Islamabad These days ‘natural’ medicine is all the rage so for its monthly fund-raising meeting, the Islamabad Foreign Women’s Association (IFWA) organised a session on Ayurvedic (also Unani - Greek) medicinal practices, which are recognised by the World Health Organisation and are applied globally as ‘preventive; complementary and curative’ medicine. The meeting was held at the IFWA Community Centre; was conducted by Vaidya (Dr) Aasiya Rizvi, a qualified practitioner and was fairly well attended. ‘Ayruveda’ means ‘Knowledge of Life.’ Speaking clearly and explaining everything in detail, Aasiya elucidated that Ayurvedic medicine — also known as Ayurveda — is one of the world’s oldest holistic (whole-body) healing systems. It developed thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent and is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. The primary focus of Ayurvedic medicine is to promote good health, rather than fight disease, though treatments may be recommended for specific health problems. According to Ayurvedic theory, everything in the universe — living or not — is connected. Good health is achieved when your mind, body, and spirit are in harmony with the universe and a disruption of this harmony can lead to poor health and sickness. Followers of Ayurveda say anything that affects your physical, spiritual, or emotional well-being can cause you to be out of balance with the universe. There was much more interesting information about natural medicine, which is usually garnered from herbs and different plants — some samples of these were passed around to show what they looked like — and there were many questions, so much so that the session went on overtime! Apart from medicine, using natural cleansers like ‘miswak’ for teeth was also recommended as was ‘neem’ for its many beneficial qualities. For those who are interested in the subject, Aasiya has written a book which will be launched soon. In conclusion, samples of ‘Triphala,’ composed of three powerful healing herbs, were distributed among the ladies. Among its various benefits, Triphala is used as a colon cleanser; blood purifier and to boost immunity. Refreshments which are generously contributed by committee members were served — the lecture on ‘eating and drinking healthy’ forgotten for the moment as ladies enjoyed the delicious snacks washed down with fizzy drinks — a big no-no if you practice this form of medicine. “We will begin the regime from tomorrow,” said a member and all around her laughed and agreed — the goodies were hard to resist! Aasiya is an Ayurvedic clinical practitioner, lecturer and author. Ayurveda has always been a part of her life as her ancestral heritage. Daughter of a retired ambassador, she comes from a lineage of medical professionals and her grandfather was also a well-known and well-established practitioner. She has devoted much time embracing the essentials of Ayurveda from her heritage, followed several courses and completed her formal study at the Eisra Institute in the Netherlands. She is also interested in other forms of natural and indigenous medicines.
