Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. It consists of a number of disciplines, including aromatherapy, diet, herbal medicine, acupuncture, yoga, massage, meditation and balancing of energies.

Ayurveda proponents believe earth, water, fire, air and space make up the universe. Chyle (a fluid composed of lymph and emulsified fats), blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen are believed to be the body’s primary elements.

It is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health, not fight disease. But treatments may be geared toward specific health problems.

Ayurvedic practitioners use the terms “vata”, “pitta” and “kapha” to describe your body type and determine a course of treatment. Vata types are said to be thin and bony with restless minds, pitta have a moderate physique with muscular limbs and an alert mind, and kapha have broad frames, long limbs and are calm and patient.

Health care is a highly individualized practice under Ayurvedic principles, which state that everyone has a specific constitution, or prakruti, that determines his or her physical, physiologic and mental character and disease vulnerability.

Prakruti is determined by three “bodily energies” called doshas. There are three basic doshas, and though everyone has some features of each, most people have one or two that predominate:

Pitta – energy linked to fire, and is thought to control the digestive and endocrine systems.
Vata – energy associated with air and space, and is linked to bodily movement, including breathing and blood circulation.
Kapha – energy, linked to earth and water, is believed to control growth and strength, and is associated with the chest, torso and back.
According to Ayurvedic beliefs, factors such as stress, unhealthy diet, weather and strained relationships can all influence the balance that exists between a person’s doshas. These unbalanced energies in turn leave individuals more susceptible to disease.