Often viewed as the first system of medicine ever established, Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old Indian system of care that holistically addresses the mind, body, and spirit. It emphasizes eating right to bring yourself back into balance, exercising, breathing fully, reducing stress, sleeping well, and other basic concepts to keep your body whole, balanced, and healthy.
In Ayurveda, food is medicine. When a person eats in a manner that is best for their unique needs, they can improve their health, live longer, and protect themselves from disease. Other Ayurvedic practices further support a strong mind-body constitution. While all of the Ayurvedic practices help you maintain good health, if you do get sick, the thought is that you can heal faster because your body is in better balance.
Knowledge of Ayurveda comes from the Vedas, which originated in India, and are some of the oldest written texts in the world. This system of medicine was taught to students who visited the great teachers of India (the rishis) to learn from them. The science of life, which Ayurveda is often called, was originally an oral tradition transmitted through concepts and poetic phrases (sutras, literally meaning "thread") that were used to pass knowledge from one generation to the next. Even today, an Ayurvedic doctor may sing a sutra to explain a treatment or impart wisdom.
Many forms of medicine have roots in Ayurveda. For instance, herbal medicine, energy medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), polarity therapy, marma therapy, acupuncture, acupressure, and even Reiki and healing touch are either used in Ayurveda or share something in common with this system. That is one reason Ayurveda is so accepting of integrative medicine. It recognizes that there is wisdom to be found in many traditions.
