Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK The first wealth is health wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American essayist and philosopher, in 1860. It is a timeless aphorism. The National Ayurveda Day is recognised on the auspicious day of Dhanteras. It commemorates Dhanvantari, the God of Health. This year, it was celebrated on November 2. The

Words: Suzanne NEWCOMBE What is a human body? This may seem a facetious question, but the answer will be very different according to which medical tradition you consult. Take Ayurveda, a traditional system of medical knowledge from India which has enjoyed a renaissance of popularity in the West since the 1980s — and is the

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK This is a verse from Maharshi Charaka — you may think of it as our best prescription for today and tomorrow. Yogaadapi visham teekshnam uttamam bheshajam bhaveth | Bheshajam chaapi duryuktam teekshnam sampadyate visham ||  There is a timeless wisdom in these lines. It throws light on the importance of

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine. It originated in India over 3,500 years ago. The word, Ayurveda, is derived from the Sanskrit, ayur [life] and veda [science, or knowledge]. It also corresponds to ‘knowledge of life.’ Its précis is keyed to the fact that ‘dis-ease’ is caused by a certain imbalance, or stress, in the individual’s

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Ayurveda, when translated, in a literal context, corresponds to the ‘science of life.’ It may also be defined as “the way of living with awareness and promoting healthy longevity.” Ayurveda includes medicines, philosophy, tradition, diet, as well as physical, emotional, mental and spiritual fine-tuning. Life, from birth to death, is