How is Ayurveda different?

Ayur = life, veda = knowledge/science

The framework of Ayurveda is more whol-istic than any other system of medicine on Earth. This means that no other system (including Yoga) has greater knowledge or understanding of the "Big Picture" - the whole of how the body and mind work and interact with our environment - than Ayurveda.

Balance

The body and mind - right down to every cell, molecule and enzyme - function most effectively and efficiently when we are in a state of Balance.  The best understanding of Balance in Western (or 'modern') science is the concept of homeostasis, where the body's physiological parameters like pH, temperature and chemical concentrations fall within 'ideal' limits for the functioning and health of tissues and organ systems.

Ayurveda understands Balance at the ELEMENTAL level, which means it understands what disrupts or nurtures Balance at a more subtle level than any other system of medicine or knowledge on Earth.

Stress - anything that creates stress does not heal.

Balance is disrupted by stress and the disruption of Balance creates stress...

Pharmaceutical drugs and surgery both create stress in the body; the first by being toxic to all tissues and burdening the body's detoxification organs (liver and kidneys), the second by traumatizing the treated areas, shocking the body by disrupting Balance and removing or altering a needed component of the body system. These are just some of the reasons why they DO NOT HEAL, and actually IMPAIR the body's ability to heal.

Because Ayurveda understands life at its most elemental level, it also detects and understands the most elemental forms of stress that accumulate and eventually create dis-ease.