In Western medicine, we tend to treat symptoms of sickness to restore the body’s chemistry and promote healing.
However, treating a symptom doesn’t do anything to treat the underlying cause of the sickness.
When we find ourselves struggling with unpleasant symptoms physically or mentally, it can really behoove us to look into multiple avenues of healing and prevention, especially if the Western approach has already failed us.
One such method is Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is an Indian system of medicine that works to find the root cause of an illness rather than treating the various symptoms.
Think about someone who has chronic headaches.
The Western approach would be to treat the headaches by themselves, likely by administering a medication.
But what if the headaches are caused by constant stress and overthinking?
Without lifestyle changes including significantly lowering stress, the symptom would likely resurface as soon as the person stopped taking the medication
So, the options are A) deal with chronic headaches or B) stay on medication indefinitely and hope for the best.
In Ayurveda, the idea is that this person is treated as a totally unique entity and thus, treatment is totally unique as well.
STICK WITH ME! We’re finally getting to the good part.
The part of this approach I found to be the most relevant to physical health as well as the health of our relationships is that it states there are six stages of disease:
- Accumulation
- Aggravation
- Dissemination
- Localization
- Manifestation
- Disruption
This means that to maintain health in every aspect of our lives, what we really need to focus on is what we’re accumulating.
According to medical research (both Western and Ayurvedic), [up to 90% of what takes people to the doctor is stress related]
So, the idea that accumulation is the number one factor to watch out for makes a whole lotta sense!
What does this look like in relationships?
Take a gander at any relationship you’ve been in (romantic or otherwise) that didn’t stand the test of time.
Although it may have been an amicable parting due to a move or incompatibility overall, the odds suggest it was likely to do with stacked up frustration and/or resentment.
When we accumulate resentment and frustration, it becomes impossible to maintain a deep connection with someone, even if we love them more than life itself.
In Closing
The key takeaway here is to notice what is accumulating in your life.
Watch for it in your body, your mind, and your relationships.
Are you accumulating positive things like trust, joy, empathy, connection, and acceptance?
Or are you accumulating stress and resistance?
If we prevent accumulation of negative factors in our lives (which we are almost always in control of), we prevent sickness across the board.
So, go forth into your week and just keep awareness around this – it’s bound to lead to some very illuminating insights and empowering ideas!
