Kayachikitsa
EXPLORING THE DOCTRINE OF TREATMENT - KAYACHIKITSA
Kaya chikitsa is the most important clinical branch among eight major branches of Ayurveda which are –known by the term “Ashtanga Ayurveda” collectively. Kaya Chikitsa is clinical skill oriented and most broad branch of Ayurveda system of medicine and may be called as backbone in clinical practice of Ayurveda. The nomenclature ‘Kaya Chikitsa” is composed of two words- “Kaya” and “Chikitsa”. The term Kaya refers to Deha (body) and Agni (Digestive fire of body) and chikitsa mean ‘treatment’. The literal meaning of the subject is the clinical specialty of Ayurveda dealing with the treatment of diseases involving whole body (sarvanga sanashrit vyadhinaam) viz. skin diseases, metabolic disorders, fevers, psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders etc. : as per ayurveda, the root cause behind almost all these diseases is Malfunctioning of Agni ( force responsible for digestive processes and metabolism in the body). So, the main treatment approach (chikitsa) in Ayurveda targets at correction of abnormal state of Agni and hence the nomenclature of the subject. As per Ayurveda science, the living body is not only a physical body but Mana or satva (mind), Atma
(soul) and Indriya (sensory organs) all together. So for attaining healthy state and also for treatment purposes, ayurveda medicine focus on measures and drugs which not only balances dosha, dhatu and mala of the body but also maintain the proper functioning and coordination of mind with body and soul along with proper functioning of sense organs. That is why; the treatment in Ayurveda has Holistic approach and hence called as “Holistic Medicine”. Preventive medicine is also recognized as an important subject which also come under Kayachikitsa . As for the proper treatment of diseases, proper diagnosis of the condition is mandatory, so diagnostic procedures (Rogi pariksha) also forms important part of it and taught as clinical/ Bedside medicine. Kaya chikitsa deals with the general and specific therapeutic principles of a vast range of disorders affecting almost each and every organ system like Gastrointestinal, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, Genitourinary, Endocrine system, Nervous system etc. Some important fundamental and specific therapeutic principles applicable in treatment of diseases are discussed below-
The Ancient Ayurveda | May-Jun 2021 | Issue 7 | 13
