Ancient Indian Ayurvedic Therapy

Ancient Indian Ayurveda is a traditional holistic medical system that originated in the Indian subcontinent and has a history of more than 5,000 years. Its core logic is to achieve disease prevention and physical conditioning by regulating the balance of body, mind, and soul. It is currently classified as a branch of traditional complementary medicine by the World Health Organization. At the same time, due to the lack of large-scale evidence-based medical evidence for some diagnostic and treatment methods and the safety risks of some traditional preparations, there has always been obvious controversy in the context of modern medicine.

The first time I seriously came into contact with Ayurveda was not through some Internet celebrity. It was in 2019 when I was doing aromatherapy training in Kerala, South India. The local partner institution happened to be connected to an Ayurveda clinic that had been passed down for three generations. I just wanted to join in the fun and made an appointment for a physical examination. As soon as I stepped in, my previous stereotype of this thing as "spiritual" was broken.

The old doctor who treated me was called Viju. His hair and beard were all white. He spoke slowly. He checked for my pulse for a minute, looked at my tongue and fingernails, and then opened his mouth and said that I stayed up three nights during my menstrual period last month. My shoulders and neck were stiff for almost half a year, and I often suffer from diarrhea when the seasons change. I had goosebumps at that time, and he explained with a smile that Ayurveda translates as "the science of life". It is not a magical method to cure diseases. The core is to teach you how to get along with your body and divide the human body into vata (wind). Most people have three types: pitta (fire) and kapha (earth). Most people have a mixture of two or even three types. Rarely do they have a single constitution. I am a typical Vata-excessive person - to put it bluntly, I am impatient, like to think wildly, with energy and blood floating on the surface, but weak inside.

Many people don’t know that there is a big difference between the northern and southern schools of Ayurveda. The northern Indian school is more closely tied to Hinduism. Religious rituals such as chanting and praying are included in the diagnosis and treatment, and the medicines are also more likely to use compound preparations of mineral and animal ingredients.； The state of Kerala where I stayed belongs to the South Indian school, which relies almost entirely on herbs, oil therapy, diet and work and rest adjustments, which is the prototype of the most common "Ayurvedic therapy" on the market today. However, if you really think that it is just a casual application of oil and massage, you are completely wrong.

I chose the 21-day Pachikarma detoxification course. I didn’t have to do anything for the first seven days. I applied custom-made medicated oil to my entire body three times a day in the morning, noon and evening. Viju said this was to allow the toxins hidden in the deep tissues to slowly float to the surface of the body, and then they would arrange excretion steps such as sweating and nasal drip. If they give you a detoxification program right from the start, you are just a liar who doesn’t know how to do it. A Korean girl from the same clinic had stepped into this pitfall. She had received the so-called "Ayurveda full body oil therapy" at a beauty salon in Seoul. After the massage, she developed red rash all over her body and had a fever for three days. When she came here for a test, she found out that she has a Pitta-heavy constitution. The beauty salon used a warm black oil for her. Sesame oil is just adding fuel to the fire. It takes at least 40 minutes to identify your body type before a serious oil treatment. Oils are prepared according to individual body types. People with pitta constitutions have to use cool coconut oil as a base, and add ingredients such as sandalwood and neem. There is no "universal oil" that can kill everyone.

Of course, I’m not saying that Ayurveda is some magical universal treatment. After being exposed to it in the past few years, I can understand both perspectives. Those who support it will point to research: For example, curcumin, a turmeric extract commonly used in Ayurveda, has been proven by multiple clinical studies to have clear anti-inflammatory effects, and ashwagandha extract has also been proven to regulate cortisol levels and improve anxiety. ； Opposing modern medical practitioners also have solid evidence: many of the "ras" mineral preparations in traditional Ayurveda contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. The U.S. FDA issued relevant warnings as early as 2008, requiring such products not to enter the country. The effects of many therapies have not yet been supported by large-scale double-blind experiments, and are likely to be due to the placebo effect.

I stayed in the clinic for 21 days. The Spanish girl who lived with me had suffered from chronic urticaria for three years. She had taken antihistamines to no avail. She quit her job in an investment bank and came here for treatment. She drank customized herbal soup on an empty stomach every morning, applied medicated oil with mukuvat (a South Indian herb) all over her body, and did herbal sweating once a week. At the end of the 28-day course of treatment, 80% of the rash on her body was indeed gone, and there was no recurrence after six months of follow-up. But I later talked about this matter with a dermatologist in China, and the other person told me truthfully: During that time, she was completely out of the high-pressure working environment. She slept until she woke up naturally every day, ate fresh food without additives, and had a regular schedule like a retired person. Even if she didn't do Ayurveda, her physical condition would get better. It's hard to attribute all the credit to the therapy.

To be honest, nine out of ten of the Ayurveda promoted by many businesses in China are IQ taxes. Some Ayurveda healers can be cured in 7 days, and some oils can cure breast hyperplasia and uterine coldness. They are just cutting leeks. Practitioners of orthodox Ayurveda need to study herbalism, anatomy, and constitution differentiation for more than 5 years, and they also need to practice clinical practice with a master for at least 2 years before they can receive independent treatment. How can they learn this in a one-week training class?

I myself now incorporate small Ayurvedic habits into my daily life. For example, during the dry weather in autumn, I drink a small spoonful of warm ghee with black pepper on an empty stomach in the morning, which is more effective than drinking many throat lozenges. After working overtime and staying up late, I brew a little ashwagandha powder, which can indeed relieve the panic and anxiety. But if I really have a fever and stomachache, my first reaction is to go to the hospital for emergency treatment. To put it bluntly, whether it is Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, or homeopathy, they are essentially health management ideas developed in different cultures. There is no need to praise them too highly, and there is no need to beat them to death with a stick. The best one suits you.