Dinacharya

n order to keep the tridoshas in a state of healthy equlibrium and digestion & metabolism (agni) in proper order, Ayurveda prescribes for each individual a specific daily routine ( dina – day & acharya – behaviour). The various stages to this daily routine, influenced by the specifics of your prakriti, that will enable you to make the most out of your life, are :

Arising

Since our biological clocks are attuned to the rising and setting of the sun, it is obviously better to awake at sunrise in perfect synchronisation to the natural clock. An ideal time to let the body cells soak in the strength of a tempered sun to be charged for the day. Drinking a glass of luke-warm water helps flush out all toxins accumulated overnight in the body.

Natural Urges

The last portion of the night being ruled by vata – involved in the process of elimination – dawn is the best time to eliminate the body's physical waste. Proper elimination also helping remove the kapha that naturally accumulates overnight. Defecation once or twice daily is the best. Preferably not immediately after a meal. But urination then is wise. Examine your eliminations each morning and if you notice any disturbance indicating poor digestion, go on a fast. It will allow the body rest to correct the system before disease sets in. Never suppress the natural physical urges as elimination, hunger, thirst, sleep, sneezing, yawning, vomiting, flatus and ejaculation, for it will lead to discomfort and even disease.

Cleanliness

Thorough washing of the limbs, face, mouth, eyes & nose purifies the bodies sense organs. Best done with a bath in clean water, it should accompany brushing of the teeth (should be repeated after every meal), scraping off a toxicated coating of ama from the tongue, occasional gargling of salt water with a pinch of turmeric to keep gums, mouth & throat healthy, proper cleaning of the nose and the ears and washing the eyes with warm water held in mouth for moments (saliva being very good for the eyes). Keep your hair trimmed, nails filed and wear clean clothes. Feel free to use perfumes in moderation and feel good.

Exercise

Either passive like massage or active like aerobics or both as in yoga postures, regular exercise increases the body's stamina and resistance to disease by facilitating the immune system, clearing all channels, promoting circulation & waste disposal, and destroying fat. Done regularly, it can reduce anxiety but become addictive. Depending on age & body type, kaphas can go for heavy exercises, pittas should do it in moderation and vatasshould perform yoga and not aerobics. Never exert more than half your capacity, during illness, just after a meal and without rhythmic breathing. Swimming, walking and even laughing are excellent options.

Massage

Necessary for every person, a regular self-massage with herbal oils is usually adequate but needs to be supplemented with professional attention occasionally. It makes the skin supple, controls vata by reducing its cold, dry, light, rough & erratic qualities, enhances blood circulation, encourages quicker removal of metabolic wastes and relaxes the body. Follow the normal direction of hair growth, use a little extra oil over the body's vital parts, massage the scalp and head at least weekly and just the soles of your feet if short of time.

Meditation

Ideal for disciplining the mind and removing stress & strain, it is best done after a quick bath to cleanse yourself. Critical in satisfying the mind's hunger, when done well it is so nourishing that even the body can survive on less. Control of desire, or mental hunger, is the key to longevity and immortality. Anything can be meditation so long it is sincere and heartfelt. The simplest and healthiest involves the sun and its golden colour is deemed the most nourishing and productive.
While this routine acts as a critical shield of defence against the destabilising influences of an external environment, by using selective choice in some of the other factors mentioned below you can easily improve upon the condition of your total health.

Clothing

In shielding from extreme temperatures, it tends to reflect the temperament of the wearer in a society showing growing preponderance of the same. Should always be light & airy, and made of natural fibres as cotton, wool, linen or silk. Always wear clean, and never anyone else's except that of a saint. Since energy is brought into the body through the crown of the head and exits from the soles of the feet – extracting abnormal heat from the system – the polluted energy usually collects in the footwear. So avoid wearing other's footwear, try not to take shoes into the house and walk barefoot whenever possible. And wooden sandals are more healthy than animal skin or rubber shoes.

Employment

Since work consumes at least one-third part of our lives and success or failure in your profession affects self-confidence, self-worth, it is important that the nature of work should match well with your prakriti.

Vata people love work that requires sudden bursts of intense energy. But it tends to exhaust them also. So to balance it off, despite their dislike, they should be in routine jobs, slightly repetitive. Need a soothing home and work environment to smooth out their rough edges. They need adequate rest, specially in the afternoons. And should avoid places where the air is exceptionally cool and dry e.g. the freezing cold inside electronics manufacturing outfits or exceptionally dusty fertiliser mills. The ideal jobs must have enough excitement to hold their interest and sufficient routine to avoid imbalances.

Pitta people are very practical, making good administrators but not original thinkers. By nature aggressive and self-promoting, these realists see everything as a contest that has to be won. Insisting on being in the forefront of all activity, they cram as much work as they can, demanding perfect functioning from their bodies all the time. They do not take delays and obstacles to their plans well and must seriously try to be fair to and keep their professional and private lives separate. They should avoid work that is physically irritating or involves heat (as welding or metal casting) and listen more to others. They should ideally have sufficient challenge to keep them occupied without the stress of severe competition.

Innate Kapha stability and balance makes them great administrators. They must make a conscious effort bring in change or variety to their otherwise staid and routine lives. And ensure that even if work is not physically active, leisure is. Slow to get going in the morning, competition is good for them although they may find it stressful.

Choice of Pet

Often an extension of their owner's personalities, pets should ideally be chosen so as to have a therapeutic effect on your doshic imbalances.

Vatas get along famously with dogs, the canine's loveable, sloppy, open-heartedness reassuring and stabilising their cold, fearful, fickle nature. Some do well with small, furry high- strung animals as guinea pigs that arouse the maternal instincts in the owners.

The cat is the Pittas favourite. With strongly held opinions on most subjects, the feline presents continuous challenges, even with its movements.

Kaphas in turn prefer birds, the avian's light chirpiness helping offset some of the dosha's natural ponderousness. For some large dogs prove beneficial as the canine encourages them to exercise along with.

Choice of Partner

Ayurvedic wisdom suggests that like types make better mates because of similar mental processes, attitudes and sexual proclivities. Unfortunately, two people of similar dispositions are likely to have the same defects too. Choosing the right partner who will stimulate, inspire you to evolve into better individual thus becomes very important.

Sleep

A state of physical inertia with mental relaxation, sleep promotes proper growth of the self. Night is the natural time to sleep and mid-day catnaps should not be more than 15 minutes long except for the very young, very old, very weak and those intoxicated, diseased, exhausted or traumatised. Avoid having a full meal just before retiring to bed. Sleeping on the right side is the most relaxing and good for yoga. On the left, it is most digestive and increases interest in food, sleep and sex. Sleeping on the back indirectly and on the stomach directly encourages disease. Sleeping with crown of the head facing east and feet into the west promotes the best meditative sleep. Washing the hands, feet & face just before improves sleep. Never sleep in the kitchen and go to bed only to sleep. 6 to 8 hours of daily sleep is essential. The ideal form of sleep is yoga – a state of complete physical inertness with retention of mental alertness & awareness.

A cure for dysentery

Holarrhena antidysenterica is popularly known as kutaja among Ayurveda doctors. As the name antidysenterica suggests, this herb has properties that fight against dysentery of all types, including the one caused by Entamoeba histolytica. In English this herb is called Bitter Oleander or ‘dysentery rose.’ The bark and seeds of the plant are used in the treatment of a number of ailments particularly those related to the stomach and intestines. Holarrhena also helps in the easy digestion of food.

This ancient herb finds mention in the ancient Ayurvedic texts written by Charaka. Since it is considered good for the digestive system, extracts from Holarrhena are used in the treatment of bleeding piles and diarrhoea. Practitioners of herbal medicine believe that kutaja is a divine herb. The herb should be used in limited and prescribed quantities only.

HOME REMEDIES
* A decoction obtained from the bark of the herb is prescribed for killing harmful worms in the digestive tract. The decoction also gives relief from fever. Readymade kutaja capsules and tonics are available for the treatment of dysentery.

* Take the seeds and powder them in a grinder. Sieve to obtain fine powder and sprinkle on wounds for quick healing. Ayurvedic doctors use the powder from the seeds of Holarrhena to dress wounds. A paste obtained from the bark of the plant can be used for relief from painful boils.

* Holarrhena can also be taken as a general health tonic. Take a few grams of the bark and wash well. Put this in a glass of water and boil for 10 minutes to obtain a decoction. Take a tablespoon of the decoction twice a day.

Note: Those allergic to certain herbs should avoid them.
Disclaimer: Consult a professional before trying herbal formulations at home.

A healthy decision

The move by select insurance groups to cover ayurvedic treatments is wise - and timely. Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical practice, laced with philosophy around holistic health. It uses plant- and mineral-based medicines, yoga and other natural methods to combat illnesses. In contemporary times, with growing numbers of people rejecting chemical concoctions, ayurveda with its natural elements appeals powerfully to many.

As insurance companies themselves find, several subscribers prefer ayurveda over drugs for particular problems. It makes no sense to deny them insurance - simply because we don't believe in a non-western medical practice. Ironically, despite the large numbers of Indians reaching for ayurveda,India lags behind the world in giving it due recognition. Ayurveda is part of a wide international healthcare umbrella titled 'Complementary and Alternative Medicine' that includes traditional Chinese remedies, naturopathy and aromatherapy. These appeal to many seeking options beyond drug- and surgery-based allopathic practices, whose drawbacks are many.

Ayurveda meets nanotechnology in potential cancer drug

Through an unusual welding of Ayurveda and nanotechnology, two India-born scientists have developed a medicine that promises to cure prostate cancer, which will now be tested by a local company.
Chennai-based drug manufacturer Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd has said it will produce, conduct clinical trials and bring to market the medicine made of gold nanoparticles in a chemical soup partly prepared from herbs such as tea leaves and cinnamon, all used in several Ayurvedic concoctions.
“Patients will only need a single shot of the medicine that can take care of the cancer,” claimed Abhaya Kumar, managing director, Shasun Pharma. “It will be a fundamental shift in cancer therapy with no side effects, radiation and chemotherapy.”
Shasun has licensed the technology from Nanoparticle Biochem Inc., a spin-off company from the University of Missouri, Columbia, whose researchers Raghuram Kannan and Kattesh Katti are among the developers of the technology.
The working of the discovered drug seems simple. The gold nanoparticles—beads crushed to about one thousandth of the width of human hair—are injected into the body where they bind to the surface of cancer cells. Being metal and mildly radioactive, they slowly burn the offending cells to extinction.
Kumar said both Shasun and Nanoparticle Biochem will invest $5 million (Rs.22 crore) each to develop the drug, and by October will ask the Drug Controller General of India’s permission to conduct clinical trials.
Prostate cancer affects 4.6 out of every 100,000 Indians, compared with 104.3 per 100,000 in the US, according to the World Health Organization. In India, 85% men seek treatment when the cancer is in an advanced stage, compared with 15% in the US.
Girish Sahni, director at Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology, who has previously collaborated with Shasun, said the use of gold nanoparticles for drug development was promising. “It’s a new approach,” he said, “but we’ll have to wait and see if such applications survive clinical trials.”
Though producing gold nanoparticles typically requires use of toxic chemicals such as sodium borohydride or hydrogen, the new method entails submerging gold salts in water and later made to react with cinnamon aldehyde, which generate the nanoparticles, according to researcher Katti.
“In fact, if you don’t have cinnamon aldehyde, you can use cinnamon sticks,” said fellow scientist Kannan, adding that even tea leaves and soya bean can be used to prepare such nanoparticles.
The water pulls out phytochemicals—therapeutic compounds present in plants—out of the herbs, which then react with gold salts to form nanoparticles, as well as provide an extra layer of coating that helps the particles to bind to cell surfaces.
“Because we can do this without toxic chemicals, it’s a totally green process,” Katti said.
Gold is the metal of choice for such therapy because it doesn’t react with surrounding healthy cells, emits radiation within human tolerance limits, and can be moulded into a variety of shapes for use in drug delivery systems. While several approaches to employ gold nanoparticles for medicinal purposes are being tested out, there’s no commercially available drug that employs nanoparticles.
“We only need a gram of gold for 1,000 patients and that will be cheaper than current prostate cancer therapies such as surgery and chemotherapy,” said Shasun’s Kumar.
Preliminary tests on mice, artificially induced with prostate tumours, have showed that 30 days after being injected with the medicine, the tumours hadn’t grown and were a quarter of the size of tumours of afflicted rats not administered the medicine.
Katti’s group last year reported preparing gold nanoparticles with soya bean and published their work in the peer-reviewed Pharmaceutical Researchjournal.
“The application of soy for the production of gold nanoparticles is amazing,” Puspendu Das, physical chemistry professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, said in a statement. “This invention will have far-reaching implications in nanoscience and technology research globally since nanoparticles of gold are used in almost every sensor design and are implicated in lifesciences for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.”

Ayurvedic medicines having Viagra component found

Beware of the enhancement of ‘sex power’ Ayurvedic medicines, as they can affect your health as some samples of them have been found with dangerous chemical components in Rajasthan.

Some companies are selling Ayurvedic medicines promising increase in ‘sex power’ and these medicines have been found adulterate with Sildenafil, a very harmful and highly intoxicated chemical.

The ayurvedic department of Rajasthan has set up an inquiry and conducted test on the enhancement of ‘sex power’ medicines in the market. The samples for the test were collected from Jodhpur. After the test, Sildenafil was found in three brands of the drugs.

The medicines which were found adulterated are - Health Sun, Musli Power Extra and D Gold -8000. The Ayurveda department is planning to file a case against these companies. ‘Health Sun’ is produced by Jyoti Herb India Pvt Ltd, Mohabewala, Dehra Dun. ’Musli Power Extra’ is produced by the company Kanath Pharmaciticals Muwatpujha, Anarkulam and the makers of 'D Gold -8000 are D India Herbal Lasudha Mori, Indore.

None of the three companies have their production units in Rajasthan, due to which, the Ayurveda Department of Rajasthan have written a letter to the states of their manufacturing to ban the sale of these adulterated drugs.

On a very serious note, the Ayurveda Department wants to ban these adulterated medicines. Around four weeks ago, the department got the report of these adulterated drugs after which Rampal Somani, Drug Inspector of Udaipur, was asked to take action. 

Factors responsible for increasing Vata, Pitta,Kapha

	Factors responsible for increasing vata:
	Eating too much bitter, astringent and pungent tasted foods like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, beans, dry fruits, mushrooms and raw foods. Too much traveling by any means of transportation. Staying awake till late night or not sleeping at all. Eating of junk food, frozen foods and food that has been micro-waved. Excessive exposure to high noise level or high sounds. Watching too much television and over exposure to computers or any other kind of electric gadgets from strong waves are emitted. Indulging in too much sexual activities. Excessive imagination, overworking or too much sports. Taking too much medicinal, recreatonal and stimulating drugs. Suppression of natural urges like urination, defecation, sneezing, cough, tears etc.. Emotions like fear and grief. Aggravation of vata weakens the nervous system. Other symptoms caused by excess of vata in the body are joint pains, constipation, dry skin, loss of memory, palpitation, insomnia, stiffness of muscles, weight loss, loss of strength, migraine, vertigo, tremors, grief and fear etc., Factors responsible for increasing Pitta Drinking too much tea, coffee, alcohol. Exessive smoking. Eating salty, sour, hot and spicy food, eating too much chillis, tomatos, egg plant or onions. Too much exposure to heat and sun. Anger. Some of the symptoms caused by excess of Pitta in the body are hyperacidity , skin diseases, burning sensation, fever, infections, ulcers, liver disorders, malfunction of sense organs, fatigue, loss of taste and sleep disturbances. Factors responsible for increasing Kapha Eating sweet, salty and sour tastes in excess, fats, oily and fried foods , ice creams, mears, dairy products, and nuts. Too much sleep, specially during day time. Not doing much physical activity. Some of the symptoms caused by excess Kapha in the body are asthma, cold, congestion in the chest, anorexia and obesity. Thus we can relate every aspect of our life with these three doshas. If we have proper knowledge, we can maintain a balance of these three doshas and avoid many serious problems and can thus stay healthy. The treatment according to Ayurveda is to balance the tridosha. While making a diagnosis the Ayurvedic physician finds out which dosha is out of balance and tries to make the balance by prescribing some natural medicines, diet and life style.

The basic principles of Ayurvedic Treatment

The essence of treatment is the removal of the cause and avoidance of causative factors.Ayurvedic treatment does not mean suppressing the main symptoms and creating some new ones as side effects of the main treatment. It is to remove the root cause and give permanent relief. The medicines for the treatment mainly comprises of powders, tablets, decoctions, medicated oils etc. prepared from natural herbs, plants and minerals. Because the medicines are from natural sources and not synthetic, they are accepted and assimilated in the body without creating any side effects and on the other hand, there may be some side benefits.
	The famous ayurvedic physician Charaka identifies four factors that are essential for successful medical treatment : The Physician, the remedy , the nurse and the patient.The physician should be an expert in theory and in practice, skilful, and pure in body and mind.Easy availability, appropriateness, utility in a variety of forms and high quality characterize the optimal remedy. The best nurse is knowledgeable , skilful , sympathetic and pure.The ideal patient is courageous, able to describe what he or she is feeling , and remembers all the physician's instructions and follows them carefully; all these qualities help the patient get well more easily.Along with medicine, proper diet and living style is also advised. This is equally important. If we are taking a medicine to remove the root cause and at the same time we are taking some food or following a life style which is increasing the cause of disease, then we may not get well or will be getting less relief. Panch Karma therapy is also used as a treatment in many diseases. Most of us have many levels of toxins accumulated over a lifetime of indiscretions, all of which cannot be released at once otherwise they will overhelm the excretory organs and ravage the mind.Your mind and body have become habituated to these poisons, which have become part of your equilibrium equation . Removing them all at once would seriously imbalance your physical body and confuse your mind so that you no longer felt like 'yourself' .Purifying the system is a long, slow process, requiring many cycles to expunge the many layers of dirt.You must be patient with the process and with the newly developing you, just as you would be patient with a slowly growing tree. When you backslide and return temporarily to your old unhealthy ways , you must learn to always pick yourself up, like a child learning to walk , and begin again. The basic principles of Ayurvedic treatment are immutable : how they are applied differs from case to case.  "Treatment is rooted in measure" : the effect of any particular therapy on any particular patient depends on its dosage, which again depends upon the climate, the doshas involved , the strength of the patient versus the strength of the disease, the patients age and constitution , the specific syndrome, the patients social environment , the goal of treatment and so on. Time cycled, including 'disease time' and the joints of seasons, are especially important , because the doshas are controlled differently at different times, depending upon both external time and the disease's momentum within the microcosm. Treatment is totally individualized, and so different diseases may sometimes share a single therapy, while a single disease may be treated differently in different patients according to the measure of the facors involved.    Thus we find that the methods of treatment are based on simple and natural principles. To conclude we can say that, Ayurveda teaches a very systematic and scientific way of life which is important to pursue both materially and spiritually. Fundamental principles, health rules, knowledge of individual constitution of our body, use of various herbs, minerals and specially Panch Karma therapy can be very safely used by one and all, all over the world to, promote good health, prevent diseases and acquire longevity.

Guidelines for maintaining Good Health

1. Daily Routine
+ Awaken before sunrise + Evacuate bowels and bladder after awakening + Bathe every day to create a sense of bodily freshness + Exercise (preferably Yoga) and meditate + Wash hands before and after eating + Brush teeth after meals + Fast one day a week to help reduce toxins from the body + Sleep before 10 PM
2. Diet and digestion
+ Food should be fresh, warm, tasty and easy to digest. + Eating should not be too rushed or too slow. Chew your food nicely. + Do not eat while watching TV or while reading . + Eat in peaceful and pleasant surroundings. + Do not drink water one hour before or after meals . You can have it in small quantities with meals. + There should be at least four hours difference between two meals . + Do not take too many items in one meal. The items taken should also not be contradicting one another. For example yogurt and milk or ice cream and hot coffee. + Fruits should not be mixed with meals. Either take a separate meal of fruits or eat between two meals. + If you feel tired or heaviness in the stomach after eating , this is improper eating. Eat according to your digestive power. + One teaspoon of grated fresh ginger with a pinch of salt is a good appetizer + A glass of warm milk with ginger at bedtime is nourishing and calms the mind + Exess intake of cold drinks reduces resistance and creates excess mucus + Taking a nap after lunch will increase kapha and body weight
3. Physical Hygiene
+ Oil massage promotes circulation and relieves excess vata. + If possible gaze at the rays of the sun at dawn for five minutes daily to improve eyesight. + Gazing at a steady flame , morning and evening for ten minutes , improves eyesight. + Do not repress the natural urges of the body , i.e. defecation, urination, coughing, sneezing, yawning,              belching and passing gas + Bad breath may indicate constipation , poor digestion, unhygienic mouth and toxins in the colon. + Body odor indicates toxins in the system. + Rubbing the soles of the feet with sesame oil before bedtime produces a calm, deep sleep. + Reading in bed will injure the eyesight. + Application of oil to the head calms the mind and induces sound sleep. + Dry hair immediately after washing to prevent sinus problems. + Cracking the joints is injurious to the body. + Avoid physical exertion , such as yoga or running during menstruation.
4. Mental Hygiene

        + Fear and nervousness dissipate energy and aggravate Vata.
        + Possessiveness , greed and attachment increase Kapha.
        + Worry weakens the heart.
        + Hate and anger create toxins in the body and aggrevate Pitta.
        + Exessice Talking dissipates energy and aggravates Vata .

The main authentic texts of Ayurveda in its early History

	Rig Veda CA.3000 Years Before.Common era. : Verses on the nature of existence , on nature of health and disease, pathogenesis and principles of treatment. Among the Rig-Veda are found discussions of the three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha and the use of herbs to heal the diseases of the mind and body and to foster longevity. Atharva Veda CA.800 Years Before.Common era. : Lists the eight divisions of Ayurveda - Internal Medicine, Surgery of Head and Neck,Opthalmology and Otorinolaryngology, Toxicology, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Gerontology or Science of Rejuvenation and Science of Fertility Charaka Samhita CA.600 Years Before.Common era.: A major work on internal medicine , written by the physician Agnivesa, modified by charaka Sushrutha Samhita CA.500 Years Before.Common era. : Sushrutha , a surgeon who developed the operative techniques of rhinoplasty (plastic surgery), wrote the Sushrutha Samhita which describes a highly developed surgery. Samhitas of Vagbhata CA.600 Years A.D. : This text deals with all aspects of life, health, disease and treatment.
	It is because these texts  contain the original and comlete knowledge of life, Ayurveda is known today as the only complete medical system still in existence.

The roots of ayurveda

		Ayurveda,the oldest system of medicine in the world, traces its roots to the Vedic period in ancient India. The Vedas contain practical and scientific information on various subjects beneficial to the humanity like health, philosophy, engineering, astrology etc.Vedic Brahmans were not only priests performing religious rites and ceremonies, they also became the Vaidyas (Ayurvedic Physicians). The Sage- Physician- Surgeons of that time were the same sages or seers, deeply devoted holy people , who saw health as an integral part of spiritual life. It is said, that they received their training of Ayurveda through direct cognition during meditation. In other words, the knowledge of the use of various methods of healing, prevention, longevity and surgery came through Divine revelation . These revelations were transcribed from the oral tradition into book form, interspersed with the other aspects of life.
	Consequently Ayurveda grew into a respected and widely used system of healing in India. Around CA.1500 Before.Common era. Ayurveda was delineated into eight specific branches of medicine and there were two main schools - Atreya, the school of physicians, and Dhanvantari , the school of surgeons. These two schools made Ayurveda a more scientifically verifiable and classifiable medical system.   People from numerous countries came to Indian Ayurvedic schools to learn this medical science. They came from China, Tibet, Greece, Rome, Egypt ,Afghanistan, Persia etc. to learn the complete wisdom and bring it back to their own countries. Ayurvedic texts were translated in Arabic and  physicians such as Avicenna and Razi Sempion, who both quoted Ayurvedic texts , established Islamic Medicine.  This medicine became popular in Europe and helped to form the foundation of the European tradition in medicine. In the 16th Century Europe , Paracelsus , who is known as the father of modern Western medicine, practiced and propagated a system of medicine which borrowed heavily from Ayurveda..

Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a holistic healing science which comprises of two words, Ayu and Veda. Ayu means life and Vedameans knowledge or science. So the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is the science of life. Ayurveda is a science dealing not only with treatment of some diseases but is a complete way of life. Ayurveda aims at making a happy, healthy and peaceful society. The two most important aims of Ayurveda are:  + To maintain the health of healthy people + To cure the diseases of sick people A Person is seen in Ayurveda as a unique individual made up of five primary elements. These elements are ether (space), air, fire,water and earth.  Just as in nature, we too have these five elements in us. When any of these elements are imbalanced  in the environment , they will in turn have an influence on us. The foods we eat and the weather are just two examples of the influence of these elements . While we are a composite of these five primary elements, certain elements are seen to have an ability to combine to create various physiological functions. The elements combine with Ether and Air in dominence to form what is known in Ayurveda as Vata Dosha. Vatagoverns the principle of movement and therefore can be seen as the force which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration and elemination etc., The elements with Fire and Water in dominence combine to form the Pitta Dosha . The Pitta Dosha is responsible for the process of transformation or metabolism. The transformation of foods into nutrients that our bodies can assimilate is an example of a Pitta function. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems as well as cellular metabolism. Finally, it is predominantly the water and earth elements which combine to form the Kapha Dosha. Kapha is responsible for growth, adding structure unit by unit. It also offers protection , for example, in form of the cerebral-spinal fluid,which protects the brain and spinal column. The mucousal lining of the stomach is another example of the function of Kapha Dosha protecting the tissues.
We are all made up of unique proportions of Vata,Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the Doshas vary in each individual and because of this Ayurveda sees each person as a special mixture that accounts for our diversity. Ayurveda gives us a model to look at each individual as a unique makeup of the three doshas and to thereby design treatment protocols that specifically address a persons health challenges. When any of the doshas become accumulated, Ayurveda will suggest specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to assist the individual in reducing the dosha that has become excessive. Also herbal medicines will be suggested , to cure the imbalance and the disease. Understanding this main principle of Ayurveda , it offers us an explanation as to why one person responds differently to a treatment or diet than another and why persons with the same disease might yet require different treatments and medications.
	Other important basic principles of Ayurveda which are briefly mentioned here are: Dhatus- These are the basic tissues which maintain and nourish the body. They are seven in number namely- rasa(chyle), raktha(blood), mamsa(muscles),meda(fatty tissue), asthi(bone), majja(marrow) and sukla(reprodutive tissue). Proper amount of each dhatu and their balanced function is very important for good health. Mala- These are the waste materials produced as a result of various metabolic activities in the body. They are mainly urine, feaces, sweat etc. Proper elimination of the malas is equally important for good health. Accumulation of malas causes many diseases in the body. Srotas- These are different types of channels which are responsible for transportation of food, dhatus,malas and doshas. Proper functioning of srotas is necessary for transporting different materials to the site of their requirement. Blockage of srotas causes many diseases. Agni- These are different types of enzymes responsible for digestion and transforming one material to another. All these factors should function in a proper balance for good health. They are inter-related and are directly or indirectly responsible for maintaining equilibrium of the tridoshas. Balance and Harmony of the Three Doshas When the three Doshas are well harmonised and function in a balanced manner, it results in good nourishment and well-being of the individual . But when there is imbalance or disharmony within or between them, it will result in elemental imbalance , leading to various kinds of ailments. The Ayurvedic concept of physical health revolves round these three Doshas and its primary purpose is to help maintain them in a balanced state and thus to prevent disease.This humoral theory is not unique to the ancient Indian Medicine : The Yin and Yang theory in chinese medicine and the Hippocratic theory of four humours in Greek medicine are also very similar.
	The Qualities of the Three Doshas The three Doshas possess qualities and their increase or decrease in the system depends upon the similar or antagonistic qualities of everything ingested. Vata is : dry, cold, light, mobile, clear, rough, subtle Pitta is : slightly oily, hot, intense, light, fluid,free flowing, foul smelling. Kapha is: oily, cold, heavy, stable, viscid, smooth, soft Both Vata and Pitta are light and only Kapha is heavy. Both Vata and Kapha are cold and only Pitta is hot. Both Pitta and Kapha are moist and oily and only Vata is dry.
	Anything dry almost always increases Vata , anything hot increases Pitta and anything heavy , Kapha. Puffed rice is dry, cold light and rough - overindulgence in puffed rice therefore is likely to increase Vata in the overindulger. Mustard oil is oily , hot , intense , fluid , strong-smelling and liquid and increases Pitta in the consumer. Yoghurt , which , being creamy, cold, heavy, viscid, smooth and soft , is the very image of Kapha , adds to the body's Kapha when eaten. All Five elemets , as expressed through Vata, Pitta and Kapha , are essential to life, working together to create health or produce disease. No one dosha can produce or sustain life - all three must work together , each in its own way.