Articles

Here are a number of articles written for the most part by Atreya over the last 20 years.

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Why medical doctors (MD) make poor Ayurvedic physicians

There are several reasons why modern medical doctors make poor Ayurvedic physicians. Most of these reasons are also important to understand why modern medical doctors should not be involved in setting up Ayurvedic study programs or teaching Ayurveda in the West. Note that modern medicine is excellent for emergency care and this article is not concerned with the pros and cons of modern (...)

Disorders of Mother’s Milk - Nursing

Caraka, Sushruta and Vagbhata agree that there are three basic causes to modify or change mother’s milk and make it unwholesome for the baby. They are: 1. Nutritional factors –wrong diet, overeating, wrong food combinations, etc. 2. Physical factors – lack of exercise, trauma, over exertion, lack (...)

How to Make Vacha Nasya Oil

Using Acorus calamus (Vacha) to make Nasya Oils

Caraka and the Acquisition of Knowledge

Several years I was editing some the work from a student and was shocked at the total misunderstanding he had about the four classical ways humans acquire knowledge. This was especially shocking as he had been my assistant for several years teaching anatomy / physiology for my school in France. Therefore, I am posting the Sutras of Caraka with an explanation as modern students - especially (...)

Polyarthritis

I had an interesting case last week. The thing that was so interesting about it was that it was a pathology started and maintained by Kapha. There were no signs of Vata involvement, which in my practice is rare.

Tendonitis

Ayurvedic medicine recognizes that all disease is the result of doshic imbalance. Therefore, all diseases are classified first by dosha that is implicated in the disorder (Roga) and then by the dosha that has caused the disorder (dosha + ja). In Ayurveda disorders of the tendons are considered (...)

Endometriosis from an Ayurvedic View

Endometriosis is a disorder that touches Kapha Prakriti women more than other constitutions. It is also very common in Kapha / Pitta or Kapha / Vata women. This disorder is hard to treat, but it is treatable in Ayurveda. In my clinical practice I have noted that the most common constitution (...)

What is Nourishment According to Āyurveda

Introduction In order to define what nourishment is according to Āyurveda we need to understand the context of Āyurveda as both a medical system and world vision. Āyurveda is based on the concept that the universe and everything manifested within it is intelligent. This idea is fundamentally different than the current accepted vision. The modern view prefers to divide and separate living (...)

Ayurvedic Medicine, Spa and Wellness

The history of traditional Indian health care – Ayurveda – is shrouded in mystery because Indian culture felt that writing was an inferior method of record keeping. Indian’s are well known to be able to memorize 40,000 to 200,000 sutras (verses) and recite then flawlessly with perfect Sanskrit intonation and meter. A master of this art can not only recite verses perfectly, but can also recite (...)

A Vision of Cancer From an Ayurvedic Perspective

Cancer cells are always present in the body. Traditional Indian Medicine, Ayurveda, has a unique vision concerning the mechanism that prevents the growth of cancer cells in the human body. Additionally, the Ayurvedic perspective of cancer diversification and the resulting pathological developments are presented in this (...)

Pharmacology of Consciousness

The Vedic system of knowledge from which Āyurveda originates states that all matter is derived from consciousness. This vision perceives the universe as an intelligent, conscious whole. Āyurveda, the Vedic system of medicine follows this perception of conscious intelligence in a medical (...)

Ayurvedic Phytotherapy - Part I

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical system, offers many advantages in its approach to phytotherapy. Medical historians consider Ayurveda to be the oldest medical system in the world. More than 80% of the standard medicines used in Ayurveda today are of plant origin. With a history of (...)

Ayurvedic Phytotherapy - Part II

In Ayurvedic medicine there is a clear distinction between the person and illness. There are two different treatment protocols for the individual and the disease. In Ayurveda the Sanskrit terms Prakriti and Vikriti are used to indicate the person’s constitution (prakriti) and the disease (...)

The Relevance of Ayurveda to Yoga

One of the oldest and most interesting scriptures of Yoga is the Yoga Vasistha. This text is the third longest book in the world and its age is approximately 7000 years old. This text is still unique in the sense that it combines and clarifies the many faces of Yoga including Jnana Yoga, Bhakti (...)

Biochemical and Ayurvedic Nutrition

This is a supplement section to the main part of the book that was removed. Initially this section was a primary part of the book. However, I feared that it might be too complicated or dense for the average reader. Nevertheless, I personally feel that this section is critical to a complete (...)