Ayurveda was discovered and developed by ancient Indian holy men known as "Rishis". Due to their relationship to both spiritual and physical worlds, they were able to discern the basic nature of the universe and man's place in it. As new therapies and herbs were discovered and trade brought knowledge and information from other cultures, Ayurveda was built. The Rishis were scientists, who made huge advances in the fields of surgery, herbal medicine, the medicinal effects of minerals and metals, exercise physiology, human anatomy, and psychology.

Ayurvedic medicines were suppressed in India during British colonial rule. In 1833, the East India Company closed and banned all Ayurvedic colleges. For almost 100 years, Ayurveda was known as "the poor man's medicine," practiced only in rural areas where western medicine was too expensive or unavailable.

With India's independence, Ayurveda has re- emerged to gain equal footing with "Western Medicine." Currently large population of India is treated Ayurvedically. In 1978, at a conference on Third World Medicine sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations, it was concluded that Ayurveda would be the best system of medicine for undeveloped countries.

Philosophy
Ayurvedic theory believes that health results from harmony within one's self. To be healthy, harmony must exist between your purpose for being, your thoughts, your feelings, and your physical actions. Your purpose is peaceful, yet if your thoughts are fearful and your emotions negatives, your physical body will manifest some disease as a "wake-up call to change."

Health is harmony within all aspects of self. The inner harmony also becomes manifest as harmony with family, friends, co-workers, society and nature.

The goals of Ayurveda is a true freedom from death and disease; enjoyment of uninterrupted physical, mental and spiritual happiness and fulfillment. It may sound surprising, but according to Ayurvedic philosophy, enjoyment is one of life's purposes. But you can lose your ability to enjoy if you've overindulged. Either you limit yourself or Mother Nature will limit you. There are more degenerative diseases in the West because of their abundance and tendency to overindulge.

Ayurveda's four goals in life
1. The fulfillment of your duties to society
2. The accumulation of possessions while fulfilling duties.
3. Satisfying legitimate desires with the assistance of one's possessions.
4. The realization that there is more to life than duties, possessions and desires.
The ancient Vedic word for immunity means "forgiveness of disease" - from the concept that negative thoughts and life-style cause disease. Disease, therefore, is a message about a need for change…if only we can understand this.