Ayurveda uses three simple types of energy or functional principles that are present in everything and everyone. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These three words can be related to the basic biology of the body. Energy is an essential component of biology, as energy is required for the movement of nutrition to get into cells. Energy is also needed to process the nutrients in a cell and to maintain the structure of the cell. Vata is all about the energy of movement. Pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism. Kapha is the energy of lubrication and structure. Ayurveda is the work of Vitta, Pitta, and Kapha in a harmonious environment. (Lad 2006)

 Now, let’s take a look at metabolism. Metabolism is taking energy in different forms and breaking it down into its fundamental components, then building it back up to use in productive ways. There are two main parts that are essential to metabolism. Catabolism is the process of breaking down components, and anabolism is the reorganization and building up of the components for us to use. As you may see, metabolism cannot occur without catabolism or anabolism. I don’t know if you have seen the metabolic pathway of any cell but the pathway when it is mapped out looks like the New York subway system on steroids. As you can imagine, there needs to be a balance of energy in the system which keeps the cells functional and fluid in motion. Now let’s look at what happens if there is an imbalance in the system. (Libretexts 2020)

Cancer is a disease that thrives on imbalance and disorder. Cancer is when cells grow rapidly and uncontrollably. The balance inside the cells is completely thrown off and disorder grows rampant. Just like how everyone has their own unique balance, cancer is unique to all that it affects. That is one reason why it is so hard to control through medicine; cancer is different in everyone. Treatment of cancer is also different for everyone. Chemotherapy has proved to be effective to some while others it is not so kind. I was very intrigued to learn about some treatments that have proved to be effective for individuals. Some individuals were told to go to a chiropractor, fitness coach, and a nutritionist. At first, I didn’t understand but then I remembered Ayurveda. Some patients have found recovery through realigning their balance within. 

I watched a TED talk presented by Dr. B.M. Hegde as he addresses Ayurveda. (Hegde 2016) He talked about how there is not every pill for every ill, but there is an ill following every pill. He discussed how there is a problem with medicine because of the number of pills that are taken by individuals. He advocated for the reduction of medicine. He said that we need to look at the body as a whole instead of a specific problem within our body. According to Dr. Hedge, scientists have a problem with killing things too quickly and then looking at it under a microscope in order to find out the problem. He suggests that we need to look at the individual’s environment and their whole body to determine the cause of an illness. He went on to say that we all have energy around us and that we need to learn how to embrace and balance that energy.  

In conclusion, this idea of the mind, body, and environment being all connected makes sense to me. Thinking about it from a biological standpoint, we are made of cells and the environment around us is made up of cells as well. We are just cells that are mingling with other cells, and as I have learned in biology, organisms are influenced based on their environment. So, it makes sense that we are influenced by our environment. For the worse and for the better. Let’s all take the concept of Ayurveda and find our personal balance so that we may be the healthiest versions of ourselves that we can be. 

References

Hegde, B.M. “Ayurveda Over Western Medicines | Dr. B.M HEGDE | TEDxMITE.” Youtube, Uploaded by Tedx Talks, 7 Dec. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzTvEK1sVi0

Lad, Vasant. “Ayurveda: A Brief Introduction and Guide.” The Ayurvedic Institute, 2006, www.ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide. 

Libretexts. “6.1C: Metabolic Pathways.” Biology LibreTexts, Libretexts, 15 Aug. 2020, bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book:_General_Biology_(Boundless)/6:_Metabolism/6.1:_Energy_and_Metabolism/6.1C:_Metabolic_Pathways.