By Matthew Sabatino, Prachi Vinata Murarka, Prema Shakti
What are the profession's historical foundations?
Native to India, ayurveda means, ayu – “life” and Veda – “knowledge or science”, so it can be interpreted as the “science of life”. Ayurveda is one of mankind’s oldest healing systems, dating back beyond 5,000 years, using foods, herbs, oils, massage, gemstones, yoga asana, pranayama, and meditation to maintain doshic balance. Ayurveda brings the body, mind and spirit into unity so you may live in harmony with your true nature. Ayurveda is based on the idea that each of us is made up of a combination of the elements: ether (space), air, fire, water and earth. Our individual bodily make-up, or constitution, when honored allows us to live in harmony and serenity. The five elements then pair-up into three combinations (known as the 3 doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha) to form the primary forces of nature. Contemporary Ayurveda also often incorporates elements from yoga and jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology).
How has the profession developed over time?
Over the years, the profession has developed through national certification entities, such as the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). When Ayurveda first came to the United States, there was only one professional designation for practicing Ayurveda, and that was as an 'Ayurvedic Practitioner'. Over time there are now 3 levels of professionalism: 'Ayurvedic Health Counselor', 'Ayurvedic Practitioner' and 'Ayurvedic Doctor;' all of which have their own set of educational standards to be met (set by NAMA).
NAMA is the more commonly followed entity for professional standards in the field of Ayurveda, but there is also another entity called Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA). BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences) and MDAyu (Doctor of Ayurveda) graduates from India largely inform this organization. Currently, NAMA is looking into what it will take for Ayurveda to become a licensed profession, which will be dealt with state by state. Ayurvedic professionals have more freedom to practice, and a larger scope of practice in Health Freedom States.
The Ayurveda Journal of Health is a professional publication that focuses on Ayurvedic science, philosophy, and clinical practice. This peer-reviewed journal primarily contains case studies from professionals in the United States.
Find an Ayurvedic Professional here: https://ayurvedanama.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=945 or https://www.aapna.org/find-a-member.html.
What is Ayurveda’s current scope of practice?
This differs depending on what level is being practiced. Detailed lists of scope of practice for each level of professional can be found here:
https://www.ayurvedanama.org/professional-educational-requirements
Ayurvedic Health Counselor
This category represents an entire field of Ayurvedic professionals versed and educated to serve the community in the area of prevention and health promotion with a focus on diet and lifestyle. Prerequisite/Corequisite: 4 credits of college level anatomy & physiology or equivalent. Contact Hours: AHC applicants must undergo a minimum of 600 hours of training.
Ayurvedic Practitioner
This category represents the Ayurvedic professional with full clinical training in disease pathology, as seen through the Ayurvedic model. These professionals also practice prevention and health promotion through the focus on diet and lifestyle. Prerequisite/Corequisite: 6 credits of college level anatomy & physiology or equivalent Contact Hours: AP applicants must undergo a minimum of 1,500 hours of training (can be inclusive of AHC graduated curriculum).
Ayurvedic Doctor
This category represents more specialized training in Ayurvedic medicine and overview training in western allopathic medicine to enable this level professional the skills and knowledge to provide an integrative medical approach to their patients. Prerequisite/Corequisite: 6 credits of college level anatomy & physiology or equivalent Contact Hours: AD applicants must undergo a minimum of 4,000 hours of training (can be inclusive of AHC and AP graduated curriculum).
What are some common therapies that are utilized in a treatment session with an Ayurvedic Doctor?//What happens in a treatment session with an Ayurvedic Doctor?
An Ayurvedic Doctor will evaluate the individual constitution, evaluate imbalance, and create a treatment plan.
Ayurvedic Doctors use Ashtavidha pariksha- 8-fold evaluation- with their patients, checking the pulse, tongue, nails, urine, feces, speech, eyes, general form, and skin/touch, for evaluation of the constitution and imbalance.
Then, they create a treatment plan based on food, lifestyle, and herbs.
Ahara (Food): Taking into account seasonal factors and the patient’s particular constitution and imbalance, an Ayurvedic Doctor will guide the patient towards a diet most suitable for them. This can include food combining guidelines, what foods to eat, what foods not to eat, and timing of meals. ADs know that foods have certain properties which enhance health for an individual and those can can further aggravate imbalances.
Vihara (Lifestyle): An Ayurvedic Doctor will evaluate different aspects of a patient’s life, including their morning and evening routines, work habits, exercise habits, relationships, and spiritual practice. Then, they will guide the patient into appropriate routines for each aspect of their well-being.
Aushadya (Herbs): An Ayurvedic Doctor will then create a custom formula for the patient, using Ayurvedic herbs, or draw upon classical formulations from texts. These formulations can be in powder, pill, jam, or liquid form.
Panchakarma therapies, such as the following may be utilized in a session:
Gharṣaṇa: The skin eliminates more than one pound of waste (including perspiration) in just one day. Gharṣaṇa stimulates circulation, production of the sweat and sebaceous (oil) glands and exfoliates dead skin with the circular motion of this massage working up towards your heart. The therapist uses raw silk gloves to invigorate the lymphatic system, enhancing blood circulation and the release of accumulated toxins by unclogging pores. This is followed with an Abhyaṅga (oil) Massage for best results.
Abhyaṅga: A full body massage using light touch, where warm, herbal oil is applied liberally to the skin (the largest organ of the body), incorporating long strokes towards the heart to balance your doshic constitution. A Vāta, Pitta, Kapha or Tridoshic oil blend is used to pacify the doshas and bring the body into harmony.
Śirodharā: Warm, herbalized liquid (typically oil, milk or ghee) is poured continuously over the forehead from a copper vessel. In Sanskrit, "śiro" means head and "dharā" means flow. This action stimulates the pineal and pituitary glands and works on the sixth and seventh chakras.
Basti: A warm oil dough dam treatment using gluten free chickpea flour. A dough dam is hand created over the affected area and is filled with warm medicated oil.
Kaṭi Basti = placed over the lower back + spine
Hṛd Basti = placed over the chest + heart chakra
Jānu Basti = placed over the knees
Nasya: In āyurvedic medicine, the nose is considered the gateway for prana, or life force energy. During a nasya treatment, the head, neck and face areas of the body are massaged to assist with opening up of the nasal passageway, followed by drops of medicated nasya oil to be administered into the nose and back into the nasal passages. Nasya is a treatment to help with opening up the senses, addressing dry nose in the winter months or alleviating symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Marmāni Therapy: Marma points are the energetic pathways for healing the body, mind and spirit. "Marma" in Sanskrit means “mortal” or “vulnerable” point, and acts as an access point or doorway into the nadis (energetic pathways) of consciousness. Āyurvedic texts map 117 marma points in the body and these points influence the flow of prana (life force) using awareness, intention, essential oils, tuning forks and light pressure.
Karaṇa Purāṇa: Warm oil is poured into the ear to sit for an amount of time before being drained with cotton balls. During this time mild massage to the head and neck regions are performed to help the medicated oil gain passage into the ear canal.
Netra Tarpaṇa: Warm medicated ghee or oil is retained over and in the eyeball. Yogic eye exercises are completed to allow for absorption of the oil. Upon completion, the oil is drained using cotton balls. This is a rejuvenation therapy for eye ailments of all kinds.
What is the average cost of a session, and is it accessible to a wide population?
This is highly variable depending on the level of education and geographical location. Ayurveda is not covered by insurance, and is currently, pay-out-of-pocket only. There are some projects funded by grants which make Ayurveda more accessible to wider communities.
What is the social impact of the profession?
Ayurveda is a form of holistic medicine that can be used complementary to western medicine. It is an adjunct for individuals who do not resonate with all western medicine modalities or when western medicine has been found to be deficient, it can fill in some of the gaps. Integration and/or combining is encouraged; it is not meant to be a replacement for western medicine. The impact varies greatly from person to person depending on their levels of utilization and need.
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