What is the secret to health? As a doctor, I get this question and other variations of it every day. As convenient as it would be to have the answer, there isn’t just one. This is because every person is unique and therefore the image of “perfect” health for one person is unlikely to be the same for the other. This is why striving for balance is so much more valuable than striving for perfection.

For me, Ayurveda is a daily practice of “course correction” in order to move towards balance. According to Ayurvedic principle, any symptom that appears, no matter how subtle or obvious, is a sign that you are straying from your balance. In other words, every time you feel something emotionally, mentally, or physically, your system is asking you to stop and pay attention.

Although I cannot give anyone a quick fix for perfect health, I can offer these three questions to assess your health from an Ayurvedic point of view, as well as some tips on how to “correct” the course and get towards balance.