Ayurvedic Point, Milan

by Ayurveda Admin

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AVTAR’s MoU with Ayurvedic Point

The Ayurvedic Trust, Coimbatore, with its Advanced Research Institute known as AVTAR, had entered into an MoU with Ayurvedic Point, Italy, for the global propagation of Ayurveda. The MoU was signed by Dr. Antonio Morandi, Director of The Ayurvedic Point, Italy, and Dr. P. Ram Manohar, Director of Research at the Ayurvedic Trust, during the 12th International Ayurveda Symposium held at Birstein, Germany.

Italian medical doctors can practice Ayurveda

Untitled-10 It was on18th May, 2002, that the Italian National Federation of Colleges of MDs and Dentists (FNOMCeO) signed the Document of Acknowledgement of Non-Conventional Medicines, which now falls under the exclusive competence, practice, and responsibility of MDs (chiropractic, osteopathy, phytotherapy, homeopathy, anthroposophy, acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine, and homotoxicology). This means that Italian medical doctors can now practice Ayurveda. In Milan and many other cities, local Councils of MDs and Dentists have opened specific Registers for physicians expert in Ayurveda. Registration requires the doctor concerned to have had sufficient education in Ayurveda. However, lack of government regulation continues to make things difficult for insurance, products, and, more importantly, acknowledgement of ‘Ayurveda therapist’ as a profession, with such an expertise that co- presence with the doctor is mandatory for correct implementation of any Ayurveda therapy.

Ayurvedic Point, the most reputed institution of Ayurveda in Italy, is the only institution that offers an Ayurvedic training program for MDs in Europe. Moreover, this school is one of the reference centers for medical training in Ayurveda throughout the world. Ayurvedic Point was established in 2001by Antonio Morandi and Carmen Tosto. Ayurvedic Point has been awarded with the ISO9001 certification for its procedural, research and teaching activities.

Dr. Antonio Morandi is President of Ayurvedic Point srl. He has worked for 15 years in the research and development of neurological medicines for the pharmaceutical industry and in Ayurveda since 1996. He is also the Director of the School of Ayurvedic Medicine ,’Ayurvedic Point’, in Milan, the most important educational institution in Italy, which counts 150 students per year and whose syllabus is widely accepted in Europe.

Ayurvedic Point’s activities are channeled through its two divisions – the educational and cultural division, including the School of Ayurvedic Medicine and the clinical and research division.

Ayurvedic Point – Philosophy

“Sastram tu vyapino vidyat prayogam tueka desikam”

" “Shastraa is universal but its applications are local,” is the motto underlying the history of Ayurvedic Point. "

The environmental conditions in which living organisms grow and evolve are different but the principle ,’Life’, is the same everywhere. A traditional medicine is composed of one part concerning local conditions governing the expression of life, while its other parts pertain to basic principles of life. The second part is coded through the first one, which is why Westerners learning Ayurveda must enter deeply into the mind and soul of Indian culture, so as to decode basic principles that can then be applied to western conditions. According to this point of view, the widespread concept of ‘globalization’ of Ayurveda, meaning its application ‘as it is’ in any part of the world, is misleading; many conditions typical of India cannot be reproduced in other countries.

The Ashta Vaidya touch

Dr. A. N. Narayanan Nambi and the members of his family, one of the most ancient Ashtavaidya families of India, in Thrishur, Kerala, had extended great support and guidance to Ayurvedic Point in developing a novel system of translating Ayurvedic basic principles in modern terms and concepts, without betraying the real tradition of Ayurveda.

Even now, this Ashtavaidya family and the Ayurvedic point team go hand in hand towards a global ‘localization’ of Ayurveda. Additionally, Ayurvedic Point students can follow an in-depth parallel 4-year study program in India at the Ayurveda Research and Education Institute of SNA Oushadhasala, Trishur, Kerala, directed by Dr. Ashtavaidyan A. N. Narayanan Nambi.

This parallel program is recognised by a joint Ayurvedic Point–SNA Oushadhasala Diploma of specialisation in Panchakarma Techniques. In this context, the application of the above-said “Ayurveda localisation” seminal work has originated a novel teaching method for international students in Ayurveda, developed by Ayurvedic Point along with SNA Oushadashala, which allows a deeper insight and learning experience.

Education

Untitled-12 The Ayurvedic Point’s school programs are two distinct courses: One postgraduate course of 4 years for physicians and the other professional course for therapists, both following a common integrated study plan and syllabus. Its educational program is of the highest standard in Italy and is the only one congruent with the WHO’s guidelines published in Benchmarks of Training in Ayurveda. It has been taken by the council of MDs and dentists of many cities in Italy (Bologna was the first in 2006) as the template for the main requirement to be registered as doctor expert in Ayurvedic medicine. Moreover, through its teachers, Ayurvedic Point collaborates with several universities for lecturing on Ayurveda in the faculties of medicine, pharmacy and sociology as well as in master courses, and has also become a collaborative center and master course stage center of the prestigious Milano-Bicocca University.

The program of Ayurvedic Point school has been used as a template, along with the Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda, Germany, and the College of Ayurveda, University of Middlesex, United Kingdom, for the elaboration of a European educational standard program in Ayurveda for medical doctors.

This program has been proposed to Department of AYUSH (Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), Ministry of Health, Government of India. It is noteworthy that Ayurvedic Point established, along with the Società Scientifica Italiana di Medicina Ayurvedica (SSIMA) – Italian Scientific Society of Ayurvedic Medicine, the Guidelines for Good Practice of Ayurveda, which have been published and adopted by the Permanent Consensus Committee on Non-conventional Medicines. The guidelines, along with the educational program, have been submitted to the Italian government for the study of a law proposal on non-conventional medicines.

Clinical and Research Activity

The efforts in translating Ayurveda logic and basic principles according to ‘localisation’ form the basis of Ayurvedic Point’s research activities. Ayurvedic Point is working hard on the enormous possibility to create a network of excellence in research and to cross-interact with the institutions of each European country. Collaborations on research projects and clinical studies on Ayurveda have been set up with the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy and Sociology of the main Italian as well as European Universities.

Ayurvedic Point collaborates with national and international universities, and hospital and academic institutions in research as well as clinical projects.

Ayurvedic Point also runs its own outpatient medical centers in Milan, where it is possible to undergo Ayurvedic medical consultations and all the traditional physical treatments and therapies.

Ayurvedic Point is actively collaborating on Ayurveda research projects with national and international academic institutions. Research projects and clinical studies on Ayurveda have been set up with schools of medicine, pharmacy, and sociology in major universities, and proposals for national and international projects written and presented.