According to Ayurveda, health is a participatory ongoing process of achieving and maintaining a dynamic balance in all the aspects of life through the means of comprehensive natural therapies customized to suit the individuals psychosomatic constitution. The goal of this process is not only to heal disease and to reestablish balance, but also to prevent disease and to promote positive health.
To sum up the major points, we need to emphasize that:
• Health is a process, not a state.
• This process is ongoing, not a one-time attempt.
• The process is participatory-the person must take the responsibility for his or her health, not depend on an expert to fix it.
• Health is a dynamic balance, not a stationary balance.
• The dynamic balance needs to be achieved in all the aspects of this person’s life-physical, biochemical, intellectual, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, familial, social, environmental and universal -not narrowed down to only physical or biochemical aspects.
• Therapies need to be comprehensive, considering all aspects of life like nutrition, natural medicines, exercise, rest, emotions and life-style, not limited to drugs and surgery.
• Therapies need to be natural, not synthetic.
• Therapies need to be customized to suit the individual.
• Therapies need to address the complete physical, biochemical, intellectual, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, familial, social picture, not just the physical symptoms.
• The goal is to heal disease, re-establish balance, prevent disease, and promote positive health, rather than to suppress symptoms.
