The excellent essence of the dh ̄atusbeginning with rasa (chyle) and end-
ing with semen ( ́sukra) or ova and blood ( ́soÓnita) is called ojas. This ojas
is also called bala(strength) in the context of the medical science. Be-
cause of strength, there is stability and nourishment of the muscle tis-
sues and the person remains undeterred in all efforts.^37Vitality, from the Latin noun vita, life, refers to the force of life. Vitality
connotes vigor and strength, and as a determinant of health it represents
an entity’s strength to assert itself for survival, for meeting challenges and
accomplishing chosen purposes. Strength refers to the power of resisting
or generating an effect or force. It is an important factor in diagnosis, for
loss of strength is often indicative of compromised functioning, though
individuals possess and utilize strength in different ways. Endurance is
the power to act in a sustained way when a continued expenditure of ef-
fort and concentration is required.
Relaxation and stress are significant factors for health, and the con-
cept of vitality provides an interpretive context for them. Tension and re-
laxation are complementary poles in maintaining homeostasis. In in-
stances ranging over cellular integrity, arterial pressure, and the person’s
affective sense of sufficient challenge and rest, vitality requires some de-
gree of tension to stimulate action, and to maintain or strengthen an
organism’s capacities. At the same time, relaxation is imperative for pre-
venting more extreme forms of tension that can damage tissues, systems,
and psychological resiliency. Relaxation is not only a means of maintain-
ing vitality, but a sign that an organism is maintaining its functional equi-
librium and well-being.
Medical and Psychological Determinants
Normality
In contemporary scientific medicine, a widely applied criterion of health
is the ‘normal’ functioning of an organ, system, or person, with normal-
ity established by comparison with bio-statistical data, as articulated in
Boorse’s theory of health.^38 Normality can be understood in terms of:
- PATHOLOGY: Normality is defined in terms of presence and extent of
disease. - STATISTICS: Normality is defined in terms of deviation from the dis-
tribution of a given characteristic in a population. - SOCIAL VALUES: Normality is determined in relation to values (e.g.,
the question of whether homosexuality is normal).^39
58 religious therapeutics