From:
Hinduism Today:
UNITED STATES, November 22, 2004:
Ayurveda's vast library of medicinal plants, its technology, as well as its
holistic approach are attracting an increasing number of Americans in search
of a more "natural" health system and dissatisfied with current health care
and its costs.
Part of the commercial scene is driven by the likes of popular
American icon Deepak Chopra, while the fusion of Ayurveda with other holistic
health practices is encouraged by those following the classical Yoga
tradition, says this article.
In recent years, the depth of interest in
Ayurveda can be gauged from the fact that the National Institutes of Health,
one of the major funding sources for medical research in America, has begun
funding studies relating to Ayurveda. The National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine established in 1998 is the primary conduit in this
process.
In March 2002 the White House endorsed a program to support research
in Ayurveda through its Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
A recent survey by the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine showed that
more than 1,000 health care providers in America have received some training
in this medical system.
An estimated 250 American MD's have received
additional training in Ayurveda therapies. And in the opinion of many holistic
health authorities, Ayurveda is poised to become the most prominent new
alternative treatment in the 21st century.
Some of the new American
practitioners of the ancient science are interested in combining Ayurvedic
methods of observation, diagnosis, and treatment with their own disciplines.
The American physicians are fascinated by an important aspect of Ayurvedic
diagnosis, the examination of the pulse, technically known as Nadi Vigyana.
Specialized Ayurvedic practitioners are able to diagnose clinical and even
sub-clinical conditions through palpation of the radial pulse alone. Some
practitioners have reached such a high level of expertise that they are able
to diagnose pre-clinical imbalances anywhere in the body at very early stages
of development when mild forms of intervention alone are able to correct the
problem.
The expertise of such practitioners in accurately diagnosing a host
of modern medical disease categories (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, neoplastic
disease, musculoskeletal syndromes and asthma) as well as more subtle
syndromes has been observed and verified by modern medical practitioners.
Please continue reading the news from its original source below.......
AYURVEDA IN AMERICA :
Medical Fusion or Fad ?
by: Francis C. Assisi (francis@indolink.com)
From:
INDOLINK -Best of Both the Worlds
Ayurveda has its roots embedded in the Indian subcontinent. But, by a strange
twist of fate, it is in America that Ayurveda is likely to find its 21st century
avatar.
Ayurveda’s vast library of medicinal plants, its technology, as well as its
holistic approach are attracting an increasing number of Americans in search of
a more "natural" health system and dissatisfied with current health care and its
costs. Part of the commercial scene is driven by the likes of popular American
icon Deepak Chopra, while the fusion of Ayurveda with other holistic health
practices is encouraged by those following the classical Yoga tradition.
In recent years, the depth of interest in Ayurveda can be gauged from the fact
that the National Institutes of Health, one of the major funding sources for
medical research in America, has begun funding studies relating to Ayurveda. The
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine established in 1998
is the primary conduit in this process. In March 2002 the White House endorsed a
program to support research in Ayurveda through its Commission on Complementary
and Alternative Medicine.
A widely held belief among Americans is that conventional medicine is probably
better than most complementary and alternative treatments at achieving quick
fixes. However, complementary and alternative medicine is worth exploring as a
source of both new treatments and new perspectives on health and disease, and
for approaches to reinforcing the individual´s "life force", balance, and
harmony with the environment.
A recent survey by the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine revealed that
more than 1000 health care providers in America have received some training in
this medical system. An estimated 250 American MD’s have received additional
training in Ayurveda therapies. And in the opinion of many holistic health
authorities, Ayurveda is poised to become the most prominent new alternative
treatment in the 21st century.
All this has happened within less than 25 years of its introduction into America
by Dr Vasant Lad - the pioneering spirit behind Ayurveda in America - along with
his colleagues in the field, David Frawley and Robert Svoboda.
An internationally known and respected Ayurvedic physician, Lad studied at the
Tilak Ayurvedic Medical College in Pune. After receiving a master of Ayurvedic
Science degree, Lad practiced medicine in Pune, taught at his alma mater, and
was medical director of the Pune Ayurveda Hospital.
Lad first came to the US in 1979 when Lenny Blank, a young American whom he had
met in Pune, offered to set up a series of seminars for Lad around the country.
They offered Lad a position on the faculty of the Santa Fe College of Natural
medicine, but Lad decided to return to India after the seminars. Two years later
he returned to America and settled in Albuquerque where he is currently director
of the Ayurvedic Institute and Wellness Center. Since Lad’s arrival in America,
the response to his teachings has been enthusiastic.
Dr. Robert Svoboda is the author of some remarkable books including: Prakruti:
Your Ayurvedic Constitution, and The Hidden Secret of Ayurveda. He has prepared
The Ayurveda Home Study Course for the Ayurvedic Institute. Svoboda studied at
the Tilak Ayurveda College in Pune under Dr Vasant Lad and became the first
Westerner to have completed the program in an Ayurvedic Medical School in 1980.
To those who complain that Ayurveda works slowly, Svoboda is quick to point out
that “slowness is often part of the remedy, especially today when many of us
suffer from the disease of haste”.
One of the American physicians who got smitten by Ayurveda is Dr Scott Gerson of
New York City. He spent three years at the College of Ayurveda in Trivandrum,
then took up residence at the famed Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala to experience and
to study Panchakarma first hand. He went on to catalogue in great detail the
many pieces of practical knowledge of these procedures and returned to complete
his medical school training in New York. He founded The National Institute Of
Ayurvedic Medicine (NIAM) which supports the spread of Ayurveda through research
and educational activities.
Last year Dr Gerson completed his Ph.D. thesis on Panchakarma Chikitsa, which
was submitted to Pune University and Banaras Hindu University. He has published
Ayurveda: the Ancient Indian Healing Art in 1993 and has brought out The
Comprehensive Textbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants. Many medicinal plants used
in Ayurveda are now grown at NIAM and the institute´s research library has one
of the largest collections of Ayurvedic literature in the United States and
includes writings and research reports in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Malayalam,
Tamil and several other languages.
In collaboration with The University of Pune, NIAM has announced the
inauguration of a complete and formal certificate course of study in Ayurvedic
Medicine, to start this academic year.
Medical Fusion, Not Fad
In a kind of medical fusion, some of the new American practitioners of the
ancient science are interested in combining Ayurvedic methods of observation,
diagnosis, and treatment with their own disciplines.
The American physicians are utterly fascinated by an important aspect of
Ayurvedic diagnosis, the examination of the pulse, technically known as Nadi
Vigyana. Specialized Ayurvedic practitioners are able to diagnose clinical and
even sub-clinical conditions through palpation of the radial pulse alone. Some
practitioners have reached such a high level of expertise that they are able to
diagnose pre-clinical imbalances anywhere in the body at very early stages of
development when mild forms of intervention alone are able to correct the
problem. The expertise of such practitioners in accurately diagnosing a host of
modern medical disease categories (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, neoplastic disease,
musculoskeletal syndromes and asthma) as well as more subtle syndromes (e.g.
nonspecific fatigue, functional digestive disturbances, and anxiety states) has
been observed and verified by modern medical practitioners. The leading expert
in this remarkable diagnostic technique is Dr Brihaspati Dev Triguna, President
of the All India Ayurveda Congress, who has demonstrated the technique in the
U.S. during his tours.
This spurt of interest, among Americans, in Ayurveda’s potential, was expressed
by Dr Maria Fiatarone who works with Dr Vasant Lad at the Ayurvedic Wellness
Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She considers Ayurveda useful in treating
chronic physical and psychosomatic ailments for which western medicine does not
provide satisfactory cures. “Ayurveda is much more subtle than Western
medicine…and it requires more commitment on the part of the patient,” she
observes. Fiatarone also believes the preventive aspects of Ayurvedic therapy
are especially beneficial for patients willing to make changes in lifestyle in
order to avert serious health problems. However, she points out that the
precision provided by medical technology in Western diagnosis is too invaluable
to be replaced by Ayurvedic methods. “A complete system could encompass both
approaches,” she says.
It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that there came about a resurgence of interest and
a healthy respect for Ayurveda. The momentum is still on the upswing. One
measure of this is that several educational programs focusing on Ayurveda have
taken shape in America.
The most well-known is Maharshi Vedic University in Washington which now offers
a program of Ayurvedic studies. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of TM brought a
number of Ayurvedic physicians to America to prepare the course. Under the
auspices of the Vedic University, an ambitious program to establish fifty
Ayurvedic prevention centers around the country began in 1985. Using his large
and strong organization, and a media blitz, significant inroads have been made
into the conservative American medical establishment.
Another institution is the one founded by David Frawley, an Ayurvedic healer,
Vedic astrologer, Sanskrit scholar and teacher of yoga. His books include
Ayurvedic Healing(1989) and The Yoga of Herbs(1986) with Vasant Lad. Frawley has
a degree (O.M.D) in Chinese medicine and is the director of the American
Institute of Vedic Studies whose aim is to provide educational material for a
modern restoration of Vedic knowledge, including Ayurveda, Astrology, and Yoga.
The institute offers a comprehensive correspondence course in Ayurveda. It
covers all the main aspects of Ayurvedic Medicine and explains Ayurveda as part
of the science of Yoga. "Ayurveda may not make things easier for us in the short
term but in the long run it allows us to open up to the real energy of the
cosmic life within us and to assume responsibility for our own existence,” says
Frawley.
In California a 15-year old institution, Dhanvanthari: A Center for the Study of
Traditional Indian Medicine continues to offer courses by Ayurvedic physicians
from India. Distance education is offered in Ayurveda by the Ayurveda Holistic
Center in Bayville, New York. The California College of Ayurveda in Grass
Valley, California offers 2-year state approved program leading to the
certificate in Clinical Ayurveda Specialist. The Florida Vedic College founded
in 1990 offers a Dhanvantari Ayurveda certificate program for paramedicals and
advanced degrees at the masters and doctorate levels in Ayurveda.
As attractive and meaningful Ayurveda is, the American Medical Association (AMA)
or any state or federal regulatory bodies do not yet recognize it as a valid
medical therapy. The hope is that Ayurveda will become a respected and legally
recognized system of alternative health care, much like traditional Chinese
acupuncture is today. Meanwhile it is clear that in America more and more people
are discovering Ayurveda, using it, and benefiting from it. Dr Lad is hopeful
that in time Ayurveda will become recognized, and Ayurvedic physicians will be
able to practice it fully.
Research Under Wraps
Indian American scientists like Narayan G. Patel at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and
Co in Wilmington, Delaware, are responsible for collecting more than 2000
Ayurvedic medicinal plants from the hills of Mount Abu and the Gir forest of
Western India for research in America. Patel is convinced that Ayurveda “could
provide exciting and potentially rewarding opportunities to scientists trained
in physical, chemical, and biological sciences”.
There are unconfirmed reports that scientists attached to a large U.S.
Government research facility are testing more than 5000 Indian medicinal plants
for specific diseases. It is reported that many NRI scientists have been
co-opted into this program so that they can use their India connection to
procure rare medicinal plants. Other studies are taking place in Biotechnology
companies, agricultural institutes, medical research centers, and private
laboratories. It won’t be long before individuals and multinational companies
based in America apply for large numbers of patents based on these medicinal
plants in the near future. Biotechnology laboratories at American Cyanamid,
Monsanto, Pfizer, and Smith Kline are reported to have undertaken research on
Indian medicinal plants at a substantial level.
The body’s own capacity to mount resistance to disease is the main function of
the immune system. And when this is compromised or suppressed, the body becomes
prey to infection. American researchers too are now admitting what traditional
Ayurvedic practitioners have known all along: that the potential of Indian
medicinal plants to boost immunity has an important role to play in the world of
medicine. And that is precisely why at the National Cancer Institute rigorous
work is in progress on three Ayurvedic medicinal plants: Tinospora Cordifolia (Guduchi),
Asparagus Racemosa (Shatavari) and Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha). These are
being studied for their immune stimulating capacity.
One other factor that could have profound influence on the future of Ayurveda in
America is the changes that are proposed in the regulation of herbal products.
Until recently Ayurvedic medicines were sold only as food supplements, and so no
health claims have been permitted. However, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is developing a series of new regulations and policies that will
dramatically affect the way Americans buy and use herbal products and food
supplements.
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