This ancient ‘science of life’, forms one of the
foundations of day to day life in Kerala. It helps us to have a holistic
approach to keep our body, mind and soul together in perfect harmony. Ayurveda
is more a way of life to keep one in harmony with nature than a healing method
for ailments, and perceives the human body as an integrated whole, going well
beyond providing symptomatic relief.The universe is an interplay of the energies of the five elements- Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The human body also consists of these five natural elements and functions with three properties or forces such as Vatham, Pittham and Kapham. Vatham is the energy of movement, Pittham the energy of digestion or metabolism and Kapham the energy of lubrication and structure. All people have vata, pitta and kapha, but one is usually primary, one secondary and the third least prominent. The cause of any disease in Ayurveda is viewed as the lack of proper cellular function because of an excess or deficiency of vata, pitta or kapha and/or the presence of toxins. So, any major changes in these properties would affect the health of the person. The properties inside the body could be affected by the external conditions such as climate, atmosphere, lifestyle etc.
One of these properties would be prominent in each substance. Trying to be in
better external conditions and controlling the properties inside the body by
removing or adding the elements, perfect health can be achieved. During the
treatment, the excessive elements are removed. Food restrictions help the
process. To supplement the elements, medicines in the form of decoctions, soups,
pastes are given orally and medicines and oils are applied on the skin by
continuous pouring or massage. Leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and roots of many
plants, stones, metals, minerals, milk, butter etc are used to prepare the
medicines and oils. This process is rejuvenating and it makes one much younger
and healthier.