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AYURVEDA
Based on a
system of metaphysical healing, ayurveda is an Indian science that combines herbs,
minerals and animal products to help balance the fluids in one’s body, or what the
Greeks used to refer to as humours. Ayurveda is a way of life, and patients are advised,
for example, on the balance required in their diet to make up for certain shortages, and
to wean away from an interdependence on certain foods. Obviously, it calls for a certain
amount of discipline. While ayurvedic treatments can be administered
for short-term treatment of ailments, its intention is to remove, over a longer
period of time, chronic discomfort, and in those who are healthy, to maintain that
measure of health.
HOMEOPATHY
One of the
best known methods of alternative medicine in the world the 19th century medicinal
science of homeopathy has retained its prestige for curative power that are closely
linked with natural products. Homeopaths give patients dilute forms of natural
substances that, if undiluted, would produce symptoms of the disease in healthy people.
This is believed to boost the body’s
natural defence system and its healing abilities. In
India
, homeopathy was administered by doctors even at the village level because it has no
harmful side-effects. As it has gained more proficiency, even allophathic doctors have
realised it efficacy, and some do not mind advising a homeopathic cure for their
patients, sometimes even when the patient is under a course of allopathic medicines.
In Rajasthani, the
practice of homeopathy has been popular both in small towns and villages. It has been
the practice to undertake homeopathic treatment unless the ailment requires urgent or
emergency intervention since allopathic medicine reacts faster than its homeopathic
equivalent.
MASSAGE
The tradition of
massage is an ancient one, and had its origins in an effort to create a sense of
relaxation in a person. At its most basic, that means teasing tired muscles and getting
the blood circulation flowing again, which is the prefect remedy against tiredness. It
may, in fact, lull one to sleep in the beginning, but a short sleep following a massage
can leave you felling refreshed and agile, not only physically but also mentally.
Massage is enjoined by almost all traditional systems of medication. Though there are a
few exponents who can also use massage to cure backaches, or take out cricks, it is
important to be careful in these conditions because an amateur can do more harm than
good.
A massage consists of
rubbing and kneading a part of a person’s body, with or without oil, to create
friction that stimulates the flow of blood, braces the body, and reduces body fat. This
relaxes muscles, soothes tired flesh, and enervates and regulates the flow of blood.
The therapeutic effects of
massage are well recognised as a form of gentle exercise, but it is important that only
those trained as masseurs be used to administer the treatment. In most places in
Rajasthan, massages are offered in the akhara, which is the wrestler’s pit. However,
most yoga and naturopathy institutes should also be able to offer this method of
treatment and restoration.
MEDITATION
This is a
gentle form of concentration and looking inwards that, if practiced regularly, can not
only relieve one of stress, it also has ways of extending longevity. In its simplest
form, it means sitting cross-legged, practicing shallow breathing, and removing all
thoughts from one’s mind, to develop a calm serenity. While meditation at a fixed time
is recommended, one can meditate at virtually any time. This helps to control breathing,
creates discipline in the mind, puts an end to anxiety or panic attacks, regulates the
rhythm of day-to-day living, and has a overall calming effect on one’s personality.
Since ancient times,
meditation has been taught by the sages. Students would begin their day at the ashrams
of the great gurus with meditation, and so intense can the exercise be that one can
enter into state of detachment, as
experienced by Gautam Buddha, for instance, who remained oblivious to hunger, wind,
rain, cold and heat while in a state of meditation. Today, a large number of
corporations are teaching their executives the benefits of meditation.
NATURE CURE
At the root
of most ailments is a way of life, and a digestive patterns, that are unnatural and
therefore unhealthy. In nature cure, it is essential that the right herbs, fruits,
juices and extracts are administered to cure anything from a common cold to a chronic
ailment such as asthma. Herbs, herbal shrubs and their roots are also rich in mineral
salts, vitamins, and other substances that help establish the balance of the fluids in
the body, act as blood cleansers, aid digestion, and develop the building of tissues.
Rajasthan, fortunately, has enough forests where a variety of plants can be found that
are essential to such cures. Many of these can simply be found in the kitchen, for
example ginger, garlic, turmeric, onion, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, aniseed
and even red pepper. Various identified trees and shrubs are also used in health care
preparations (they are also in use in the western medicine industries). Of course, the
neem tree, which has widespread medicinal use all over the country, is also found in
plenty throughout the state.
To ensure that there is a
proper supply of medicinal herbs, the government has been associated with the setting up
of herbal gardens and parks in Jaipur, Banswara, Kishangarh and
Ajmer
, and privately owned herbal plantations are widespread.
While nature cure needs a
proper understanding of the various herbs and natural substances, it is also true that
in Rajasthan, the most efficient chemist shops are likely to be the residential kitchen.
With this come the remedies that the women are able to offer: common complaints also
have common solutions. However, just as most are likely to be effective, one needs to be
a little careful since grandma’s nushkas (remedies) were not always correct, though
they did set most domestic aliments right in a short while.
TANTRA
Probably the
least understood, and the most complex of the rejuvenating sciences, tantra deals with
the control of energy within the body, through a process of concentration. Since tantra
calls for the exercise and disciplining of the mind, and intense periods of
concentration, it is sometimes believed to have magical, even evil, connotations.
However, this science calls for long periods of learning and meditation, and has few
proponents. Tantric energy is not just self-healing; its powers are believed to be
beneficial for others who can be healed by a tantric yogi.
UNANI
The unani system
of medicine is a Graeco-Arabic science that originated in the diagnosis and treatment of
diseases as laid down by the Greek philosophers. Later adapted and enriched by the
Arabs, it came to
India
in the 12th century where it incorporated certain indigenous strains from ayurveda, and
became a leading form of healing between the 13th and 17th centuries under the Khiljis,
Tughlaqs, and the Mughal emperors. It looks at elemental temperaments, their state, and
the body humours, and combines treatment for cure with prevention for longevity. The
four body humours are blood, phlegm, choler, and meloncholy, and these are believed to
correspond to physical build and certain ailments. Since unani medicine believes in
preventive measures rather then purely curative, it enjoins a way of life that is based
on fresh air, a balanced diet, body movement and repose, mental exercise, sleeping
habits, and evacuation of waste material from the body. Though the unani system suffered
under British intervention in the country, it was kept alive thanks to the efforts of a
few families who not only propagated its benefits, but also went on to create
a university where the science is taught, and has received hew inputs suitable in
the context of stresses, pollution and other factors that influence health in India.
UPTAN
At its most basic,
uptan is a face pack that is used all over the body to remove impurities, cleanse it,
and to tighten the pores. This means that sagging skin is tightened, and a glow is added
to the face after the paste has been washed off.
It is traditional not only
for brides but also bridegrooms to have uptan applied to their bodies and faces
preparatory to their wedding, a ritual in which the whole family joins in. The
conventional uptan paste consists of turmeric powder, barley, mustard oil and water,
whisked into a paste. It should be applied all over the body, though it can also be
applied only on the face, and allowed to dry. However, it should be washed off after
about twenty minutes, otherwise the turmeric can stain the skin a bilious yellow,
instead of simply adding a glow to the skin.
In the past, the women of
the palace would use a daily application of milk, cream, sandalwood powder, yoghurt and
essence of flowers to keep their complexions glowing. These are simple therapies that
can be practiced by oneself, though it gives one a pampered feeling to have someone else
apply these pastes and them wash them off with cold water, followed by a bath in which
oil essences have been added. Akin to aromatherapy, these are extremely relaxing.
Lotions can be prepared with an application of rose petals, jasmine flowers, saffron,
sandalwood, khus-khus, drops of lemon juice, concentrate of essence, and oil.
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