Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical science, is faced with many
challenges and the need of the hour is to initiate actions to find lasting solutions
to issues in areas like Education, Research, Translation and Integrative
Medicine treatment, according to Professor Kishor Patwardhan, Faculty of Ayurveda,
Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
“At present, a sizable proportion of students opt for BAMS after
failing to get into modern medicine courses. There is a dearth of good faculty
and the application-based content in curriculum is minimum. Similarly, the PG/PhD
level Research currently follows ‘One Disease-One Medicine’ approach. This is
not how Ayurveda is practiced. Promote research that is in accordance to
Ayurvedic principles,” he pointed out.
Prof Kishor was speaking as a Panelist in an international webinar
held on the topic ‘Freedom For Ayurveda – sequel 2’. The over three-hour
virtual session was the fourth of the international webinar series being organized
by The Ayush Valley Foundation in association with the Ayurveda & Health
Tourism Magazine.
He called for initiatives like Integrated 10-year BAMS/MBBS
courses or having a common course for all medical graduates irrespective pf
their streams.
“There is not much enthusiasm for an evidence-based research in
Ayurveda where most practitioners are satisfied with laid down knowledge. This
will prevent the system getting global recognition as the Allopathy community
is not going to accept non-evidence based medicine,” said Dr Sintija Sausa,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia. She is currently engaged in exploring
integrative medicine options by joining initiating research works with
Ayurvedic experts.
She called for measures to facilitate Ayurveda graduate students
to have basic knowledge about modern medicine too.
Another speaker Lea Kraemer, Governing Council Member, Yoga
Unify, USA, noted that traditional medicines like Ayurveda and Yoga can be much
effective as an integrative treatment option. “They can be used to alleviate
side effects of Allopathy medicines while undergoing treatment for terminal
diseases like cancer.”
The session saw active participation of Ayurveda experts like Vaidya
M Prasad, Dr N V Sreevaths and Mala Kapadia among others. “Research should be a
broader word when we put it to the traditional wisdom. It should be more accommodating in its meaning. It should be an effort to bring the good in the systems for a
larger public and geographical boundary. For that the Gurus and Acharyas should
not be put under the scanner of validation. Instead let the ayurvedic
practitioners delve deep into Ayurvedic knowledge and their output analysed,” Prasad observed.
The session was moderated by Dr Madan Thangavelu, University
of Cambridge, UK, and co-hosted by Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Director, The
DINacharya Institute.
In
the first session on the topic held on August 14, Padma Shri Anant Darshan
Shankar, Vice Chancellor, Transdisciplinary University, Bengaluru, had called
for strategic interventions including policy formulation and better budgetary
resource utilisation in key areas like Health services, Education and Research
to facilitate the growth of Ayurveda.
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