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•	The Doshas
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Ayurveda

Treatments Used In Ayurveda

Using a holistic approach, Ayurvedic therapies are tailored for each individual. The Ayurvedic practitioner first gains a detailed understanding of the life of the individual, including their health history, any current medications, the pulse, environmental surroundings, relationships, eating habits, exercise habits, nutrition, emotional, and psychological state.

Diagnosis will also include an observation of the client's body, movements, voice, and other non-verbal behavior. The appearance of the eyes, nails, skin, tone of voice, lips, and tongue are also observed.

After the assessment, the practitioner will then determine the unique balance of the doshas within the individual and whether one or more of the doshas is experiencing any imbalance.

The Pulse
A well-known diagnostic tool used in Ayurveda is pulse analysis. Considered a science in and of itself, it can take many hours of practice to master. Due to the difficulty in learning pulse analysis, some practitioners rely on other assessments for diagnosis. There are two sanskrit treatise which deal with the science of pulse analysis: Nadivijnanam, by Maharishi Kananda, and Nadiprakasham, by Shankar Sen.

Using the fingers, different pulse points throughout the body are taken to determine both the health of the 12 main organs and the doshas. The quality and speed of the pulses will indicate the current state of the organs and which of the doshas are aggravated and to what degree. The pulses are read when the body is at rest.

Based on the results of the assessment and balance of the doshas, an individualized treatment regimen is created. The treatment regimen almost always includes changes in lifestyle or diet. There are more than 20 different types of treatments recognized in Ayurveda, the most common of which are organized to represent of the fives senses. Five sense therapy is used when specific treatments are required to stimulate one or more of the five senses:

1.	Taste:	Nutrition, Herbs
2.	Touch:	Massage
3.	Smell:	Aromatherapy
4.	Sight:	Chromatherapy (color therapy)
5.	Sound:	Music Therapy, Mantras

In addition to the seven treatments listed above, meditation, Yoga/exercise, and breathing techniques are often also incorporated into a treatment program.

A cleansing and detoxification therapy called pancha karma may also be used. Pancha karma is a five-fold treatment which incorporates the use of up to five specific treatments to release toxins from the doshas and restore them to their state of balance.

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