Indian Ayurveda

Indian Ayurveda, which has been circulated for more than 5,000 years, is neither a "magical health-preserving technique that can cure all diseases" spread online, nor a completely useless "metaphysical IQ tax" - it is a traditional medical system developed in ancient India that integrates physiology, psychology, and living habits. Some physical therapy and dietary conditioning methods have been confirmed by modern research to have a relieving effect on specific symptoms. However, there are clear application boundaries, and the practical effects of different schools and institutions vary greatly. It is easy to get into trouble by blindly following the trend.

I stayed in Goa, India for half a month a few years ago. I was originally there for fun, but I got a migraine due to catching up on projects a few years ago. A local friend took me directly to a small clinic on the beach with even the paint on its signboard peeling off. The doctor was Mr. Rajan, who had a half-meter-long white beard and had been an Ayurvedic therapist for 40 years.

The way he measured my body constitution was completely different from that of traditional Chinese medicine. He pinched the roots of my nails, rolled my lower eyelids, and asked three questions: Does your mouth always feel bitter when you wake up in the morning? Will eating ice cause diarrhea? Do you get constipated and have headaches when you are stressed? I was stunned at the time, it was all right. He said that I have a mixed constitution of Vata (wind) and pitta (fire). I am born with a fast metabolism but tend to be nervous and have strong stomach fire. On the contrary, I don’t need to eat too cold things to suppress the fire. The more I eat, the more I will become weak.

Don’t tell me, I followed him and performed Shrodhara 5 times with half-doubt, which is the project that many Internet celebrities have photographed, in which warm ghee is dripped on the forehead at a constant speed. It is different from ordinary massages. The speed and temperature of the oil dripping are adjusted in advance according to the body type. The first time I did it, I fell asleep in less than 10 minutes. When I woke up, the tightness in my head was mostly relieved. After 5 times, the migraine was mostly cured without even taking painkillers. Later I came back and checked, and in 2021 the "European Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine" did publish a clinical study. For patients with chronic tension headaches, Shrodhara physical therapy three times a week for four consecutive weeks, the effective rate of pain relief can reach 72%, which is nearly 40 percentage points higher than the control group with simple hot compress.

But what’s interesting is that when I was chatting with Mr. Rajan, he complained that many people now praise Ayurveda too much. He said that a tourist from the United States just came over last month. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago. He heard that Ayurveda can cure it, so he secretly stopped taking his anti-diabetic medicine. He stayed at his place for 20 days and received massages and meals every day. As a result, his blood sugar spiked to over 12 o'clock. In the end, Rajan called a doctor from the local hospital to come over and prescribe medicine for him to suppress it. "I never said I could cure diabetes. I could only help him adjust his metabolic habits. How could he stop taking the medicine casually?" The old man blew his beard when he said this, feeling extremely helpless.

Ayurveda circles are actually very noisy now. The traditional ancient schools insist on using "rasa shastra" preparations according to the classics, which are internal medicines refined from minerals, herbs and even metals. They say that this is the core of Ayurveda, but the modern reformists are completely opposed to this approach. In 2017, the WHO issued a warning that unqualified Ayurvedic oral preparations can exceed the standard for heavy metals by more than 20%, and long-term consumption will cause irreversible liver and kidney damage. Therefore, many formal modern Ayurvedic institutions will not prescribe oral medicine to customers at all. At most, they recommend some medicinal and food ingredients such as turmeric and Triphala, and they clearly state that they are only for conditioning, not for treating diseases.

After I returned to China, I also visited many popular domestic Ayurveda shops. They often sell "detox packages" worth tens of thousands of dollars, claiming that they can relieve constipation, cure nodules and even fight cancer. Every time I see it, I find it funny. I had 5 physical treatments at Mr. Rajan's place, plus a week of customized conditioning meals, which only cost more than 2,000 yuan. People don't even dare to mention the word "radical cure." These domestic businesses that can't even distinguish between the three types of constitution dare to brag about it.

In the past two years, I have also adjusted my living habits according to the suggestions given by Rajan, such as drinking as little iced American as possible, drinking a cup of warm milk with a little turmeric and black pepper on an empty stomach in the morning, and making myself some warm millet porridge when I am stressed. To be honest, my stomach is much more comfortable than before when I had iced coffee every day and stayed up late eating hot pot, and I have fewer migraines. But I would never say that Ayurveda is magical. To put it bluntly, it is a set of life guidelines to help you understand your own body. If you adjust your diet and rest according to your body constitution, you will be comfortable. It has nothing to do with whether you are from India or not.

In fact, in the final analysis, whether it is Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, or other traditional therapies, there is nothing black and white? Use the useful parts, such as relaxing physical therapy and reasonable dietary advice, and avoid the unreliable ones, such as magic medicine that can cure all diseases and detox packages worth tens of thousands of dollars. It's that simple. Oh, by the way, if you really get sick, don't be like that American tourist who stopped taking medicine casually. The more serious thing is to go to the hospital first.