Is Ayurveda Scientific?
By Chahna Gupta
Living in the USA, we are surrounded by allopathic medicine. It is on our television, social media, billboards, and health insurance. But, the complementary science of Ayurveda should be utilized for what it is: a preventative and scientific approach to health!
How is Ayurveda Scientific?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of ‘science’ is: “the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained.”
Ayurveda is exactly this. The physicians would observe the natural world, the people, and the animals, and how they all engaged with each other. They saw humans as a part of nature instead of being separated from it and observed and experimented with how different body compositions would respond to foods, plants, elements, lifestyles, and environmental conditions. Physicians continuously edited their work as they came across new medicinal usage and learned additional side effects. They tried and tested their hypotheses multiple times before writing down their findings. They performed surgeries and care in fields such as metabolic and systemic disorders, pediatrics, infectious disease, psychiatry, ophthalmology, toxicology, geriatric care, virility, and even veterinary! Ayurvedic Medicine is still affecting change in these fields today!
The Charaka Samhita itself says that science and knowledge are never-ending and that the physician must constantly be learning. More and more studies are released to show the scientific evidence behind Ayurveda based on centuries-old literature and scripture.
Still, to this day, Ayurvedic physicians are contributing to the Ayurveda ocean of knowledge by evaluating and adding new herbs, plants, foods, drinks, and drugs that they find and documenting what their effects are on different body compositions.
Ayurveda is amazing. There is a wealth of unending and untapped knowledge and many areas to explore.
We are hosting an Ayurveda Mega Conference in Orlando to grow the Ayurveda network and also reach out to all who are interested in Ayurveda and its future in medicine. The NCAM Ayurveda Beyond Wellness Conference will be held in person from Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29 at the Westgate Resort & Spa in Orlando.
The ticket price includes three (3) days of the conference, 6 vegetarian meals, all panels and speeches, a FREE Ayurveda consultation, free Ayurvedic product samples and herbs, networking with Headliners such as Dr. David Frawley, Dr. John Douillard, Divya Alter, and Ayurveda authors, access to vendors and sponsors, and more! Hotel accommodations are not included but Westgate Resort & Spa has a special discounted rate for attendees so you can get the most out of the experience!
Visit http://ncamusa.org to solidify your attendance at this exclusive experience!
About the Author
Chahna Tailor Gupta, an Ayurvedic Practitioner and certified yoga teacher, has a background in occupational therapy and health science with a focus in public health. Chahna was yoga trained in Rishikesh, India and had ayurvedic clinicals in Kannur, Kerala. Chahna provides yoga, pranayama, meditation, 200-hr yoga teacher training, and ayurvedic health counseling services through her company Namaskar To You. Chahna is a volunteer for Ekal Vidyalaya, American Association of Ayurvedic Professionals (AAAP), and Ayurveda Association of Florida (AAF). She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Ayurvedic Medicine while continuing her self-studies in yoga.
