Vaidya Atreya Smith

Why medical doctors (MD) make poor Ayurvedic physicians

Atreya — 2022-01-16T11:36:41Z

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 medicine.
The first major issue with modern medical doctors studying and working in the field of (…)

- Articles

Disorders of Mother's Milk - Nursing

Atreya — 2015-11-18T17:04:24Z

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 of sleep, etc. 3. Psychological factors – fear, anxiety, stress, anger, etc.
The above factors will cause the milk to become indigestible for the baby and cause pathologies such as colic, (…)

- Articles

How to Make Vacha Nasya Oil

Atreya — 2015-11-18T16:56:25Z

Using Acorus calamus (Vacha) to make Nasya Oils
In my book "Dravyaguna for Westerners" the monograph on Acorus calamus (Vacha) speaks about making a Nasya Oil (for treatment of Vata through the nose, e.g. Nasya). It does not explain HOW to make the oil however, so here is the methodology. If you just decoct Acorus calamus in water and then oil – as in a normal massage oil – you will get a headache from using the Calamus oil in the nose. You need to do the following:
Combine 1 part of (…)

- Articles

Caraka and the Acquisition of Knowledge

Atreya — 2013-11-03T13:52:49Z

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 those trained in science like this student - are unable to fathom.
Caraka has the following to say (…)

- Articles

Polyarthritis

Atreya — 2012-07-05T11:36:06Z

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.
The patient was a 62 year old women with Polyarthritis. Poly means several and arthritis means joint inflammation. So Polyarthritis is a kind of arthritis that involves 5 or more joints. It is often associated with autoimmune conditions and is not gender specific.
Even though (…)

- Articles

Tendonitis

Atreya — 2011-06-03T14:54:07Z

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 to be related to Rakta Dhatu which is managed by Pitta Dosha. Normally any problem with the tendons causes an aggravation of Pitta; hence disorders of the tendons are classified as Pitta Roga. This (…)

- Articles

Endometriosis from an Ayurvedic View

Atreya — 2010-04-14T16:53:02Z

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 implicated in this disorder is Kapha / Pitta Prakriti. I have only treated a few dozen women with this problem over the last 15 years so I do not have enough data to know for sure which women are the (…)

- Articles

What is Nourishment According to ?yurveda

Atreya — 2010-02-17T10:54:58Z

Introduction In order to define what nourishment is according to ?yurveda we need to understand the context of ?yurveda as both a medical system and world vision. ?yurveda 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 entities into pieces in order to understand them, which in effect, kills any intelligent principle within (…)

- Articles

Ayurvedic Medicine, Spa and Wellness

Atreya — 2010-02-08T10:50:40Z

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 them backwards flawlessly !
Because of this particular view of learning and recording history (…)

- Articles

A Vision of Cancer From an Ayurvedic Perspective

Atreya — 2009-03-31T14:05:52Z

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 paper.
1. Homeostasis as a Primary Factor
2. Immunity and Immune Response as a Secondary Factor
3. Doshic types of Cancer and Diversification
4. Diversification of (…)

- Articles