An Integrated View of Health and Well-being: Bridging Indian and Western Knowledge (Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology Book 5)

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. . Introduction 6 Part I: Health and Well-Being in the Western Tradition 7 Part II: Health and Well-Being in Indian Traditions 8 Part III: Bridging the Worlds 9 Contents 12 Part I: Health and Well-Being in the Western Tradition 14 Chapter 1: Well-Being in the West: Hygieia Before and After the Demographic Transition 15 1.1 Introduction 15 1.2 The Rise of Panacea and Demise of Hygieia 16 1.2.1 Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization of Europe and the USA 16 1.2.2 Rationalization and Bureaucratization of Medicine 17 1.2.3 The Professionalization of Medicine 18 1.2.4 The Rise and Role of Pharmaceuticals 20 1.2.5 The Social Meaning of Illness 20 1.3 Return of Hygieia and Well-Being in the West 21 1.3.1 Hygieia Enters the Debate About Mental Health and Illness 25 1.3.2 The Two Continua Model: Hygieia and Panacea Are Both Important 27 1.3.3 Hygieia: Toward Promotion and Protection of Flourishing 29 1.3.4 Hygieia Validated: Confirmation of the Promotion and Protection Hypotheses 30 1.4 Conclusion 31 References 32 Chapter 2: The Psychosomatic View 36 2.1 Introduction 36 2.2 History and Current Developments 36 Box 2.1 Psychosomatic Medicine 37 Definition 37 Boundaries 38 Subdisciplines 38 2.3 Psychosocial Factors and Individual Vulnerability 38 2.3.1 Stressful Life Events 38 2.3.2 Chronic Stress and Allostatic Load 39 2.3.3 Health Attitudes 39 2.3.4 Personality and Psychological Well-Being 39 2.3.5 Social Support 40 2.3.6 Spirituality 40 2.4 Need for Holistic Consideration in Patient Care 40 2.4.1 Psychiatric Disturbances 41 2.4.2 Psychological Disturbances 41 Box 2.2 The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) 41 Box 2.3 Examples of Questions Derived from the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) 42 2.4.3 Quality of Life 42 2.5 Integration of Psychological Interventions in Medicine 42 2.5.1 Treatment of Psychiatric Comorbidity 43 2.5.2 Psychosocial Interventions 43 Box 2.4 Nonspecific Therapeutic Ingredients 43 Lifestyle Modification 43 2.6 Current Issues 44 Box 2.5 This Case Illustrates How the Psychosomatic Consideration of a Patient’s Complaints May Lead to Better Assessment and Management 45 References 46 Part II: Health and Well-Being in Indian Traditions 48 Chapter 3: The Perspectives on Reality in Indian Traditions and Their Implications for Health and Well-Being 49 3.1 Introduction 49 3.1.1 Contemporary Concerns About Well-Being and the Reductionist Paradigm 51 3.1.2 Paradigm Shift: Has That Really Occurred? 51 3.2 Perspectives on Reality in Indian Traditions 53 3.2.1 Non-dualism in Veda and Upanishad 54 3.2.2 Dualism of Sāmkhya 55 3.2.3 Other Indian Perspectives 56 3.3 Some Basic Assumptions and Principles Derived from Indian Perspectives 56 3.3.1 Triguna 57 3.3.2 Tāpa Traya 58 3.3.3 Perspectives on the Constitution of Human Beings 61 3.4 Implications for Health and Well-Being Research and Practice 63 3.5 Modes of Intervention from the Indian Perspective 65 References 66 Chapter 4: Concept of Health in Āyurveda 68 4.1 Introduction 68 4.2 Longevity and Healthy Ageing 71 4.3 Physical and Mental Constitution 72 4.4 The Person-Centred Approach to Health Care 76 4.5 Conclusion 77 References 77 Chapter 5: Determinants of Health and Well-Being in Āyurveda 78 5.1 Introduction 78 5.2 The Pursuit for Health 79 5.3 The Conceptual Core of Āyurveda 80 5.4 Theories of Existence of Life 81 5.5 Understanding the Body 81 5.5.1 The Three Bodies and Their Relationship 81 5.6 Experience and Life 82 5.6.1 Realms of Experience 83 5.6.2 Dispositions, Attributes, and Outcomes 84 5.7 The Health Status 84 5.8 A Framework to Understand Health and Its Alterations 85 5.8.1 Theory of Inherent Tendencies (Asātmedriyārtha Samyoga) 86 5.8.2 Theory of Sin Against Wisdom (Prjñāparādha) 88 5.8.3 Theory of Environmental Transference (Pariṇāma) 89 5.9 Conclusion 90 References 90 Chapter 6: The Role of Social Rituals in Well-Being 92 6.1 Introduction 92 6.2 Defining Rituals 92 6.3 Well-Being 94 6.4 Dharma 94 6.5 The Ritual of Salutation 95 6.6 Marriage, Animal Sacrifice, and Wine Ceremony 97 6.7 Impact of Rituals on Different Aspects of Well-Being 99 6.8 The Sixteen Civilizing Rituals 101 6.9 Transcending the Bondage of Rituals 104 6.10 Conclusions 106 References 106 Chapter 7: Health and Well-being in Indian Local Health Traditions 108 7.1 Introduction 108 7.2 Characteristics of Local Health Traditions 110 7.3 Co-evolution and Sharing Among Knowledge Traditions 111 7.4 Local Health Traditions, Ecosystems and Health and Well-being 113 7.4.1 Microcosm and Macrocosm 114 7.4.2 Spiritual Dimension and ‘Beyond Self’ Pursuits 115 Box 7.1 Healing Hands of Shimoga 116 7.4.3 Natural Resources and Health 117 7.4.4 ‘Health Is from Within’ 118 7.4.5 Carriers of Health and Well-being 118 7.5 Changes and Challenges 119 7.6 Conclusion 119 References 120 Part III: Bridging the Worlds 122 Chapter 8: Quantum Logic in Āyurveda 123 8.1 Healthcare: Emerging Trend 123 8.2 Classical Worldview and Western Medical Science 124 8.2.1 Classical Worldview 124 8.2.2 Western Medical Science 125 Impact of Classical Worldview on Western Medicine: Reductionism 125 Caveats in Reductionism and Changing Perceptions 126 8.3 Quantum Worldview and Medical Science 127 8.4 The Quantum and Vedic Worldviews 127 8.5 Āyurveda 128 8.5.1 Impact of Vedic/Quantum Worldview on Āyurveda: Holism and Interconnectedness 129 Interconnectedness Within the System 130 Within the System: The Non-linear Functional Network 134 Within the System: The Structural Network 136 Within the System: Network of the Gross and Subtle 137 Interconnectedness Outside the System 139 Individual and the Universe 139 Individual and the Environment 140 8.6 Quantum Framework of Āyurveda 141 8.7 Concluding Thoughts 143 References 144 Chapter 9: The Psychological Roots of Health Promotion 148 9.1 Introduction 148 9.2 The Western Biopsychosocial Model and the Development of Health Psychology 148 9.2.1 Western Conceptualizations of Well-Being 150 9.2.2 The Active Role of the Person in Health Management 152 9.3 Life, Health, and Well-Being in Āyurveda 154 9.3.1 Health and Well-Being as Balance 156 9.3.2 Prakrti and Health 158 9.3.3 Vikrti and Disease: The Role of Mind 160 9.4 The Psychological Roots of Health in Āyurveda and in the Biopsychosocial Model: Convergences and Divergences 161 9.4.1 Health as a Multifaceted Construct 161 9.4.2 Disease Onset 162 9.4.3 Health Management 163 9.4.4 The Self 163 9.5 Concluding Remarks 164 References 164 Chapter 10: The Emergence of Health in Complex Adaptive Systems: A Common Ground for Āyurveda and Western Science 169 10.1 Introduction 169 10.2 Health and the Western Worldview 170 10.3 Philosophy, Science, and Health: The Indian Perspective 172 10.4 Life in the Western Perspective: Complexity, Chaos, and Coherence 174 10.5 Āyurveda and Complexity 177 10.5.1 Guruvadi Guna 180 10.5.2 Dosa 180 10.5.3 Dhātu, Agni, and Energy Sources 182 10.5.4 Ojas or Emerging Health 185 10.6 The Health Continuum 186 10.7 The Implications of Āyurveda for Health Promotion 187 References 189 Conclusions 192 Chapter 11: Joining Knowledge Traditions: Towards an Integrated Approach to Health and Well-Being 193 11.1 Implications for Practice and Applied Research 196 11.1.1 Personalization 196 11.1.2 Interconnection 197 References 199 Index 200 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 Ground for 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.