Ayurveda is a body of knowledge and complete holistic health system that integrates mind, body and spirit so that practitioners may live in wonderful health, at ease, completely balanced, and in harmony with Nature. The word "Ayurveda" originates from Sanskrit and is translated as "knowledge of life."

It is the traditional medical system of India where it's been continually practiced for at least 5,000 years, but it's true roots have grown since the dawn of humanity. Many scholars think that Ayurveda is the oldest organized form of health care in the world and it is often referred to as, both historically and practically, "The Mother of all healing." It is thought to have influenced the ancient Chinese system of medicine, and even the medicine of Hippocrates.

The written knowledge of Ayurveda has its origins in the ancient scriptures called Vedas (the sacred texts of India written in Sanskrit), that are believed to be the oldest writings in the world. These earliest records contain the basic principles and ideas of Ayurveda, plus information on the treatment of many diseases. Since then, Ayurveda has continued to evolve and expand, but has stuck to it's original principles making it the oldest system of health sciences to have been continually practiced, researched and documented.

Ayurveda empowers and educates individuals to take charge of their own health and well-being. It focuses on the prevention of illness and the bodies natural powers to cure.

Ayurveda recognizes that all beings are interwoven into the environment as part of the fabric of nature, and must live in harmony with nature in order to survive. The presentation of disease symptoms is the bodies normal way of showing that we are not living harmoniously with nature. Having this understanding of disease, Ayurveda's approach to healing is simple and clear: start from within the being and reestablish a harmonious relationship with nature. Once harmony is reestablished, healing follows, and diseases begin to disappear. Hence, Ayurveda does not emphasize the cure of disease so much, but rather the cure of the person and the way s/he lives.

There are eight branches of Ayurveda: Treatment of Internal Disease, Treatment of Mental Disease, Head and Neck Diseases, Treatment of Poisoning, Obstetrics and Pediatrics, the Science of Aphrodisiacs, the Science of Rejuvenation, and Surgery.

An Ayurveda Health Practitioner uses pulse and tongue examination, the identification of the patients body type (which points to their probable patterns of imbalances), and suggests certain foods, spices, teas, herbs, purification techniques and daily health care routines to help their patients heal and live a healthy life.

I learned Ayurveda after seven years of college, and after six years as a chiropractor. The hands-on chiropractic experience helped me to understand the depth and value of Ayurveda's knowledge and treatments. Using Ayurveda in my practice has enhanced my ability to diagnosis and understand not only my patients spine, but also gives me insight into their entire system and their state of health and harmony.