In addition to the application of Ayurvedic knowledge for health promotion in everyday life and prevention of diseases, the Ayurvedic methods are also used for the treatment of manifest diseases.

The therapy begins with a detailed anamnesis and examination. After an individual treatment plan, adapted to the “dosha distribution”, your constitution is elaborated.

Ayurveda therapists do not need any equipment for their diagnosis. The therapist uses the pulse diagnosis and simultaneously observes your skin colour, skin tone, the condition of your eyes and the appearance of your tongue (face and tongue diagnosis). In addition, the therapist will ask you numerous questions about your lifestyle: how you eat, how long you sleep, how often you move and what your mental state is.

In this way, the Ayurveda therapist determines which doshas are pronounced in you and how intensively, i.e. what your constitution is, and where there are possible imbalances. The Ayurveda therapist will now try to balance the doshas with the help of appropriate nutritional instructions, massages, oil applications, and herbal preparations and, if necessary, outpatient treatments. This should help you to find your inner harmony again and to treat illnesses, also accompanying to possibly necessary conventional medical therapies.

The Ayurvedic consultation

The Ayurvedic consultation or anamnesis consists of eight examinations in addition to the interview:

Pulse diagnosis

The pulse is best felt in the morning in an empty state. It is still unaffected by food and everyday stress. The pulse should be taken at the same hour and under the same conditions, woman on the left hand and man on the right hand. It should be felt three times in a row.

The Vata pulse is strong in the evening, the Pitta pulse at noon and the Kapha pulse in the morning. The Ayurveda therapist can also determine the following complaints in addition to your dosha:

      • Liver and kidney disorders
      • Ama states (degree of slagging)
      • Fever
      • Chronic diseases
      • Constipation
      • Heart diseases
      • Emotional tensions

Tongue diagnosis

The nature of the tongue gives valuable information about the possible dominating dosha: The Vata tongue is dry, cracked, rough with a dark coating. The Pitta tongue is reddish, possibly with spots, points, wounds and ulcers. The Kapha tongue is white and slimy covered, moist and slightly swollen.

In the case of an Ama disturbance (slagging), a white to grey coating on the tongue is found, which cannot be removed with the tongue scraper. A thick coating on the tongue indicates a poorly working digestive fire. In addition, the condition of the tongue gives the experienced Ayurveda therapist further clues about the patient’s state of health.

Urine examination

The urine is examined for quantity, odour, colour and acidity. The parameters provide information about your dosha and the extent of your excess.

Stool examination

The stool also gives information about the dosha and the amount of ama (slagging). Signs of ama are e.g. unpleasant smell, different colours of the excrement, slimy consistency and higher weight, i.e. the bowel movement sinks in water.

Examination by touch

Here the condition of the skin is examined in detail. Dry, rough, cracked skin, for example, goes for a Vata-Dosha.

Eyes examination

In case of a Vata disorder, there is a lack of tear fluid, the eyes itch and lose their shine. In a Pitta disorder the eyes are red, light sensitive and burning. An excess of Kapha is manifested in dirty looking, very moist eyes.

General impression

The Ayurveda therapist closely observes the posture and body structure, the nutritional state and smell, the psychological state and the overall impression of the patient and includes the results in the examination results.

Diagnosis of the way of speaking

Your dosha is also recognizable by the way you speak: Vata types talk loud, unclear, frantic and nervous. Pitta types can be recognized by an agitated, energetic, warm, sometimes intimidating voice. Kapha types speak gently, slowly and expressively.

The diagnosis and causes of illness in Ayurveda

The diagnosis does not refer to a clinical picture from the point of view of western medicine, but is based on the complex Ayurvedic healing system: The focus is on determining your dosha.

There is no general concept of health and disease as we do with reference values for the blood count or the Body Mass Index. There are also no general guidelines for healing like the medical guidelines and the recommendations of the Society for Nutrition. Every patient is examined and observed carefully and at all levels. Therapist gets his diagnosis regarding the dosha distribution. Because disturbances of the Doshas affect the corresponding tissues.

Ayurveda distinguishes between seven tissues (dhatus): plasma tissue, muscle and fat tissue, bone marrow and brain substance/nerve tissue as well as semen and reproductive tissue, which are assigned to the Kapha dosha. Pitta acts mainly on the blood and Vata on the bones. Sometimes an excessive dosha can also penetrate the tissues of another dosha and cause disturbances. Therefore the Ayurveda therapist includes the condition of the tissues in his diagnosis.

From an Ayurvedic point of view, the body contains a set of channels: the Shrotas. They connect the outer world with the inner world to take in breath, water and food and the inner world with the outer world to release metabolic waste products via sweat, urine and faeces. Diseases are also classified according to the disorders of the channels.

The ducts can be blocked, excessively filled, deficient or empty. By examining the shrotas, the Ayurveda therapist recognizes which type of disease is present and to what extent. Another important cause of disease is the development of toxins, Ama. Ama is absorbed by the environment or is produced when food is not sufficiently digested, processed, absorbed by the body or excreted.

As you can see, examination and diagnosis is a complex process that can only be sketched out here.

Vata diseases

These are the typical symptoms:

      • Constipation
      • Pain
      • Too little energy supply in hands and feet
      • Dislocated joint
      • Constant thirst
      • Shivering and twitching
      • Rough skin, hair, nails, tongue
      • tissue loss, e.g. osteoporosis
      • Stiffness and paralysis
      • Inflammations
      • Irregularity or absence of the period, premature menopause
      • Physical overexertion leads to weakening of the heart and other organs
      • Headaches
      • Loss of the sense of smell
      • Restlessness
      • Depression

Pitta disease

These are the signs of too much fire:

      • Redness, red spots
      • Heat sensation
      • Burning sensations
      • Ignition
      • Heavy sweating, hot flushes
      • Bad smell
      • Stomach Ulcers
      • Abscesses, e.g. in the mouth and on the skin, bad wound odour (Ama)
      • Increased stool, urine, saliva
      • Eczema
      • Sour or bitter taste in the mouth
      • Fish smell
      • Bleeding and ulcers in nose, mouth, gums and rectum
      • Excessive hunger and thirst

Kapha diseases

These are the classic symptoms:

      • Weakened metabolic functions
      • Inertia, lethargy and drowsiness
      • Everything is difficult – physically, mentally, emotionally
      • Edema
      • “Thick blood”, risk of blood clots and thrombosis
      • Slow development of the diseases, chronic diseases
      • Stiffness of body and organs
      • Obesity
      • Mild chronic fever
      • Reduced digestive fire, sluggish organ functions

Creation of a therapy plan in Ayurveda

The Ayurveda therapist make the diagnosis based on the medical history and the examinations. You and your individual constitution are the first priority for the therapy. The illness is only a reflection and consequence of it. If you bring balance and harmony into your system, this automatically affects the diseases that have developed as a result of the Dosha disorder.

For the therapy you will receive an individual compilation of nutritional recommendations, Ayurvedic herbs, oil treatments and instructions for your daily routine and overall lifestyle.

Depending on your symptoms and illness, an Ayurvedic cure can also be recommended. The therapy can also include spiritual exercises such as meditation and yoga exercises for the body or breathing. Also the living and architecture theory Vastu can be applied. A Vastu consultant can give you tips for optimizing the energetic conditions, similar to Feng Shui. Unfortunately, there are not many Vastu consultants in our country and there is no list of consultants.

You can look on the internet to find a Vastu consultant near you. If you can’t find one, but you definitely want professional advice on harmonizing your home and connecting it with the environment, you can also choose the Chinese version of Feng Shui.