ROCHESTER, Minn., March 10 (UPI) -- Ayurvedic, a medicine therapy originating in India 5,000 years ago but still practiced today, may be effective but should be supervised, a newsletter says.
Good quality studies on ayurvedic practices are limited, especially therapies that involve the use of herbs or metals and a doctor should supervise any use of ayurvedic supplements because some have the potential to be toxic, The Mayo Clinic Health Letter says.
The newsletter explains the goal of ayurvedic medicine is to maintain the balance in life that starts at birth. This state is called prakriti. At the other end of the spectrum is vikruti -- prakriti combined with all that affects one's life such as work, diet and friends. The closer one is to prakriti -- the better. Conversely, discord in life -- meaning too much divergence from the innate self -- can lead to dosha or imbalance.
To identify diseases, practitioners of ayurvedic medicine must evaluate what dosha is the greatest influence in the patient and seek to understand if there's discourse between the innate and current self.
For example, dry skin may require more than lotion. One may need to look at emotions and consider how to heal emotional dryness, the newsletter says.
