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Alternative Medicine And It's Integration Into Western Healthcare
By: William E. Celentano, D.O.

About three years ago I was introduced to and have since been very interested in Ayurvedic Medicine. This is an original system of healthcare in use over five thousand years ago. The basic concepts of Ayurveda (meaning ‘the Science of Life’) were discovered and nurtured in India, and from there spread throughout Asia and the Middle East. We have, only relatively recently, been introduced to these ideas in the West.Ayurveda represents the groundwork for what we know in America as Holistic Healthcare.

Questions about life that we ask today have been asked since thought began. How does the body work? What is health, what is disease? How can we become strong and healthy, physically, as well as mentally? How do we deal with disease when it visits us? How to regain or rejuvenate our health afterwards? What is the relationship between the body, mind, senses, and spirit? And on and on. Modern medical investigations incorporate a ‘scientific method’ to analyze and try to develop some understanding of these questions. Although far from complete, we are learning rapidly and, perhaps, beginning to rediscover what has been hidden in the history of healthcare. Ancient investigators used their powers of observation, and intuition as well, to address these questions of life and longevity.

What is a most optimal state of health and well-being? Given our individual genetic make-up, family history, present and past lifestyle choices, what would it take for us to reach and maintain that sense of well-being? What can we do to regain it if lost? These are further questions that were contemplated by generations of ancient investigators of ‘the Science of Life’. Through personal practice and observation, they developed a very deep, intuitive understanding of the functions and processes that sway our experiences of health and illness. These practices and observations are handed down in the classical texts of Ayurvedic healthcare.

We find that lifestyle management is becoming an increasingly important issue in today’s medical system. Many factors affect the daily processes of our digestion, metabolism, and elimination functions. What we eat or drink, how we work, relax and play, even what we think is incorporated into our overall bodily management. If these, and multiple other variables, are incompletely or improperly cared for, we experience an increase in the physical or mental stress levels which can, eventually, lead to the development of a disease process. We are becoming more aware of the need for proper exercise, diet, and mental hygiene in disease prevention. Interestingly, these are concepts that were strongly addressed thousands of years ago. Of even greater interest and value are the methods developed to focus on the care of these needs. Close attention was given to dietary patterns and physical activities involving deep breathing (such as yoga and meditative exercises); also an expansive regimen of herbal remedies was designed to cleanse and rejuvenate the bodily functions, aiding an‘anti-aging’ effect. However, of great importance was an insight into the relationship we each have to our families, our community, our world and our universe.

Ayurvedic philosophy considers each individual a unique entity with a particular blend of characteristics and qualities. These are evidenced in our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual make-up, often guiding the choices we are prone to make in life. By analyzing and understanding the correlation of these traits in our personal heritage we are better able to consider lifestyle habits and patterns more consistent with our health’s best interests. These lifestyle choices can be a great preventative guarding force against disease development, and allies in minimizing the ravages of disease processes.
The roots of medicine and healing are often viewed as belonging strictly to the past. We may do well, however, to examine and reevaluate their potential benefits to us in the present. Our ancestors conceived and developed methods to not only meet life’s daily trials, but also to see them through the more difficult journeys with illness. These are all too similar journeys to those we make in modern times. Perhaps we might review the footpaths that have been prepared for us and follow their guidance.

In the practice of medicine we often focus only on physical ailments and their resolution. The principles of Ayurveda invite us to view ourselves as more than a physical being. This incorporates a more complete equation of health; an equation including the state of our mental, emotional, and spiritual life, as well as treatments to help keep balance between them.

By endeavoring to respect and listen to these aspects of a person’s life, we may find opportunities developing for a fuller, more satisfying rapport and subsequent therapeutic intervention.

By integrating these concepts into our medical approach, we raise the possibility of continuing to expand the vision of healthcare.

William E. Celentano, D.O.
UMC McCarran Clinic
1769 E. Russell Road Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone number: (702) 383-3660