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Ayurvedic Physician.The Ayurvedic physician understands the pathogenesis and etiologic factors of the individual's problem by asking the patient about his/her diet, lifestyle, and relationships. The causative factors of the same disease may vary according to what aspect of the individual is imbalanced. Every disease has its origin. For example, all vata disorders have their root in the colon. Pitta disorders begin in the small intestine. Kapha diseases have their foundation in the stomach and gastric mucosal secretions. The condition of these organs is checked.
To help understand the causes of disease, that is, those factors which have weakened the
system's ability to defend itself, Ayurveda has classified causes into groups: - Acute versus chronic
- Genetic or hereditary
- Traumatic
- Habitual
- Dietary, including food poisoning and wrong food combining
- Seasonal
- Climate
- Lifestyle
- Age
- Metabolic condition
- Emotional and psychological makeup
- Supernatural and planetary disposition
Acts of God
Certainly bacteria and viruses cause disease, but the physician also asks what affects the patient's ability to defend himself against them. Ayurveda is about physiology, not pathogens. The question asked is whether the body is protected by its balanced physiology or is in a state of imbalance and therefore open to disease. The body has its own protective mechanism, the doshas. The doshas respond to these causes in an attempt to fight off disease.
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