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AAPRA
American Association of Practitioners and Researchers of
Ayurveda 13505
Cleveland Dr, Rockville, MD 20850
301 762 8262, Mishra13505@yahoo.com
Lakshmi C. Mishra, M.Pharm., PhD., BIMS, President
Betsy Lynn Boss Singh, Ph.D. V. President
SCOPE AND
PARAMETERS OF AAYURVEDIC MEDICINE OF INDIA (AMI)
PRACTICE
Ayurvedic Medicine of India (AMI) is new for the US and currently not
regulated anywhere in the country.
AMI recognizes the natural ability of the body for self
healing. This concept is used in
determination of appropriate individualized therapy.
The practice of Ayurvedic Medicine means to engage, with or without
compensation, in the Ayurvedic traditional methods of health care to
prevent, diagnose, treat human health conditions, prevent disharmony and
restore harmony of body elements (doshas and gunas), promote,
restore and maintain health which includes the following procedures.
(i) NIDAN -Diagnosis: Ayurvedic diagnosis of rogas, (diseases
identification and classification of health ailments), imbalance of doshas
or symptoms by the following Ayurvedic methods:
a. Determination of body and mental
constitution with respect to doshas and gunas
The
disease classification in Ayurveda Texts includes over 200 diseases and 150
health conditions based on the above constitutions. Diseases are diagnosed such as jwara-fevers, raktapitta-coagulpathies, hemorrhagic disorders, kamala-jaundice, udara-poor digestion
condition, etc.
b.
Assessment of patient’s tendency to develop certain ailments, adaptation
to adverse situations, mental and physical stamina, exercise endurance, and
digestive power (fire)
c. Examination of the patient by classic Das-vidhi Pariksha-Ten Point
Examination and Ashth-vidhi-Eight
Point examination.
Classic Ten Point Examination
1. Prakrit-Determination of
constitution: Characteristics of dosha and guna constitutions
are used to determine specific constitution.
2. Vikriti- Disease
susceptibility: Past history of the patient may suggest susceptibility of a
patient to diseases.
3. Dhatus- Quality
of tissues: Seven dhatus (body tissues) and psyche is evaluated as pravar-
superior, madhyam- medium or avara- inferior.
4. Samhanana-
Compactness of the body built: Quality of overall body structure is
evaluated as superior, medium or inferior.
5. Pramana-
Anthropometry: All body parts with
respect to size are evaluated to determine if they are proportionate (sampramana)
or visampramana-disproportionate.
Disproportionate body size may have poor prognosis.
6. Satmya-
Adaptability: Ability of a person to
survive hostile stressful situation is evaluated based on various previous
experiences of the person.
7. Satva- Mental stamina:
It is evaluated to determine the ability of a person to tolerate pain and
other stressful situations.
8. Ahar sakti-Digestive
power: It is evaluated in terms of ability to ingest and digest food.
9. Vyayama sakti-
Exercise endurance: It is evaluated based on the increase in pulse rate,
respiration rate, blood pressure after a given quantum of exercise and the
rate of reversal of these changes after subsequent rest.
10. Vaya and Vayikaran-
Age and rate of aging: It is
evaluated based on the appearance of a person with respect to age. If the person looks older than the age,
then it is suggestive of negative health and needs additional care and
anti-aging measures.
Classic Eight Point Examination
1. Nadi-Pulse
reading: It helps determine dosha predominance. A pulse crawling
like a snake is indicative of vata, jumping like frog is pitta,
and walking like a swan is kapha.
2. Sparsa-Skin: It helps diagnose a variety of disease
condition. For example, a pale skin
indicates anemia, pallor skin indicates jaundice; a soft thick, whitish
skin indicates kapha; and a wheatish coppery shining firm skin
indicates pitta; and a dry, coarse, wrinkled dusky and pigmented
skin indicates vata.
3. Chakshu-Eyes:
Changes in the eye condition are indicative of many health conditions. A big whitish slow moving eye is
indicative of kapha, a sharp bright, moist pinkish eye indicative of
pitta, and a small flickering, dry, dusky and pigmented eye is
indicative of vata.
4. Akriti- Face and
over all appearance: Signs of both,
mental, and physical disorders or distress can be noticed on the face. Signs easily noticeable are pallor,
puffiness, sluggishness, anxiety, and depression.
5. Jihva- Tongue : A
big soft, flabby pale coated tongue is indicative of kapha and ama
disorder, a soft, sharp or red tongue is indicative of pitta
disorder while a thin, dry, coarse, furred or pigmented tongue is
suggestive of vata disorder.
6. Sabda- Voice and
Speech: A heavy voice may be indicative of kapha, ama and excess of
adipose tissue (meda), sharp speech indicative of pitta, and
dry coarse and interrupted speech indicative of vata
7. Mutra-Urine: Classic oil drop urine test helps
determine prognosis of diseases in general.
For example, if a drop of the standard til or mustard oil dropped on the surface of the urine in a cup
gives a circular spread or splits in to pieces indicates good prognosis of
the disease. If the drop sinks in
the urine or mixes with it indicates grave prognosis.
8. Mala- Stool
: Stool is also examined to
determine the exacerbation of doshas.
A bulky fowl-smelling stool is indicative of kapha and ama
disorder and poor digestive fire, a well-formed yellowish stool is
indicative of pitta and frequent
unformed dark stool is indicative of vata..
(d)
Sadhyata-Prognosis: Assessment of the patient in terms of partial,
full or no recovery.
(ii) CHIKITSA-Treatment: Ayurvedic methods of treatment to
normalize body and mental functions
Practice of ayurvedic chikitsa (treatment) includes doing,
undertaking, professing to do, and attempting any of the following:
(a.) Samsodhana-
Bio-purification procedures (Panchkarma purification therapies)
These
procedures are invasive thus require qualified licensed physician
.
1. Panchkarma:
vaman-emesis, virechana-purgation, niruha-non-unctus
enenma, anuvasan basti-unctus
enenma and matra basti-enema,
nasya, sirpvirechan-head-cleansing,
nasal drops and raktamokshan-blodd-letting.
2. Purva karm: Preparatory procedures before panchkarma include dipan (stimulation of digestive
juices), burning the toxic waste and ama with pachan
-digestant drugs, snehan-oleation Abhyantar and bahya- injestion of medicated oils or ghees and
external application of oils or ghees, and
svedan-sudation therapy, bashpa sweda wet or pottoli sweda dry
heat like by a heating pad, use of heated chambers or hot fomentation or
heated cloth, nadi sweda-steam out of a tube.
3. Pashat karma: Post panchkarma
procedure includes bringing the patient back to normal diet which consists
of giving light gruel first, followed gradually by thick gruel, un-spiced
and spiced soup two to three times a day for several days.
(b) Shamana-Palliation: Palliative or
curative treatments are used to balance vitiated doshas.
1. Dipa-
Kindling the digestive power (agni
, fire) by administering herbal
formulas
2. Pachana: Burning the toxic waste and ama
by administering herbal formulas
3. Prabhva Dravya- Treatment with specific
action ayurvedic herbal and herbo-mineral formulas and dietary supplements (Many of the herbal formulas are
very potent. They are used in doses
less then 100 mg/kg thus requires qualified licensed Ayurvedic physician to
administer). Synthetic compounds, antibiotics and
controlled substances are excluded
4. Shiro Dhara- Pouring a thin stream
of medicated oils or herbal decoctions over the forehead between the eyes
of a patient.
5. Shirobasti- Medicated Oil/
ghee is contained by a dam constructed with horse gram-flour
dough around the head.
6. Netrabasti- Same as above but around
the eyes
7. Katti Basti- same as above but in
the lumbosacral area
8. Hridayabasti- same as above but in
the heart area
9. Shiropicchu- Oil pad dipped in
medicated ghee / oil placed over the "Sahasrara chakra", or the
fontanelle
10. Dhavan- cleansing of skin and wound
areas with herbal teas
11. Ksharkarma- for hemorrhoids and
fistula. This is an
invasive therapy .
12. Upavasa: Fasting
13. Trut
nigraha: Observing thirst
14. Atap-seva: Sun bathing
15. Vyayama: Exercise, yoga and stretching
16. Pranayam: Breathing exercise
17. Abhyang:
Whole body massage
18. Keshamardan: Head massage
19. Marma mardan: Vital points massage
(anatomical site where muscle, vein, ligament, bone joint meet) with
medicated oils
20. Daivavyapasraya: Energy modulation
through, temperature treatment (heat and cold), acupressure, sonotherapy
21. Standard
first aid procedures for emergencies and accidents, such as CPR, bandage of
a cut on the skin
(c.) Ayurvedic
psychiatry based on three gunas-attributes,
Satva, Rajas, and Tamas gunas. Rajas
and Tamas are called masnsik doshas-mental attributes.
It is believed that all mental illnesses arise from these two doshas and directly related to
unwholesome interaction between the individual and his environment. Therapies aim to balance these two doshas using herbal formulas and
improved interaction with the environment
Assessment of mental constitution based on tridoshas and trigunas
Examination includes the following eight factors plus four
elements cited in Nidan (i):
1.
Mana-
emotion mood effect
2.
Buddhi-
thought and decision
3.
Sajan-jnan-
orientation
4.
Smriti- memory
and learning
5.
Bhakti- desire
6.
Sila- habits
7.
Cesta- psychomotor
functions
8.
Acara- conduct
and behavior
Treatment:
1. Daivavypasraya-
mantras and religious activities
2. Sattvavajaya- assurance
therapy (asvasan), replacement of
emotions and psyoshock therapy
3. Yoga, meditation
4. Panchkarma-biopurification
5. Samsamana
palliative treatment with the help of medhya
rasayanas- neuro-nutrition herbal formulas, dietary
and life style interventions and environmental changes
(iii.) SWASTHA
VRITTA-Hygiene and health maintenance practices
1. Ayurvedic lifestyle choices
2. Ayurvedic dietary interventions
3. Ayurvedic yoga exercises
4. Ayurvedic massage
5. Ayurvedic meditation
6. Pranayam (Ayurvedic breathing exercise)
Administrative structure:
Ayurvedic Medicine Board composed principally of
Ayurvedic physicians and charged with exercising independent regulatory
authority over the profession.
Licensure is requested to provide standardized
criteria of knowledge and experience for those persons practicing AMI.
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