An Integrated View of Health and Well-being

Concepts like Health and Well-being are not exclusive products of the Western culture. Research has widely demonstrated that the representation of the body and of its pathologies, as well as treatment and healing practices vary across cultures in relation to social norms and beliefs.The culture of India is a melting pot of nine main Darshanas, or philosophical systems, that share the common core of a realization of the self in society. India's traditional health system, Ayurveda, is a result of the practical application of the Darshanas to the observation of human nature and behavior. Ayurveda conceptualizes health, disease and well-being as multidimensional aspects of life, and it seeks to preserve a balance in individuals among their biological features, their psychological features and their environmental demands. The Ayurveda approach to health is remarkably similar to the eudaimonic conceptualization of well-being proposed by positive psychology, and the basic tenets of Ayurveda are deeply consistent with the latest developments of modern physics, which stresses the substantial interconnectedness among natural phenomena and their substrates. This text shows how the approach to health developed in Ayurveda can be fruitfully integrated in a general view of health and well-being that encompasses cultural and ideological boundaries. Specifically, it details the conceptualization of health as an optimal and mindful interaction between individuals and their environment.

Auteur

Dr. Antonio Morandi, MD, Specialist in Neurology and Ayurveda Vaidya (Ayurveda Academy, Pune, India and Joytinat International College of Ayurveda), from 2002 is the Director of the School of Ayurvedic Medicine Ayurvedic Point (ISO 9001 certified) in Milan, Italy and President of the Italian Scientific Society for Ayurvedic Medicine (S.S.I.M.A.). His professional experience spans from experimental and clinical research conducted in Universities and Hospitals in USA and in Italy, to Manager of Research and Development Project Management of an international Pharmaceutical Company. His main research interest has been the mechanisms underlying the aging process and the role of psyche in the genesis of diseases. In 2003 has been awarded with the honorary doctorate Ayurveda Acharya from the Institute of Ayurveda Ashtavaidyan Thaikat Mooss, Kerala, India. He is Head of Medical Education of the European Institute of Vedic Studies, Sauve, France, and Director and Professor of the Ayurvedasection at the PostDoctoral specialization course in Health Sociology and Non Conventional Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy. Dr. Morandi has been Scientific Director of the 1st International Congress on Ayurveda Ayurveda: the meaning of life - awareness, environment and health held in Milan, Italy on March 2009. He is Co-Chairman for Europe of the Research and Clinical Care Working Group created by the Dept of AYUSH, Ministry of Health, Government of India. Lecturer on Ayurveda in several Italian and foreign Universities, member of Editorial Boards and Boards of Reviewers and author of numerous publications, Dr.Morandi directs the Ayurvedic Medical Center Ayurvedic Point in Milan, Italy.

Résumé
Health, health care and the pursuit of wellbeing are pillars of any human social system. However, the social representations of the body, the mind, and their pathologies are strongly influenced by cultural norms and beliefs. The culture of India is a melting pot of diverse philosophical visions translated in practical terms. Historically, Indian tradition comprises nine main Dharshanas, or philosophical systems, which were formalized between the tenth century BC and the fourth century AD. In spite of their differences, these systems of thought pragmatically coexisted in the foundation and building of Indian culture, sharing a common core, that is the realization of the self in the society. The traditional health system of India - Ayurveda - has been elaborated and formalized throughout the centuries as an outcome emerging from the practical application of the Dharshanas to the observation of human nature and behaviour.
Ayurveda conceptualizes health, disease and wellbeing as multidimensional aspects of life, bringing philosophical principles into practice. Its approach to life and its events is basically integrated: in order to attain an optimal adaptation, individuals should preserve a balance among their biological and psychological features, and the environmental demands. This balance is dynamic, and it is based on the interplay between the specific individual bio-psychic constitution on the one hand and the ceaseless solicitations derived from the natural and social context on the other hand. The harmonization of individuals' needs and growth tendencies with the environmental requirements fosters health and wellbeing.
This approach is remarkably close to the eudaimonic conceptualization of well-being proposed by positive psychology. Moreover, the basic tenets of Ayurveda are deeply consistent with the latest developments in modern physics, which stresses the substantial interconnectedness among natural phenomena and their substrates. Finally, the growing emphasis of Western medicine on the bio-psycho-social dimensions of health, and the increasing claim for an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases, make the exploration of synergies and complementarities among different healing systems a necessary step. This book shows how the approach to health developed in Ayurveda can be useful and fruitfully integrated in a general, globalized model of health and well-being encompassing cultural and ideological boundaries. In particular, the conceptualization of health as an optimal and mindful interaction between individuals and their environment will be discussed as the core of a new paradigm of healthy life and behaviour.

Contenu

Introduction.- Part I. Health and Well-Being in the Western Tradition.- Chapter 1. Well-Being in the West: Hygeia Before and After the Demographic Transition; Corey L.M. Keyes.- Chapter 2.
The Psychosomatic View; Giovannni Fava.- Part II. Health and Well-Being in Indian Traditions.- Chapter 3. The Perspectives on Reality in Indian Traditions and their Implications for Health and Well-Being; Kiran Kumar K. Salagame.- Chapter 4. Concepts of Health and the Paradigm of Ayurveda; P. Ram Manohar.- Chapter 5. The Determinants of Health and Well-Being; A.N. Narayanan Nambi.- Chapter 6. The Role of Social Rituals in Well-Being; P.R. Krishnakumar.- Chapter 7. Health and Well-Being in Indian Local Health Traditions; Unnikrishnan Payyapallimana.- Part III. Bridging the Worlds.- Chapter 8. Quantum Logic in Ayurveda; Rama Jayasundar.- Chapter 9. The Psychological Roots of Health Promotion; Antonella Delle Fave.- Chapter 10. The Emergence of Health in Complex Adaptive Systems: A Common Groundfor Ayurveda and Western Science; Antonio Morandi and Antonella Delle Fave.- Conclusions; joining Knowledge Traditions: Towards an Integrated Approach to Health and Well-Being; Antonio Morandi, A.N. Narayanan Nambi, and Antonella Delle Fave.- Notes.- Index.