Re: FW: Healing art of Ayurveda getting closer look in US

[Guest guest]

I don¹t know much about this; but I thought the division of types

(at the bottom of the article) were interesting. I would venture to

guess that I am 'Vata' (from what little I know -- which is next to

nothing). I wondered if most EDSers would consider themselves in

that category

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Excellent background overview article.

As info, Polarity Therapy (which I have mentioned many times in

posts) is based on Ayurvedic medicine.

Regardless of one's individual, personal, views on western versus

eastern medical practices, there are some points in the article

worth highliteing.

ARTICLE:

" ... ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old holistic system of health that in

Sanskrit means " knowledge of life. " It uses combinations of herbs,

purgatives, rubbing oils and other elements to treat diseases...

Chinese medicine, which is more established in the U.S., was

influenced by ayurveda, and similarities include the extensive use

of natural herbs. "

MIKE:

The general consensus of things I have read is that it all started

in India (some time before 5,000 years ago) and migrated East to

China and then Japan.

ARTICLE:

" Research into ayurveda is in its infancy in this country, but as

interest grows, so does funding. The National Institute of Health's

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine allocated

$3.5 million in grants last year to study its safety and efficacy. "

MIKE:

This is very good news.

ARTICLE:

" Ayurveda holds that health and well-being of the body, mind and

spirit is our natural state, experienced through proper diet, herbs,

meditation, yoga, breathing exercises called pranayama and other

daily routines. Ayurveda is used to prevent disease and boost the

immune system so the body can heal itself from illness. "

MIKE:

This is true as well for traditional Chinese medicine, as well as

other traditional eastern medical practices. The fundamental

differences between eastern and western medicine are that eastern

medicine focuses on the whole person where western medicine focuses

on the symptoms and that eastern medicine focuses on preventing

compared to the western focus of fixing.

ARTICLE:

" Each of these groups has different dietary and lifestyle needs,

which also vary by season. Disease in ayurveda is an imbalance in

one's natural doshas, caused by improper diet and digestion,

negative emotions and stress, which lead to a buildup of toxins in

the body called ama. "

MIKE:

This is part of the concept of treating the whole person.

ARTICLE:

" Western medicine controls the symptom. Ayurveda looks at the root

causes in terms of lifestyle and consciousness. "

MIKE:

See previous comment.

ARTICLE:

But ayurveda also is attracting people with chronic health problems

who have become frustrated with Western medical techniques that

haven't helped them, and those with alcohol and drug problems who

want to detox quickly.

MIKE:

Western medicine can't be beat for things like trauma and where

massive, invasive intervention is required (like surgery). Its

track record for chronic problems, however, sucks.

ARTICLE:

Still, the treatments worked so well that she asked her doctor to

write a prescription for panchakarma so insurance would cover it.

She says his response was something like: " I'm not going to sully my

name by prescribing something so weird. "

MIKE:

What more needs to be said?

ARTICLE:

It's difficult to conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled trials,

the gold standard of scientific research, because ayurveda is a

holistic system that treats individuals differently with multiple

methods. Some studies have isolated specific components of ayurveda,

which advocates of ayurveda say misses the point.

MIKE:

ARTICLE:

Dr. Vandana Soni, an anesthesiologist, realized after years of

practicing Western medicine that it only " touches the surface of

pain. " She now combines Indian and Western medicine at her clinic,

and some local medical doctors now refer patients to her for

conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue and

menopausal symptoms.

MIKE:

No comment necessary.

ARTICLE:

" If ayurveda were perfect, [Western] allopathic medicine would never

have come along, " she says. " If allopathic medicine were perfect,

the world of alternative medicine wouldn't have come into place. "

MIKE:

Not exactly a true statement. Ayurvedic medicine is just one form

of " alternative medicine. " Ayurvedic/Traditional Chinese, etc, have

been around for over 5000 years. " Western " medicine as we know it

has been around for far less than 500, like 200-300 years.

ARTICLE:

" Ayurveda is very time-intensive, " says Dr. Lonsdorf,

medical director at the Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa. " I never

see more than 12 patients a day. Most doctors see 50. "

MIKE:

I think I will let the above statement just sit there also without

further comment since I think it speaks for itself.

ARTICLE:

At her clinic, Soni asks patients to fill out a 15-page

questionnaire detailing everything from the time they wake up to the

characteristics of bowel movements. After a pulse-taking and tongue

examination, she determines a patient's dosha and prescribes some

herbs, spices and self-massage as part of a basic work-up.

MIKE:

Compare the above to the standard health intake forms.

ARTICLE:

Soni recommends patients retain their primary Western doctors,

MIKE:

She has no choice if she doesn't want to run afoul of the " standard

of care " and " scope of practice " laws and end up getting fined or

thrown in jail.

ARTICLE:

and she won't treat people taking Chinese herbs because of possible

side effects.

MIKE:

This is absolutely crucial. Remember my comments about herbs and

shamen. Same thing here. You CAN'T safely run around mixing things

unless you know what the active ingredients are and their potential

interactions with other medicines.

ARTICLE:

Gerson advises people to look for a bachelor's degree in alternative

medicine, a doctorate or a medical degree in ayurveda from India. He

also founded the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, which

verifies practitioner credentials. Because the programs teaching

ayurveda in the U.S. require just 300 to 500 hours of training, most

practitioners here are unqualified to practice in India. Gerson says

U.S. schools offer " a really poor level of training in ayurveda. "