The gastric fire (agni)
The final element important for healthy life is agni, the ‘fire’ that sustains
vitality. Agni covers whole sequences of chemical interactions and changes
in the body and mind. It has been compared to the digestive enzymes but is
considered to be responsible for more than just the biochemical processes
because it also maintains the health of the immune system, and is claimed
to destroy microorganisms and toxins in the gut.
Applying therapeutic measures to balance any
disharmonies – the practice of ayurveda
Specialties
Eight specialities have developed within ayurveda:
- General surgery (shalya tantra)
- Ear, nose and throat (shalkya)
- Medicine (kaya chikitsa)
- Psychiatry (bhutvidya)
- Obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics (kumar-bhritya)
- Toxicology (agada tantra)
- Geriatrics (rasayans)
- Fertility and sterility (vajikaran).
Choice of treatment
After a diagnosis has been made as to the particular dysfunction or dishar-
mony present, there are many different types of treatment available to the
ayurvedic practitioner, all of which may be used alone or to complement each
other and include:
- dietary advice
- administration of medicines
- aromatherapy
- enemas
- massage
- mind–body interventions
- surgery.
Dietary advice
Just as with traditional Chinese medicine, Indian medicine places impor-
tance on diet. Diet is considered to be particularly important for both its
202 | Traditional medicine