For millennia, India have used Ayurvedic medicine as a philosophy that brings health to body, mind, and soul. "Ayurveda" translates, in Sanskrit, as "knowledge of life," and it is this view that informs a system of disease and cure as related to the overall health of a person. It relies on maintaining the balance of our three doshas, which are similar to the western medieval concepts of "humors," or energies. Doshas are elements that compose and control the self. Vata, meaning, "breeze," relates to the nervous system, such as coordination. Pitta, roughly translated as "choler," involves the digestive system, like metabolism or food allergies. Kapha, or "phlegm," controls the lymphatic system, as well as body fat and asthma.