Ayurvedic Rejuvenation

Western concept of rejuvenation

In the West, when we speak of rejuvenation we mostly speak of spa and cosmetic treatments. Some examples of Western rejuvenation are – cosmetic surgery, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for females, testosterone replacement for males, spa services, massages, pills, creams, serums and vitamins.

This is not true holistic rejuvenation.

When you treat only a single issue, you don’t treat the underlying cause of that issue. This means that you have temporarily masked an underlying problem that is still there and will become an issue again.

Take cosmetic surgery as an example. Let’s say that you decide to cosmetically alter your cheeks. You may choose to get fillers, or injections or have your skin tightened. You do this in order to reduce sagging and/or fine lines and wrinkles. After the procedure, your cheeks may look great for some time. However, ageing will continue to take its toll. Your cheeks may look great, but the remainder of your face will begin to sag.

The Western concept of rejuvenation does flow with the balance and nature of the body systems. Additionally, cosmetic procedures can result in other problems and side effects. These side effects can occur immediately after the procedure or years down the road.

Let us consider another example. This time let us think about a decline in the production of a specific hormone. The Western solution is to replace it with a synthetic hormone.

The problem is that we don’t actually know what the body needs and in what amounts it needs it. The hormonal requirements of our body fluctuate daily. This makes it very likely that you will either take too little or too much synthetic hormone.

If you ingest too little synthetic hormone, your therapy is inadequate.

If you ingest too much synthetic hormone, your body does not know what to do with it. It becomes another toxin that your body cannot eliminate. To protect the rest of the systems from this toxin, your body begins to deposit excess hormones in specific areas of the body such as in the sex organs, buttocks, fatty areas and the lymphatic system. This can lead to future problems such as an imbalance of all systems as well as the development of cancer.    

Therefore, the Western concept of rejuvenation is to supply whatever the body is lacking with an external, synthetic source. However, this is an inadequate response to the problem. We have no idea what the body actually needs nor do we know the exact amounts that it needs it in.

Ayurvedic rejuvenation

In Ayurveda we look at the body as a factory or industry. When the body is given the correct raw materials, it can regulate the production of whatever it needs from moment to moment. This is much better and safer than providing the body with an exogenous, synthetic, end product that we think it may be lacking. The entire body system is smart, it knows what it needs better than we do. 

In Ayurveda we focus on providing the body with the raw materials that it needs. When we supply the raw materials instead of the end products, the body is in full control. It is able to produce exactly what it knows it needs.

Supplying the body only with the raw products is the best way to provide the body with what it requires. This is because the body’s requirements fluctuate throughout the day. These fluctuations are based on many factors, including the time of day and the activities that we may be engaged in. Therefore, if we try to supply the end product, we will always either undersupply or oversupply.

For example, during sexual activity the body’s need for specific hormonal end products increases. We are unable to supply external, synthetic hormones on demand or as the body needs them. On the other hand, if we supply the body with the required raw materials, the body will make these hormonal end products on its own in the quantities that it needs.

If the body produces too much of a certain end product, it knows how to handle it. Compare this to the synthetic end products, which it does not know how to handle and ends up accumulating.

If the body overproduces a certain end product it has two options. First, it can dispose of this product through the excretory system. Second, it can take the byproducts and transform them into other end products. In this way, the body can recycle and reuse excess raw materials or natural end products.

This is similar to when a business produces excess product. It can sell this excess to another company that may require it. In return, money that it can use to create something else that it needs. Similarly, the body recycles excess end product (eg. hormones) and uses the byproducts of the recycled hormones to create something else it needs more in that moment.  

Unlike the Western concept of rejuvenation, Ayurvedic rejuvenation gives the body full control to regenerate and heal itself.

Every organ requires different types of herbs to help it detoxify and regenerate. This is why it is important to consult an Ayurvedic practitioner to help you create a plan that is unique to the requirements of your body.

Rejuvenation in Ayurveda is important because it helps to restore Dosha balance. A balanced Dosha ensures that our body functions optimally during all stages of life. We cannot make our body brand new, but we can help to repair and transform it. 

The practice of Ayurveda is thousands of years old.

In the past, it was thought that every person over the age of 70 should go through the rejuvenation program. However, today we recognize that people may require Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy much earlier in life.

Today, we live in a very stressful environment. This stress may be psychological, such as stress at work, or physical, such as an unhealthy diet or a polluted living environment. All of these factors work together to imbalance our Dosha and promote earlier ageing and deterioration.

We can consider Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy like a restart for the body at any age. It is a holistic program that helps the body rebalance and reset its own physiologic function.