INTRODUCTION TO AYURVEDIC MEDICINE FOR DE-ADDICTION

All over the world there is a growing interest in Alternative Medicine, Ayurveda and Holistic health. As per a study conducted by WHO, on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at least 60% of US Citizens and 55% of Europeans have taken Alternative Medicines and an estimated 70% of the Asian population has adopted Holistic Health in a big way.

Due to the growing awareness on Ayurveda and Herbal Medicine, as well as a serious concern over the drawbacks of Allopathic medicine, an estimated 65% of Indian population has sought the benefits of Alternative Medicine, including Ayurveda. At our VVM De-Addiction Center at Howrah (West Bengal) our patients are treated with Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation and organic / vegetarian food. These are very effective during the detoxification period and also have proven to be an effective means of healthy and safe lifestyle.

Understanding How Ayurveda Treats Addiction

Ayurveda has gained much prominence in the field of recovery. Ayurveda, the science of life, is the first holistic approach developed in India around 2000 years ago. Ayurveda views the roots of addiction as mental inertia, which is caused by excess mental activity. Addiction grows because we attempt to climb this excess through artificial and external means like use of various types of Drugs, Alcohol and other chemical abusive substances.

If one is angry, anxious, impatient, then Ayurveda considers this as an excess of one of the three basic elements i.e. Air, Fire and Water. Too much Air in the mind creates anxiety and worry. Excess of Fire element in the mind creates imbalance in temperament as well as anger. Abundance of Water element in the mind creates lethargy idleness and lack of initiative.

The Ayurveda herbal approach suggests the person to take herbal remedies in order to balance these excess elements, which in turn control the mind. For example, a hot tempered person may always insist upon smoking tobacco, but in taking cool air and moist water herbs, the desire for smoking is reduced and eventually eliminated. A person having more air in the brain may become too much anxious. There is a tendency of such a person to slip towards some kind of addiction. But this tendency can be curbed by making that person take certain warm and moist herbs.

The uniqueness of Ayurveda is that, it is not only helpful in removing the cause of addiction (anxiety may insist on smoking) but it helps in cleaning the toxin elements in the body so that there is little scope of discomfort from the withdrawal process. Ayurveda does not say to stop the addiction activity. It says ‘lets lace it up with another more constructive activity’. So, instead of taking various addictive substances, if we can replace them with some herbs then desire for addiction will reduce, and the person will be free from the toxic effects of various addiction. Also, these herbs will have positive influence on the person's mind and body so that he will feel more healthy.

Instead of a generalized approach towards health, Ayurveda provides a more personalized approach. As people are individuals, according to Ayurveda, some individuals may have more of Air element in nature, some may have more of Fire element and some may have more of Watery constitution. All people are a combination of these three fundamental elements but the percentage of these elements are different in each and every individual. By determining one's Ayurvedic constitution (DOSHA) we can learn which element is causing the excess. So if this excess is controlled by means of herbs, a person's urge towards addiction will automatically reduce and hence, also, the relapse of addiction.

At our Art Of Living headquarter in Bangalore, extensive research work had been going on for 2 years on Ayurveda as an effective method of treating and healing patients who suffer from addiction problems. At the end of the research, trials were conducted at our VVM Research Centre in Howrah, Kolkata. The results were not only successful, but were outstanding. Now Ayurveda is practiced as the only form of medication at our Centre, except in rare emergency cases where quick action or relief is desirable.