AYURVEDA, THE SCIENCE OF LIFE
“Oh mortals live for hundred autumns, one hundred winters and hundred springs with ease and happiness. May Indra, Agni, Savita and Brahaspati satisfied with oblations grant him life for one hundred years.”( Rigveda)
Aphorism evidently depicts aspiration of human civilization for longevity and delay senescence since Vedic era. Ayurveda, the “science of life,” or longevity, is the holistic complimentary science from India, and is more than 5,000 years old. It is believed to be the oldest healing science in existence, forming the foundation of all others.
Ayurveda said to be a world medicine, is the most holistic or comprehensive medical system available. Before the arrival of writing, the ancient wisdom of healing, prevention, and longevity was a part of the spiritual tradition of a universal religion.
There are several attributes Prenatal(before conception of child ) as well as post natal(After conception , during pregnancy and after birth ) in ayurveda, which play a significant role in longevity and good health.
Prenatal Factors:
- Inheritance of healthy garbha(normal intrauterine growth) and superior deha prakrithi (physical constitution) influenced by excellence in Sukra(sperm) Sonita(ovum) , Matur Ahara Vihara(Matrenal nutritionand lifestyle during gestation),kala(age of the mother) garbhashaya(healthy uterus) and Mahabhutavikara(impact of external factors like pollution, radiationon developing embryo ) impart increased life expectancy and minimum susceptibility to diseases in offspring’s .
Post Natal Factors:
- Epigenetic modulation through personalized hita or satmya aahara (neutrigenetic), adhering to healthy life style strategy incorporated in dicharya, ritucharya (Circadian genomics) and rationalized, tailored administration of Rasayana drugs promoting health, prevent ageing and palliating age related morbidities (pharmecogenomics)
- Achara Rasayanam or sadvritta influencing Psychicospiritual inheritance (Satwaja and Atmaja bhavas) promoting spiritual and psychic wellbeing
Concept of Wholesome diet and Nutrigenomics .
- The wholesome food is one of the causes for the growth and longevity of living beings and unwholesome food for triggering disease. Wholesome and unwholesome food articles bring about opposite effects, depending upon the variation in dose, time method of preparation, habit, and constitution of body, disease and the age of individual.
Life style Factors dinacharya ,ritu charya and Circadian genomics
- Following dinachraya and ritu charya as mentioned in shastras do helps us to maintain daily and seasonal variations in doshas under check and imparts longevity, memory, health and fame.
- Biological, or circadian, clocks operate on a 24-hour cycle that governs sleeping and waking, rest and activity, body temperature, blood pressure, cardiac output, oxygen consumption and endocrine gland secretion. In mammals, the internal circadian clock resides in the brain, and sunlight is the cue that resets this clock daily. The order of regimen laid down in dina charya seems to be very interesting to note as it may impact different physiological changes due to inherent bio-rhythm. Circadian rhythm has been thought to have hormonal and ultimately multiple genetic sources to regulate it in most organisms. Mutations in human clock genes may prevent some people from synchronizing their cycles with the environment. It impacts emotion, our sleep patterns, our appetite, serum lipid metabolism, our sex drive and mood related like depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome frequent in old age.
Rasayana Drugs and Pharmacogenomics.
- Pharmacogenomics holds the promise that drugs might one day be tailor-made for individuals and adapted to each person’s own genetic makeup. Environment, diet, age, lifestyle, and state of health all can influence a person’s response to medicines, but understanding an individual’s genetic makeup is thought to be the key to creating personalized drugs with greater efficacy and safety.
- Ayurveda has stratified human beings based on genome wide DNA sequencing variation analysis in three prakritis to understand gene expression. Based on Human profile variations on prakritis’ specific genes, unique SNP effecting longevity and disease susceptibility, administration of anti dosha rejuvenating plants based on select patients who will benefit the most with least probability of developing adverse drug reaction is basis of suddha chikitsa or ideal treatment.
