Ayurveda is NOT Traditional Medicine

Dr.Remya Krishnan MD PhD ( Ayurveda)

• WHO defines traditional medicine as including diverse health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal, and/or mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises which can be used to maintain well-being, as well as to treat, diagnose or prevent illness.

Ayurveda is shastra

• Ayurveda is not mere practices, approaches, knowledge or belief .Ayurveda is shastra ( science in original sense) which guides pertinently all practices , approaches , diagnostic, therapeutic and non therapeutic interventions intended for cure by health as well as prevention by health in man.

• Shastra is the specific knowledge which is acquired by repeated experimentation of different rationale in human beings of various centuries and their cause- mechanism-effect undoubtedly verified and established in every time .

• The evidence that Ayurveda is shastra is that it is based on siddhanthas ( permanantly proven and established solidbasement theorems) and not uncertainity based theories

Traditional Medicine -WHO

1. Plant prescriptions for symptom tx;

2. Trance-induced advice from spirits;

3. Shaman – soul return;

4. Magical protection/ counteracting black magic (evil eye, voodoo, hexes);

5. Fortune tellers;

6. Massage practitioners (acupuncture, reflexology, reiki, etc).

Ayurveda

• Not a therapeutic formulary which incorporate different medicinal plants and formulations.

• The scientific techniques and tools for estimation of health, disease (named& unnamed) along with its variable state and stages , diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognosis , treatment in accordance to variable state and stages and cure are explained within the science of Ayurveda .

Traditional Medicine – WHO

1. Exorcisms with trance components;2. Cleansing/rebirth ceremonies;3. Offering to the gods on behalf of the person

suffering;4. Prayer circles and spontaneous healing;5. Elder council;6. “Magic” ceremonies;7. Council with deceased ancestors or spirits8. Herbal remedies, monetary or other exchange,

animal sacrifice, etc.

Ayurveda

• Ayurveda has no connection with any of these !!

• Ayurveda strongly opposes spontaneous healing “ vinaa tarkena yaa siddhir yadrichhaa siddhirevacha “ ( Charaka)- any cure without knowing and applying science is unscientific .“Shastra sahitha tarka saadhanaanam”- The best tool for medical decision making is science based reasoning ( Charaka)

Routes of Traditional Medicine- WHO

• 1Inheritance within a family kinship;

• 2. Ancestor-spirits (midzimu) contacted through dreams;

• 3. The experience of having an illness cured .

• 4. A personal decision, followed by a period of apprenticeship.

THE TRUTH ON AYURVEDA

• Ayurveda has been recognised and practised as Traditional Medicine exactly in the same form as mentioned by WHO , though originally , it is Scientific Medicine .

• The true culprit here is the incorrect way of recognition and practice adopted by the practitioners and not the science .

• The standardised Science Based Medicine of Ayurveda is being practised as non standardised Medicine Based Science .

• The limitations of practitioners are counted as limitation of science.

• The original scope and limitations of science are never attempted to be known and practised !!

Examine your own biases .Will it be difficult for you to collaborate with tradition healing ?Eg. Karkkitaka therapies in Kerala

Keraleeya panchakarma

Categories of TM by WHO

Categorised based on nature of Medication

Medicinal plants

Mineral materials

Animal materials

Categories of Ayurveda

Categorised based on scientific rationale for medication !!

• Shamana• Sodhana• Anthah parimarjana• Bahiparimarjana• Shatra pranidhana• Langhana• Brumhana• Dravya• Adravya

General considerations of TM(WHO)

• The safety and efficacy data on traditional medicine are far from sufficient.

• Lack of research data are mostly due to a lack of adequate or accepted research methodology for evaluating traditional medicine.

Specific considerations in Ayuveda

• The safety and efficacy of scientific medicine is to be primarily examined based on Science and not mere statistical data .

• Research Data does not always ensure the scientificityand safety of any medicine unless the Research methodologies and data is astutely led by science in accordance to the nature and circumstances of every research participant .

• Research methodology for Traditional Medicine is no way comparable to Ayurveda as the latter is an independent science with its own inbuilt research methodology and tools

WHO on Traditional medicine

• Strong reservations and often frank disbelief about the benefits of TM.

• demand has grown for evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of TM products and practices.

• Increased use of TM/CAM has not been accompanied by an increase in the quantity, quality and accessibility of clinical evidence to support claims of TM/CAM.

WHO – approach to Ayurveda

• Strong reservations and total ignorance about the science of Ayurveda , its independent scientific substratum, inbuilt tools, methodologies and techniques.

• WHO is unaware of the very crucial fact that the real valid clinical evidence is Science led inbuilt evidence rationale) which explains why this treatment is solely intended in any particular clinical situation in any specific patient and how .

• What is counted as clinical evidence today is neither scientific nor clinical !!!!

Traditional Medicine

• Philosophy based

• Holistic

• Spirituality based

• A common plant/ herb/ formulation for a self limiting disorder .

• Remedy for life threatening/ chronic diseases based on plants which are said to psosesssuper natural powers .

Ayurveda

• Science Based .

• Holism (not with respect to body , mind and Atmaalone , but with respect to intertangled nature of cells, tissues, organs and systems in the body ).

• Science based, not spirituality based .The intention of Ayurveda is long healthy life and not moksha.

• How to practice the steps of reversal of pathogenesis in accordance to its state and stage and many other intrinsic and extrinsic factors and circumstances and not what to choose for any illness

AYURVEDA IS NOT TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

HIGH TIME TO STOP CALLING AYURVEDA AS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE !!!!

AYURVEDA IS UTMOST SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE !

WE ARE READY TO PROVE THIS BY EXPOSURE OF INBUILT SCIENCE AND SCIENCE LED RESEARCH (CLINICAL) DATA !

Thankyou !!