Analyzing Traditional Healthcare: Ayurveda in Public Health Context

This essay explores the principles of traditional healthcare, focusing on Ayurveda as a key example. It highlights how different cultures define health based on their beliefs about mental and physical wellbeing. The assignment examines Ayurveda's ancient medicinal practices, dating back to 500 BC, where practitioners addressed digestive, reproductive, and surgical issues. The essay emphasizes Ayurveda's reliance on the balance between Vayu (air), Pitta (gall), and Kapha (mucus) within the human body and its connection to the environment, while also acknowledging the importance of climate, nutrition, and mental health. It contrasts Ayurveda with other practices, such as Egyptian healthcare, and underscores its scientific approach through pulse examination, herbal medicines, dietary changes, meditation, and yoga. The essay concludes by noting the enduring relevance of Ayurveda's diagnostic and interventional techniques in modern healthcare.

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC HEALTH AND TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE APPROACH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1PUBLIC HEALTH
Every society and culture defines health differently because of the famous believes
regarding mental and physical wellbeing. Several cultures determines mental and physical health
as the ability of human body to deal with physical and mental pressure whereas, others just
believes in disease free body and determines that disease free body is the actual health (Aggleton
1990). Therefore, it is evident that the definition of health varies depending on the culture,
mindset and places. The primary aim of this assignment is to find out the various principles of
traditional approach of healthcare and in this process; the assignment will define Ayurveda as
one of the traditional approach to healthcare.
According to Aggleton (1990), it is very important to understand the social belief of
traditional patterns of health to understand the recent health related inequalities. These patterns
and traditional beliefs vary from one society to another and depending on which, that society or
culture defines health and health improvement activities. Focusing on these traditional practices,
there are three primary traditional ideas to define health illness and disease such as Ayurveda,
European and Chinese medicinal practice. Ayurveda medicinal practice is one of the oldest
medicinal approach on earth and according to Mondal (2013), in early 500 BC, the professional
health experts used to treat digestive, reproductive and surgical issues of patients. Furthermore,
those practitioners were aware of birth control treatment using rhythmic method. Rig-Veda is
one of the oldest medicinal book written in second millennium BC and according to Mondal
(2013), this Veda or science scripture is the truth behind illness and mental and physical health
as Ayurveda is much concerned about the overall wellness of patients.
The Ayurveda depends on three humours of human body, which is Vayu (Air), Pitta
(gall) and Kapha (mucus) and the balance between these 3 aspects of human body and the

2PUBLIC HEALTH
environment around them leads to health improvement (Jaiswal and Williams 2017). However, if
this balance hampers, then one of these humours leads to health consequences and hampers the
balance between other seven aspects that are food juice, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, blood and
semen. Furthermore, the imbalance due to climate change, nutritional imbalances and mental
stress was also given importance for overall wellbeing (Payyappallimana and
Venkatasubramanian 2016) . This practice hold tremendous importance, as in that era, this
medicinal approach concentrated its focus on those aspects that effects the human body even
today and leads to deleterious diseases. Furthermore, whereas the Egyptian healthcare practice
believed on magic and other superficial factors for health and wellness, the Ayurveda focused on
human secretions and surrounding environment for the treatment and medical purpose (Aggleton
1990).
This medical approach even had diagnosis approaches using body pulse and medicinal
interventions include herbal medicines, change in diet and lifestyle, meditation and yoga to
regain the balance between the three main humours of human body and maintain a mind and
body connection with outer environment (Sharma et al. 2016). These interventions hold
importance as the modern healthcare uses the same pulse examination for primary diagnosis and
interventions include all those remedies to retain the human body sections at balance. Hence, the
traditional Ayurveda approach was dependent on scientific and physical diagnosis and did not
included any superficial intervention to treat patients.

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References
Aggleton. P. 1990. Health. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, London and New York, pp. 51-129.
Jaiswal, Y.S. and Williams, L.L., 2017. A glimpse of Ayurveda–The forgotten history and
principles of Indian traditional medicine. Journal of traditional and complementary
medicine, 7(1), pp.50-53.
Mondal, S., 2013. Science of exercise: ancient Indian origin. J Assoc Physicians India, 61(8),
pp.560-2.
Payyappallimana, U. and Venkatasubramanian, P., 2016. Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on
food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare. Frontiers in
public health, 4, p.57.
Sharma, V.I.N.E.E.T., Hem, K.R.I.T.I.K.A., Mishra, A.S.H.I.S.H. and Maurya, S.K., 2016. Time
tested remedies for wound care from ayurveda sciences. Innovare J Ayur Sci, pp.6-10.