Title : “What is health for modern medicine, and what is it for yoga and Ayurveda?”
Abstract:
For modern medicine, health is determined by the results of tests conducted on the patient. Unfortunately, it therefore only considers and addresses the physical, material aspect, thus proving inadequate in responding to the growing prevalence of disorders, particularly those of non-physical origin, which are now widely present in humanity. The most common among these are stress, panic, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, mood disorders, sexual dysfunctions, intestinal disorders, hypochondria, anorexia, bulimia of nervous origin, and many more.
Additionally, emotional disorders, which have become more evident during the COVID era, are also frequent. These include fear, which primarily affects the kidneys; sadness, which impacts the lungs; anger, which is often somatized in the liver, and so on.
However, by examining the definition of health as cited in the writings of the famous Ayurvedic surgeon, Su?ruta, we will understand what integral health means in Ayurvedic medicine. It encompasses not only the proper balance of the physical, material aspect but also the presence of joy in the soul, the senses, and the mind.
