Advantages and disadvantages of Ayurveda

Ayurveda has evolved over thousands of years as a system of medicine and is extensively used today as well. It includes various forms of treatment and therapy, including use of medicinal herbs, yoga, exercises, meditation, tantra etc, for the peace of body, mind and soul.

This article elaborates the pros and cons of choosing Ayurveda as a preferred form of treatment. It lists the advantages and disadvantages of the practice as it is known today. Ayurveda faces competition with many other systems of medicine, mostly from conventional or Western medicine. However, it continues to be used in almost every house in India. It is in a sense, taken for granted by the people of the subcontinent. It has spread to all parts of the world, and more and more people opt out of conventional practices to give tradition a trusted shot. A look at the advantages..

Ayurveda is a holistic health system which aims at bringing about harmony in the body, and harmony of humans with nature. It looks at not just body, but health of mind and soul as well. As the world continues to live in an era where stress is an integral part of everybody's lives, Aurvedic therapy has proved time and again that it helps people relax and calm down, and face the challenges of everyday life better. It has stood the test of time, of centuries, and this knowledge of medicine can be preventive, protective and curative. The most important advantage of course, is that it uses only natural substances derived from plants, fruits, vegetables and natural minerals. Alternatively, it uses the plant extracts in combination to produce required medicines. The side effects are minimal when compared to other forms of medicine, as natural substances can't really do your body much harm. It preaches a moderate lifestyle, including moderate food intake, medicine intake, sexual activity and sleep. Since Ayurveda has been in practice for over 5000 years, and it has evidently worked, faith in it sustains especially among the Indian population. The western world classifies it as alternative medicine, and yet more and more people seem to opt for it.

A look at the disadvantages would show that the popularity of the system of medicine declined because of the fear of adulteration and toxic substances mixed with the Ayurvedic formulae available in the market today. Also, reliability of the medicines and the physicians practising it has been questioned. One must not forget that Ayurveda was used ages ago, and today the numbers and kinds of diseases and illnesses have increased multifold, and newer methods of medicine are being relied on for treatment and therapy.