Is it possible that the absolute oldest system of medicine has come full circle and is now considered to be in some form or fashion “new” again? Sure! Isn’t that the usual cycle of the universe? Old belief systems gain and lose popularity throughout the years. Philosophies and fashions are recycled generationally as young becomes old and square becomes boss again. But we normally don’t think of science cycling. We perceive science as forever advancing in complexity and usefulness as new discoveries launch us even further in our understanding—and ultimately to our perceived control—of our existence within the universe around us.

The term “new age” in reference to medicine, however, has come to refer almost synonymously these days with “holistic” or “homeopathic”. This to me is very interesting because it is anything but “new” in the sense that it is a fresh way of looking at health and healing. In fact, it used to be all there was. When someone in a family or clan injured themselves or became ill 3000 years ago, there weren’t any pharmaceuticals, licensed physicians or FDA that would test powerful chemical concoctions to tell us whether they cured illness or destroyed life. What people did was attempt to right the injury or treat the illness with natural remedies that were perceived in their environment to have certain effects on the body. These were the pharmaceuticals and those who had this knowledge and applied these remedies were the doctors of that time.

How is this form of treatment “new” all over again? The answer is simple. We’ve forgotten the basis for all known medical systems that has ever come into existence in this world and as we begin to mistrust doctors, pharmaceutical companies and surgeons, we again open our eyes to the fact that everything we have access to in nature is all we need to live a full and healthy life. All the nutrition we need, all the companionship we desire, and all the remedies we might require are all accessible through natural methods. If this were not true and, at the same time, it were true that we need complex surgeries, chemotherapy, powerful man-made chemical compounds for psychotropic drugs, etc., then do you think there would still be a human race today? Of course not, because all these things are very recent creations that we as a race have only brought into existence in the last 100.

My personal feelings about these things are not so much that “artificial equals negative,” but more so that the very existence of these unnatural medical practices creates a human reliance and dependence on them. To go even further, these things actually “make” us live an unhealthier existence because we consciously realize that we have options when things get bad for us. Because we know that if/when we overeat, there is liposuction or diet pills or 8 min ab programs or gastric bypass surgery, or whatever, we will tend to allow ourselves to overeat more often. We do this because we rationalize our way out of making the right decision because we know that there is a remedy.

This thought process is the exact reason why Americans are more unhealthy today than ever, while at the same time has the most advanced medical system that has ever been in practice on the planet. We can afford to take chances with our health and smoke tobacco because there are surgeries and medicines and gums that can fix us later. What a roller coaster ride this makes our existence as we rebound between sickness and health. Ayurveda is the balancing of all aspects of existence for the greater good of the whole. This applies to internal balance of our organs and systems, balance between individuals and civilization, balance between humans and nature, and even balance between spiritual existence and the universe or God. This is the way to happiness and fulfillment. Seek constant balance and focus on the greater good.