Nearly all ancient medicine systems emphasize food and lifestyle as primary defenses against disease. Let me take Ayurveda as an example and present how much modern medicinal practices have inherited from the thinking on ancient medicine.
Ayurveda recommends that treatment should commence when the disease is at an early stage. It emphasizes lifestyle, diet, procedures, and medication. It emphasizes further rest, fasting, and reassurance.
The Ayurveda code of health is not a code for asceticism. The stress is on personal hygiene, nutrition, diet, procedures, and medication. All these seek to correct imbalances in the human body, which are the root causes for any disease.
Ayurveda stresses aligning treatment with the personality of an individual. The effort of the physician is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
The human personality, according to Ayurveda, is determined by not just the physiology but also the psychology of an individual. The brain, nervous system, hormonal secretion, and the individual’s personality all together make up an individual’s personality.
According to Charaka (100–200 BC), “health is the personal experience of physical, mental, and spiritual contentment. “ Ayurveda treatment is supported by dietetics, promoting mental health, medicinal plants, and pharmacological interventions.
And of course, we are aware that most of the molecules in modern drugs are of plant origin.
Integration of modern and ancient medicine exists. Modern medicine sits on the shoulders of ancient medicine. It all depends on how we look at the question.
Additional reading:
- Holy Herbs: Modern Connections to Ancient Plants
- Asian Herbs and their wondrous health-giving properties
- Natural Solutions of Diabetes, Cancer, and Obesity (Tri-series)
- Nutrition Facts- a guide for good health.