kalpavriksh

kalpavriksh

Nasyam

“Nasa hi shirso dwaram” – this means that the only way to the brain is through the nose. Nasyam is the process of treatment in which the medicine is administered through the nose. All brain-related disorders, such as insomnia, facial palsy, lockjaw, epilepsy, headaches of various origins, migraine, sinusitis, hyper pigmentation in the face, pre-mature greying of hair, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis etc., as well as mental disorders, are treated through nasyam. Other illnesses curable with nasyam are hemiplegia, paraplegia, neuralgia, loss of smell and taste, frozen shoulder, nasal allergies, nasal polyps, neurological dysfunctions, etc.

                                      

Nasyam is also an effective rejuvenative therapy. With extended treatments, excellent results can be gained. Nasyam stimulates the brain cells and promotes intelligence and memory power; it refreshes oral cavities, improves hair growth and arrests ageing. The sensory organs become stronger, immunity is boosted and agility is enhanced. Nasyam improves voice quality, eye sight and skin texture, as well.

Pizhichil & Navarakizhi @ kalpavriksh

Pizhichil is an age-old Kerala Ayurvedic therapy in which the body is made to perspire by applying warm medicated oil in a special manner. This highly sought-after treatment is a combination of oil massage and heat treatment. Pizhichil treats all nervous disorders, and is very effective in general debility, fractures, joint problems, muscle tension, paraplegia, hemiplegia etc. Pizhichil increases blood circulation, nourishes muscles and nerve tissues, boosts sexual ability, and promotes general body rejuvenation. Pizhichil is highly recommended in rheumatic conditions, nervous weaknesses, paralytic conditions, arthritis, insomnia, depression and high blood pressure.

Navarakizhi is a perspiration-triggering body scrub therapy; the body is made to perspire well through massage with puddings made of special medicated herbal rice in the form of boluses tied in cloth bags. Diseases of the nervous system, chronic rheumatic diseases, joint pains, emaciation of limbs and diseases borne of vitiated blood can be treated. Navarakizhi strengthens the body and develops the muscles, besides enhancing skin lustre.

Udwartana @ kalpavriksh

(A special massage therapy for cellulite and weight reduction)

Udwartana is a specialised Ayurvedic treatment for weight reduction. A herbal paste or powder is applied all over the body, followed by a deep massage. Udwartana using various powders is very effective in reducing excessive sweating and body odour, in imparting softness and radiance to the skin, and in reducing obesity. It removes cellulite and Kapha toxins from the body. Udwartana helps in maintaining the weight loss process post-therapy, too.

A special Udwartana is also available for removal of excess body hair for ladies.

At kalpavriksh, this traditional, non-invasive method for weight loss is enhanced using our in-house techniques like ozonised steam and other specific herbs and natural substances for deep tissue penetration, which further aids in weight loss, detoxification and improved metabolism.

Vasti, the traditional Ayurvedic enema, given at kalpavriksh complements Udwartana.

Relevance Of Ayurvedic Holism

Relevance of Ayurvedic Holism- by Dr. B.M.Hegde

Absence of evidence Vs Evidence of absence

By Dr. B. M. Hegde, India [ Published Date: November 2, 2009 ]“I am easily satisfied with the very best.” – Winston Churchill It took nearly fifteen hundred years for the medical community to realize that Galen’s hypothesis of the blood circulating from the liver, propounded in 127AD, was wrong. It was in the 17th Century, William Harvey wrote his de Motu Cordis. (1628 AD) In the field of astronomy it took five Centuries for scientists to realize the folly of Ptolemy’s hypothesis that the sun goes round the earth. Copernicus, in the 7th Century, came on the scene to show that the earth, in fact, goes round the sun! Reductionist science that we follow in medical research does not work in the dynamic human system. Still we hang on to it despite evidence to the contrary as it has become a lucrative trillion dollar business. We presume, wrongly though, that the absence of evidence is the same as evidence of absence. Therefore, we refuse to accept anything that defies the reductionist statistical deductions. Evidence based medicine today has become evidence burdened instead. Although I have been pointing this out time and again for the last four decades, medical scientists never took me seriously. The movement gained respectability when once the Institute of Medicine report in the US clearly showed medical interventions in the hospitals as the third important cause of death next only to heart attacks and cancer and the Adverse Drug Reactions as the fourth cause. (JAMA 2000; 284: 483-485) Now there is a world wide movement for establishing the right science in medicine of Whole Person Healing. This was practiced for “times out of mind” in the ancient healing systems of Ayurveda. Newer scientific methods have been able to establish the validity of many other complementary systems of medicine like homeopathy, naturopathy, Siddha, energy medicines, faith healing, reiki, Qi gong, acupuncture, and fast wound healing methods of India and the Sufi saints, reconstituted water therapy et cetera. The leader of the movement in the US, Professor Rustum Roy, the father of nano-science (not nanotechnology), a scientist of great repute, who had been nominated for the Nobel several times in the past. He, in his early 80s, is still the Evan Pugh professor of Solid State Emeritus at the Penn State University! Nano-science was born when, in the early 50s, Prof. Roy invented the sol-gel technique to extract nano-particles. Even now scientists in the field of nano-science use the same method. His paper on Sol-Gel technique is cited 65,000 times to date, a record of sorts! Interestingly, Prof. Roy is more interested in the Giga problems of mankind all over the world like poverty, hunger, ignorance and illnesses. He is using his scientific clout to help the poorest of the poor using his research acumen to solve those Giga problems. Manufacturing molecules by altering the atoms is the basis of nano-science. One could make diamonds from coal and semi-conductor chips from sand. Having realized the futility of reductionist science in medicine Prof. Roy took upon himself the arduous task of scientifically validating the multitude of complementary systems of medicine personally using his rigorous scientific methods of scrutiny. Only those that passed his tests were included in the WPH movement. His great faith in Ayurveda as the mother of all medical wisdoms made him to coax the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to organize a preliminary workshop on WHP in New Delhi some time ago. More meetings in the US followed the Delhi meet. One such was the first ever International conference on WPH for four full days at Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Maryland. Let us see how WPH works. In contrast to reductionism of organ based specialties, the science of Ayurveda, for example, takes into consideration the mind, body, spirit and the genome into consideration while treating patients. Ayurveda believes that all illnesses are born in the mind and grow in the body with the influence of the genes in a conducive atmosphere.  For the healer it is not as important to know what disease one gets, as it is to know who gets a disease. The latter would answer the vital question that had been dogging positive sciences for ages, the answer to the question “why?”. Positive sciences could, at best, answer “how” or “how much” but not “why?” A conventional physiologist could answer how does the heart contract but not the question as to why does the heart contract? Space constraints do not permit me to go deep into the great science of Ayurveda. Rustum Roy’s work on the structure of water (not chemistry: he is basically a chemist, though) opened the flood gates for homeopathy research. When a homeopathic drug is diluted in water thousands of times the final water might not contain any chemical entities of the drug but the drug would leave its foot prints in water by changing the structure of water. Reductionist science of water would have to be a combination of H2 and O. Both these atoms are volatile but water, a combination of the two, is far from volatile. This is the bane of reductionist science of medicine where we study a cell or an organ and project it on to the man and predict the unpredictable. This has led us to this sorry state of affairs where medicine has become a bane to society instead of the boon that it ought to be. Many scientific studies have shown the good effects of homeopathic medicines. Hormesis, another new concept developed by Edward Calabrese, has shown how most drugs have a beneficial bio-positive effect on the body in very small doses while the same drug in larger doses (that we give in therapeutics based on the pharmacodynamic studies of reductionism) would be bio-negative. He showed it elegantly in vitamin C. Whereas the small dose of vitamin C in a tomato is bio-positive, the larger therapeutic dose, in the long run, would damage the system. It is also possible that there are hitherto unknown entities in the tomato that prevent the vitamin C to manifest its bio-negativity. This gives credence to the holistic science of Ayurveda also. Qi gong, reiki, and even faith healing depend on the movement of bio-energy, the leptons of quantum physics, from the healer to the patient. The consciousness of the healer is as important as the vehicle that the healer uses (say a drug). Similarly, the consciousness of the patient should be more important in the final healing process. This was demonstrated by a psychiatrist from Stanford offering himself as the patient to study the quick wound healing methods of the Sufi saints in Iraq. He demonstrated that during the conference. Our own paper on Heart Rate Variability, using the latest computer two dimensional imagery and the wavelet quotient analysis, showed the principle of “mode-locking” (Edward Laurenz’s hypothesis) where organs work in tandem and not in isolation. Even the age old Placebo effect has now been scientifically shown to exist with chemical changes in the brain that could be proved by blocking the chemicals using naloxone to nullify the placebo effect. The studies published in the leading medical journals on the power of intercessory prayer in the management of myocardial infarction does work on the principles of bio-energy transfer. In depth study of the brain by David Shannonoff Khalsa, professor of Neurobiology in San Diego, revealed extensive changes that took place in the brain during meditation. His published works on Kundalini Yoga in the management of intractable diseases like obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety states, and epilepsy are an eye opener.  There is now ample evidence that the whole person healing is the future of modern medicine. Scientific enquiry into the claims of any system of healing should be the way forward. There should be no compromise about validating the claims of all the complementary systems. The scientist’s job is to take the wheat from the chaff and put together a new system of medical care delivery, the future modern medicine, called meta-medicine, wherein the best in all those systems are incorporated without bias. David Eddy, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Stanford in the past, had already shown the role of non-linear mathematics of chaos and fractals and holism in human physiology. (www.archimedesmodel.com) Modern medicine’s quick fixes are useful in emergency care although some of those methods have not been fully authenticated. For the majority of patients in the non-emergency set up the integrated system that is conceived above would bring down the cost of medical care significantly. This would make medical care reach the unreached. This would also bring down the incidence of ADR, the fourth cause of death these days in our hospitals. Let this new system do most good to most people most of the time. We have started the World Academy of Authentic Healing Sciences in Mangalore, with the blessings of our parent body, the Friends of Health, headed by Rustum Roy at Penn. State University, continuing the good work that the latter does in the US. We have made considerable progress in the last couple of years wherein we have authenticated many new methods of easy cure for so many hitherto difficult-to-treat ailments. We have also started a new journal, Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes, in its second year, publishing scientific studies after due super peer review by eminent scientists, including Nobel Laureates, who are on our editorial board. Rustum Roy is the co editor in chief of JSHO (www.thejsho.com) with me as the editor in chief. We also have another centre for research in Chennai under the able leadership of Professor CV Krishna swami, where our friends have donated money to build our own research building. All our efforts have to be funded by well meaning philanthropes since we do not accept funds from the pharmaceutical and/or medical devices industries! Hope we will be able to put together a new system of inexpensive medical care that would be a boon to the common man. Absence of evidence is not, therefore, synonymous with evidence of absence. “The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual powers. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. B. M. Hegde MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRCPG, FRCPI, FACC, FAMS, is editor-in-chief of The Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes; chairman, State Health Society’s Expert Committee, Govt. of Bihar, India, Visiting Prof. Cardiology at The Middlesex Hospital Medical School – University of London, Affiliate Prof. of Human Health – Northern Colorado University, Visiting Prof. Indian Institute of Advanced Studies – Shimla,  Retd.  Vice Chancellor, MAHE University – Manipal. Prof Hedge regularly gives talks on AIR, Doordarshan, BBC and Zee TV, London.

Panchkarma Therapy

Panchkarma Therapy @ Kalpavriksh

Ayurveda is an eternal science of healthy living. Literally translated, ‘Ayurveda’ means ‘life science’, or the ‘science of life’. This 5000-year-old natural healing method is now no longer the privilege and blessing of only India, the land of its origin, but has spread far and wide, with its amazing healing abilities being accepted all over the world. Panchkarma is that special branch of Ayurveda which deals in the holistic healing of the body, and is very popular as the quick and powerful healing therapy that effectively utilises body detoxification followed by nourishment as the means to complete well-being.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our Ayurvedic Panchkarma clinic at a new address in your locality. Our well-equipped modern clinic offers all Ayurvedic panchkarma treatments, and has a panel of highly qualified and experienced doctors. The panchkarma treatment is administered under the supervision of Dr Sethu Madhavan  (DAM, AVP, CMO [retd.] Central Govt. Health Scheme, Ex-Deputy Advisor Dept. Of Ayush, Hon. Consultant and Guest Prof. at Bharatiya Vidya Peth) and Dr Preeti Lokhande (BAMS, BA Yogashastra), two stalwarts in Ayurvedic practice with over 50 years’ collective experience. Dr Sethu Madhavan has been engaged in active research on various so-called incurable diseases such as ulcerative colitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes etc.

All treatments at our clinic are done by certified, trained and experienced therapists from Kerala.

All medicines, oils and technical support are from the reputed and trusted Dhanwanthari Vaidyasala from Kerala.

Listed below are a few of the highly effective treatments offered at kalpavriksh:

Vamanam

Vamana is induced therapeutic vomiting. This therapy effectively expels the kapha toxins accumulated in the upper gastro-intestinal tract. Acute and chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, skin diseases, anemia, epilepsy, sinus problems, chronic indigestion, diabetes and many other kapha-related diseases are treated through vamana.

                                                          

                            

Virechanam

Virechana is the controlled administration of purgative substances for the cleansing of pitta toxins from the lower gastro-intestinal tract. Diseases caused by the aggravation of pitta, such as chronic headache, migraine, urinary tract infection, fissures, piles, kidney ailments etc. are treated through virechana.

Vasti

Vasti is the cleansing process in which the medicine is injected through the anus and diseases caused by the aggravation of vata, such as different kinds of arthritis, ulcerative colitis, diarrhoea, menstrual disorders etc., are treated.

Nasyam

“Nasa hi shirso dwaram” – this means that the only way to the brain is through the nose. Nasya is the process of treatment in which the medicine is administered through the nose. All brain-related disorders, such as insomnia, facial palsy, lockjaw, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis etc., as well as mental disorders, are treated through nasya.

                                      

Rakta Mokshanam

Impure and infected blood can give rise to many diseases. Rakta mokshana treats all diseases caused due to infected blood. In this process, the infected blood is sucked out from the veins. Diseases treated with rakta mokshana therapy include snake bite, cancer, an array of skin diseases etc.

Before commencing the panchkarma therapy, we prepare our patient’s body for the same. This is done by making the patient undergo abhyangam (massage) and swedanam (steam). Many other prominent healing processes like shirodara, janubasti, shirobasti etc. are also administered at our clinic. We treat a number of chronic diseases. Also, our special therapy for weight reduction is harmless besides being highly effective.

Panchkarma is a system of body purification that cannot be found in any other medical system:

Abhyangam is the basis of all panchkarma treatment. This process of massage stimulating the marmas, which are connected to all the organs, and the medicinal oils which are absorbed by the body help strength the vital organs, relieve tension and stress, get rid of all aches and stiffness, and flush out toxins. This scientific system of massage helps in curing ailments like arthritis, gout, sciatica, Parkinson’s disease, sinusitis, migraine, back pain and psychosomatic diseases. A correctly done abhyanga balances all irregularities and increases the ojas of mind and body.

Swedanam (fomentation) is the most potent of all the methods as it can melt toxins accumulated in the bodily channels (shrotas) and expel them through the skin. Appropriate herbs are made to boil in water and the steam is used to perform swedana therapy. Swedana follows abhyanga and complements it.

                                      

Shirodara @ kalpavriksh is a mind and body healing therapy. A range of miraculous healing takes place when this precision technique of therapy is performed. The rhythmic trickling of medicated oils/milk/buttermilk on the forehead where the third eye (crown chakra) is situated improves one’s perception and cognitive abilities. It reduces stress and is very soothing to the face and forehead. It regulates blood pressure and can release trapped energies throughout the body. Shirodhara can stimulate hair growth, help in certain cases of obesity which require restraint, and help treat insomnia and schizophrenia. Shirodara can improve the supply of oxygen and other vital nutrients to the brain.

                                      

Shirobasti involves the use of herbal pastes and oils on the head to treat heart diseases, chest pain, diseases of the head including tumour, loss of sensation of the skin, dryness of nasal passage, mouth and throat, migraine, anorexia, jaundice and many more conditions. In addition, it relieves mental stress.

                                      

Janubasti/Katibasti involves hot medicated oil used in problem-specific areas such as rheumatoid arthritis-affected knees, frozen shoulder, back pain etc.

                                      

In a nutshell, Ayurveda is the science of daily living in harmony with the laws of nature. This ancient wisdom of health and healing has the objective to maintain the health of the healthy and to heal the unhealthy using a combination of time-tested, proven herbal preparations with cleansing and rejuvenating properties, the right food choices and panchkarma. Thus prevention and healing are done in an entirely natural manner with no side effects but a multitude of complete holistic benefits.

Pizhichil

Navarakizhi

Experience the most therapeutic and rejuvenating

‘four-hand’ Kerala Ayurvedic massage at

kalpavriksh

An Ayurvedic massage @ kalpavriksh enriches you in the following ways:

·        Gives a beautiful lustre to the skin and tones the muscles

·        Improves circulation and metabolism, and helps in losing weight

·        Flushes out toxic waste and improves the immune system

·        Removes stiffness from joints and makes the body feel light, active and energetic

·        Increases stamina and vitality; also improves concentration and intelligence

·        Relieves stress, and increases self-confidence and willpower

·        Preserves youthfulness, thus preventing accelerated ageing and degeneration

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH, DON’T SETTLE FOR THE MEDIOCRE, OR EVEN THE SECOND BEST.

                   ABSOLUTE AYURVEDA @ kalpavriksh

GERARD JOSEPH, Founder, kalpavriksh

absoluteayurveda@gmail.com

Organic Food With Ayurveda For Optimum Health

We missed the bus! Somewhere down the line, ensconced in the environs of our ‘cubicled’ existence, we lose out on the very essence of life. Optimum health and wellness seem like yet another distant dream we aspire for and sometimes give up, too, in the city.

Organic food is not a fad. It was a part of our forefathers’ lives much before mechanised and factory-produced foods entered into our lives. Commercially, or rather, conventionally, grown fruits, vegetables and grains contain residues of the toxic pesticides used. Most of them contain DDT, or hexachlorobenzene, which can cause cancer, migraine, convulsions, IBS, hormonal problems and many more health issues. Fertilisers and pesticides make the foods look very appealing, with a longer shelf life, but the nutritional value is compromised to a large extent. Organic farming does not harm the soil or pollute water.

The child is what he or she eats. Sugared foods make children hyperactive. Research has proved that packaged foods with artificial colourings and preservatives can cause learning difficulties in a child. Children need high-quality foods for their growing body, brains and immune system. Studies show that levels of motor and mental skills of children exposed to toxins are much lower than those on organic foods. Sportspersons and people with more physical activity also need highly nutritional foods.

Ayurvedic healing and Panchakarma when combined with the intake of organic foods effect enhanced healing. Organic foods are nutrient-dense and rich in antioxidants. Natural sources of Vitamins C and E, B vitamins, beta carotene and other minerals are required by the body to regain health quickly.

Thus Ayurveda can be incorporated with organic food in perfect synergy for treatments, recuperation and maintenance of good health. When we opt for organic produce, we are not just choosing health for oursleves and our family, but also contributing our bit to a healthier planet. Let’s re-educate ourselves with this good news and live as healthy, environment-conscious citizens of the world.

By Gerard Joseph

absoluteayurveda@gmail.com

Modern Medicine And Ayurveda

Modern medicine and Ayurveda

Prof. B. M. Hegde hegdebm@gmail.com HOW MIGHT THE BENEFITS OF AYURVEDA BE COMBINED WITH MODERN MEDICINE? Prof. B. M. Hegde, hegdebm@yahoo.com Philosophy: Ayurveda, the science of life, (Ayu=life; vid=science) is a part of the ageless Vedic heritage of India. Speculations about its origin go back thousands of years before Christ. Extensive literature on this subject, dating back to the fourth century BC, has one thing in common that the essence of Ayurveda is to preserve good health, which is every human being’s birthright. Ayurveda prescribes life style changes with emphasis on tranquility of mind that is filled with universal compassion, as an insurance against an occasional illness. In this system disease is only an accident. Just as road accidents are rare if one follows traffic rules, disease would an exception if one follows the life style prescribed in Ayurveda, which is not hard to comply with. Human body has an inbuilt powerful immune system that could correct most, if not all, ills that man is heir to. In the unlikely event of this mechanism failing, and only then, should doctors interfere to help the system, when possible. In fact, the concept of immune deficiency syndromes had been prevalent there. Immune boosting methods are the mainstay of Ayurvedic therapeutics, the panchakarmas, and the five modalities. Swasthasya swastha rakshitham (Keep the well healthy as long as possible is the motto) This motto would be a great help to modern medicine where a stage has come, what with the an array of scopes and scanners, coupled with our inability to define normality precisely, we end up with having no normal healthy human beings at all.1 Among the many methods of preserving health in Ayurveda, the one that stands out is Sage Patanjali’s Yoga Shashtra, the science of Yoga. Unlike what is sold by the new age gurus, original Yoga had eight wings: rules for day today living including diet, the art and ethics of living, regular exercise menu, the all important breathing method-pranayaama, detached outlook towards life, yogic postures for constant ease to enable one to practice the next steps of dhyaana-concentration, tranquility of mind, and the ultimate realization of the impermanence of life to make man fearless even in the face of death. Thus defined, Yoga becomes a way of life and not just a few contortions of the body for an hour or so daily. Yoga, in its true form, is a way of life. Another distinct philosophy in Ayurveda is that every disease begins in our thoughts (consciousness) and grows in the body. Genetic contributions are very clearly understood, in addition. The concept is holistic and never reductionist. Man is a part of the Universal consciousness, the environment and even the stars are supposed to have a role to play. Modern medicine is just trying to grapple with the role played by the mind in serious illnesses.2 Science, especially quantum physics, seems to be going into the new realm of human consciousness. Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty principle and Ervin Schrodinger’s Cat Hypothesis point in that direction. Recent studies of patients revived after cardiac arrest and those undergoing brain surgeries have pointed to the possibility of human consciousness (mind) outwith the brain in every single human cell.3,4,5 This all-pervasive consciousness has been the hallmark of Ayurvedic thinking. Effectiveness of Ayurveda: In the absence of its recognition by the main line science journals, the studies in the field of Ayurveda find it very difficult to get published, but there have been modern scientific enquiries into the effects of Yogic breathing.6 Millions all over the world now practice breathing methods for good health. It has become another big business with all market force trappings. Small pox, the only scourge that we have been able to eradicate so far, was eradicated with the help of vaccination. The authentication for Edward Jenner’s anecdotal experience came from the prospective controlled study observations of a London physician, T.Z.Holwell, FRCP, FRS, who after studying Indian vaccination systems prospectively for twenty long years in The Bengall province of the Raj, reported his findings to the President and Fellows of the London College in 1747. He wrote that the antiquity and the authenticity (ninety percent protection of the vaccinated) could certainly give credibility to Jenner’s method. The graphic descriptions of the Indian method and its efficacy are portrayed in his paper, which could be viewed in the archives of the College library even today. Although slightly damaged by the great London fire of the eighteenth century, the document, providentially, survived the fire to show the original method that eventually led to the eradication of the greatest scourge of mankind.7 Recent evidence also suggests that the mind could initiate the cardiac rhythm and also the arrhythmias.8 Personality Types in Ayurveda: Ayurveda classifies human beings into three distinct types, vaata, pitta, and kapha with multiple subtypes. This typing takes into account the pheno-typical and geno-typical features, in addition to consciousness. In short, it is a holistic concept, unlike the modern medical method of matching groups for controlled studies based on tiny fractions of the phenotype, like height, weight, age, sex and body mass index with a few of the biochemical and physical characteristics. This kind of science of reductionism has led to doctors predicting the unpredictable.9 An experienced Ayurvedic physician could classify his patients based on these types since the treatment modalities are individualistic and not based on controlled studies as in modern medicine. Each patient needs individual titration of the methods used for him. Since time-evolution, in a dynamic system, depends on the total initial state of the organism, controlled studies could be done using these personality types to match cohorts for better results in future. There are computerized systems to classify people based on this system. Holistic Concept of Ayurveda: Ayurveda does not look at the human body as a sum total of the organs. The physiology in Ayurveda takes into account every aspect of man’s existence, including the planetary influence. There is a whole science of Ayurvedic astrology. The various rhythms of the body like the circadian and ultradian were explained by their mode-locking to the most dominant rhythm of breathing. Breathing could control all the systems in the body except the one rhythm that occurs outside twenty-four hour cycle-the menstrual cycle that occurs once in twenty-eight days. This, Ayurveda, claimed is under the gravitational pull of the moon stimulating the human brain! “Kujendu hetu prathimaasaarthavam” (Because of the moon the woman menstruates once a month) This might have looked very odd but for the fact that recent advances in human physiology have shown that the final stimulus for the endocrine orchestra that maintains the infradien rhythm of menstruation comes, from the gravitational effect of the moon on the cortical cells.10 Most of the present day ”so-called” Ayurvedic drugs in the market are reductionist in that they are only the extracts of the active principle in the plant to conform to the modern medical standards of drug sales. Dravyaguna, Ayurvedic pharmacodynamics, does not deal with active principles. It deals with the whole plant extract as envisaged in the ancient texts. This takes into effect even the photodynamicity of the plant. Some plants are to be harvested only after sunset lest their properties should change if harvested while the sun is up. Modern medicine now tells us that extracts might have serious side effects in the long run.11 Vitamin C in large does, over long periods, could encourage cancer growth in the body, but eating tomato daily with lots of vitamin C in it, would not harm the body. There are many unknown chemicals in the whole plant that prevent the active ingredient from harming the patient while, at the same time, potentiating the good effects of the active principle. We will have to standardize the drug delivery methods to conform to the present standards but on the basis of holism only. In fact, herbal medicines are the least important part of Ayurvedic therapeutics. While yoga, panchakarma, and surgery are the main stay, herbal medicines are occasionally used. Ayurvedic surgery was so advanced that the rhinoplasty method used by the Ayurvedic physician, Shushruta, is being used by plastic surgeons even today. His anatomy classes lasted more than two years for students and he had devised most of the important emergency surgical methods. What should an Ayurvedic doctor do? His main job is to study his patient in great detail with special reference to his surroundings and classify him. Having done that he should then try and tailor the management strategies. Most of them would need panchakarma methods. Almost all of them would do well with change of mode of living that ayurveda prescribes with special emphasis on diet, yoga, and exercise. Rarely do surgical methods and/or drugs become appropriate. With advances in modern science and technology one cannot ignore the benefits of using modern hi-tech methods for emergency care. This requires the conventional ayurvedic doctor to have a reasonably good knowledge of the modern medical methods to be able to give proper advice to patients. A judicious combination of modern medicine and ayurveda would be an ideal training for a family doctor. More skilled specialists in either system could be used only at the referral point. This would bring down the top-heavy cost of modern medical care remarkably. More than eighty per cent of the illnesses are either minor or self-correcting. They could easily be helped using ayurvedic methods and a placebo doctor. In addition, Ayurveda could help chronic debilitating diseases to a great extent, at a very small cost to the taxpayer. About ten per cent of the time modern medicine becomes mandatory. Roughly ninety per cent of the unnecessary cost could be reduced for the benefit of all without detriment to public health. Rather, most of the iatrogenic problems could thus be avoided. Iatrogenesis is usually due to the long-term side effects of modern drugs.12 The latter form about fifteen per cent of hospital admissions. Modern medical doctors, who do not have an idea of Ayurveda and how it works, could be baffled when confronted with a patient who has probably taken the wrong advice from unscrupulous ayurvedic practitioners. The whole gamut of these intricacies would have to be thrashed out before changing the system of medical education into a complementary holistic system. Ayurveda would not be of much use in an emergency. For the management of emergencies we have to follow the modern medical methods. But for all the chronic degenerative and ageing problems Ayurveda is a panacea. The cost is very small in comparison. Modern medical drugs and interventions are good for acute emergencies, but in the long run most of them have run into serious problems. Bibliography 1) Smith R, The Screening Industry. BMJ 2003; 2) Hostility and the heart. BMJ 3) Pimm vL, Ruud vW, Meyers V, & Elfeferich I. Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in Netherlands. Lancet 2001; 358: 2039-45. 4) Greyson B. Dissociation in people who have near-death experiences: out of their bodies or out of their minds? Lancet 2000; 355: 460-63. 5) Sabom MB. Light and death: one doctor’s fascinating account of near-death experience. Michigan: Zonderyan Publishing House, 1998: 37-52. 6) Bernardi et.al Effect of breathing rate on oxygen saturation and exercise performance in CHF. Lancet; 1997;351:9112. 7) Hegde BM. Vaccination in India. Jr. Assoc. Physi.India 8) Victor S et. Al 9) Firth WJ. Chaos-predicting the unpredictable. BMJ 1991; 10) Cecil’s Textbook of Medicine 2001, page 1202. 11) Long term side effects-negative research. ?BMJ 12) Effect of anti-hypertensive treatment after five years. BMJ. Extra if needed. * BHJ 1994; 71: 229-31 *Lancet 1996; 348: 752-53. *Goleman Daniel. Destructive Emotions, Book. To be discussed in MIT in September. * Benson Herbert. The Relaxation Response. Mind Body Medical Institute, Boston. * Lommel Pim von. Lancet 2001 * Blackmore. Dying to Live. (Out of body experience.) 5.Solomon Victor’s study. 2009-06-18

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