resins. Thanks to their insight, wisdom and righteousness - and, of course, the healing power of plants - they easily defeated diseases.
The king of this country virtuously disposed of the riches of the earth and faithfully served his people. He was a learned man and listened to the advice of the wise righteous, maintaining peace and tranquility in his possessions. And although this kingdom provided itself with everything necessary, the ruler supported the exchange of goods and cultural innovations with other countries. The inhabitants of this kingdom generously shared their happiness with their neighbors. Life was great and everything was good. So let this kingdom be reborn!
ENLIGHTENED MEDICINE
Imagine there are three patients in a doctor's waiting room. All three suffer from arthritis, but otherwise they are completely different from each other. A tall thin woman sits first in line. She is called in for an appointment. When she rises from her chair, her joints crackle. Her knees do not bend well, and it is obvious from her gait that every step causes her pain. After examining the patient and studying her medical history, the doctor prescribes moist heat, a detoxifying diet, and a massage with medicated sesame oil. In addition, he recommends a cleansing enema and daily castor oil and herbal preparations. A week later, he puts the patient on a diet rich in dairy products and vegetable oil, but with a limited intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The second patient is a red-faced man of average build who seems to be a bit too hot in a room where everyone else feels fine. The doctor prescribes for him herbs that soothe digestion and a special diet with a predominance of cooling products, and for sore joints recommends applying cold compresses. This patient should eat mainly fresh fruits, vegetables and sweet foods, limiting the intake of proteins, fats and dairy products.
The third patient, a large, plump woman, slowly enters the doctor's office, moving her swollen legs with difficulty. Noticing that she suffers from fluid accumulation, the doctor prescribes her pungent herbs to stimulate digestion, warming alcohol-based essential oils to rub swollen joints, and a diet free of sugar, dairy, and fatty foods.
How so? Why is it that the doctor prescribes such different treatment to three patients suffering from the same disease, which, it would seem, contradicts itself? Because this doctor is a specialist in Ayurveda. Before him are not three cases of arthritis, but three people with different types of metabolism. All three suffer from joint problems, but otherwise the symptoms of their diseases are different and require a different approach to treatment.

Section I. AYURVEDA: THE SCIENCE OF LIFE
Chapter first. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY
Ayurveda is the oldest medical system known to us. It is a system of healing and prevention, tried and tested by thousands of physicians who, over the course of five thousand years, have relieved millions of people from suffering with its help. The goal of Ayurveda is to achieve health by establishing balance and harmony, and not by fighting disease. Prevention plays a more important role than therapy. From the point of view of Ayurveda, physiological balance, freedom of expression of emotions, harmony in thoughts, attention to the environment and spiritual development are necessary for general health. Ayurveda is the only medical system in the world that distinguishes ten types of metabolism (metabolism).
Western medicine successfully copes with traumatic injuries and acute illnesses, as well as cases where emergency medical care is required. But Westerners are increasingly suffering from diseases of a different kind - from autoimmune diseases, which include arthritis, allergies, heart and vascular disease, various types of cancer, as well as alcoholism, drug addiction and other harmful addictions. Ayurveda is a complex system of knowledge based on the simplest methods of healing that do not require the use of high technology. It can be adapted to any climatic conditions and traditions of any people. Ayurveda uses natural forces and means such as heat, cold and light, plants, food and minerals, physical exercises and control of emotions and thoughts through meditation at the service of healing. It can form the basis of a new global medicine, open and accessible to everyone.
Today, Ayurveda is the latest fashion statement among fans of alternative medicine. Thousands of people flock to lectures by Dr. Deepak Chopra, MD, and read books on the Ayurvedic system of healing. Thousands of people visit Ayurvedic clinics around the world.
Ayurveda uses several levels of treatment. In the simplest of these, patients can self-manage with simple dietary and lifestyle changes, guided by knowledge of their metabolic type and its inherent strengths and weaknesses. And essential oils can become a very effective component of such self-treatment.
In this section of the book, we will introduce the reader to the basic concepts of Ayurveda and talk about how to restore balance and health with the help of Ayurvedic remedies. To determine your type of metabolism and the possible nature of the imbalance, refer to the questionnaire (chap. 2 section "Who am I?"). At the end of the book is a list of references, which we recommend to refer to for a deeper study of Ayurveda. If you are not already familiar with this medical system, then let this book help you enter an exciting new world of self-healing and self-discovery.
STORY
Ayurveda was discovered to people by ancient Indian enlightened sages - rishis. These great seers, who established a connection with the spiritual world without losing connection with the physical world, managed to penetrate the very foundations of the universe with their thoughts and comprehend the place of man in the world. They laid the foundation for the oral tradition of transmitting knowledge - a tradition that is flexible and receptive to new trends, capable of growing and developing. And Ayurveda grew and developed as new treatments and new plants were discovered, as they became acquainted with the achievements of other cultures. The Rishis were great scientists. Thanks to them, such disciplines as surgery, the therapeutic use of plants, minerals and metals, physical education, human physiology, anatomy and psychology, have made a giant step forward in their development. AT in the field of surgery, they even mastered such complex operations as caesarean section (which the West learned to successfully perform only a little over a hundred years ago). This knowledge was passed from teacher to student over the centuries, and with the advent of writing, it was recorded in the texts of the Rig Veda (4500 years ago) and Atharva Veda (3200 years ago) and in other codes of ancient wisdom.
Gradually, the teachings of Ayurveda penetrated into other cultures, where, due to its flexibility, it successfully fit into local medical systems. Ayurveda had a considerable influence on the medicine of Tibet, China, Persia, Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Indonesia.
AT период британского колониального господства в Индии аюрведическая медицина подверглась гонениям. AT 1833 году по распоряжению Ост-индской компании были закрыты все аюрведические колледжи. For almost a hundred years, Ayurveda was considered the "medicine of the poor" and was used only in villages where residents did not have access to Western medicine or could not pay for the services of doctors.
But after India regained its independence, Ayurveda revived and began to compete with Western medicine on an equal footing. AT настоящее время средствами аюрведы лечатся около 70% жителей Индии. AT 1978 году участники международной конференции «Медицина "третьего мира"», созванной по инициативе ATсемирной организации здравоохранения (ATОЗ) ООН, пришли к выводу о том, что именно аюрведа — то медицинское направление, которое лучше всего подходит для слаборазвитых стран. It is hoped that on the basis of Ayurveda a new world system of medicine will be created: due to its low cost, reliance on the use of local plants and natural remedies, applicability in any climatic conditions and relative independence from the pharmaceutical industry, Ayurveda is able to benefit all peoples of the world. It can be successfully supplemented with the methods of Western, Chinese and other traditional medical systems.

PHILOSOPHY
According to the teachings of Ayurveda, the basis of health is harmony with oneself. Health requires a harmonious coherence between life goals, thoughts, feelings and actions. If your goals are peaceful, but your thoughts are filled with fear, and your emotions are imbued with pessimism, then your physical body will get sick - it will give an "alarm" signal, urging you to change. That's why physical ailment in Ayurveda is considered a good sign, because it helps us to realize some flaw previously hidden from us - a flaw that needs to be eliminated. Health is a harmonious interaction between all the constituent parts of our "I". This inner harmony manifests itself in the outer world as harmonious relationships with relatives, friends, employees, with society as a whole and with the entire natural world.
Одни из первых воmilletв, которые обычно задают своим пациентам врачи-аюрведисты, могут звучать так: «AT чем вы видите цель своей жизни? AT форме какой работы, какого вида деятельности выражается ваше стремление к этой цели? And how are you doing in the field of personal relationships? If harmony reigns in all these areas of your life, then it is much easier to heal a physical ailment.
The goal of Ayurveda is true freedom from death and disease, unclouded physical, mental and spiritual happiness. Surprising as it may sound, Ayurvedic philosophy proclaims pleasure as one of the main goals of life. But if we begin to abuse the blessings of life, we will lose the ability to enjoy, and illness is one of the ways in which nature indicates to us that we are abusing her gifts. Either we limit ourselves, or mother nature will limit us. Westerners often suffer from