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Ayurvedic Doctors and Practitioners

History

The Vedas, which may be up to 5,000 years old, are the oldest and most important scriptures of Hinduism, which is the primary religion in India. The Sanskrit word veda means "knowledge," and the Vedas contain the knowledge and beliefs on which Hinduism is based. The Atharvaveda—the Veda that deals primarily with the practical aspects of life—contains chants, rites, and spells that are thought to enable believers to do such things as create love and goodwill among people, defeat enemies, and ensure success in agriculture. Most experts believe that the Atharvaveda is the basis of Ayurveda.

The word Ayurveda means "knowledge of life." The oldest of the specifically Ayurvedic texts, the Charaka Samhita, was written in approximately 1000 B.C. and deals with internal medicine. This and more recent texts, such as the Ashtanga Hridayam, a compilation of Ayurvedic knowledge written in approximately 1000 A.D., provide Ayurvedic practitioners with the knowledge they need to help their patients.

Ayurvedic medicine is officially accepted in India, where approximately 80 percent of those who seek medical help go to Ayurvedic doctors. In its country of origin, Ayurveda has been substantially modernized, and it now includes many techniques and medications that originated in the West. For example, in addition to ancient herbal formulas, Indian Ayurvedic doctors often prescribe antibiotics. Most Indian doctors have discarded the use of certain older practices that are described in early texts, such as the use of leeches for bloodletting.