While there could be no justification for wholesole condemnation of Allopathy and modern medical practices as was recently pronounced by Baba Ramdev, there could be no denying of the dire need to revive interest in Ayurveda and ingenious medicines that had served the interest of affordable Healthcare in a country like India for thousands of years.
Allopathic treatment like any other therapy does suffer from problems like muti drug resistance caused by uncontrolled use of antibiotics and steroids often under panic, while these were to be used with caution and where needed. But then the uncontrolled use of Ayurvedic formulations could also harm patients.
Ayurveda being the Science of Healthy Life is based on striking a balance of rasayans in the body on one hand and keeping the immunity strong on the other. As such along with herbal medicines and formulations of herbs and medicinal plants the Ayurveda treatment works in tandem with natural food, Aahar, that also has a strong foundation on natural plants, medicinal spices, nutritious fruits and vegetables. Naturally much of the ailments are related to the loss of power to digest and the unbalance created by unscientific way of eating food and consuming junk food. The Ayurveda could best take care of common ailments starting from cough and cold, seasonal fever to chronic gastrointestinal infections. Further, Ayurveda together with yoga and meditation offers a highly meaningful proposition for achieving the goal of good health for all and that too at an affordable cost of healthcare.
During my own childhood I have seen myself how expert Ayurvedacharyas in my hometown, the historic city of Vidisha that has the distinction of being associated with the Ayurvedshala of great Ayurvedacharya Chawan Maharishi, were able to effectively treat the common as well as chronic diseases and ailments by prescribing herbal medicines at a cost affordable by one and all. These great Ayurvedacharyas possessed expert knowledge of medicinal and herbal plants and were the repository of the treasure of Ayurvedic sciences handed down to them generations after generations for thousands of years. All this was however given a much lesser importance in later years of independent India as Allopathy caught great attention in the medical profession. The efforts and attention invested in modern medical sciences and the intensive research and development using most modern tools of scientific drug design left Ayurveda way behind in pharmaceutical research and clinical investigations.
But to say that Allopathy is of no value will be a blasphemy and a blatant injustice to great service rendered by modern medical sciences that achieved great capabilities to fight many deadly diseases and viruses. The great advances made on the diagnostic fronts and great capabilities of genome sequencing, gene slicing, stem cell therapy, bloodless surgery, nanomedicines, targeted drug delivery, heart surgery and organ transplants have proved highly valuable for healthcare sector at national and global levels.
We need to assimilate these scientific tools of diagnostics and scientific analysis in advancing the frontiers of Ayurvedic science and herbal drug discovery.
There is thus a strong case for integrating modern science into Herbal Drug design and drug discovery now that herbal drug technology has emerged as a new discipline for scientific research on herbs and medicinal plants.
Baba Ramdev not only must appreciate these scientific advances in the health care sector but also think seriously how the advanced tools of diagnostics and scientific analysis could be integrated in research on Ayurvedic medicines including in ayurvedic drug design and drug discovery.
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I count myself as one of the great beneficiaries of Ayurveda as during my childhood at the age of around 3 years I had developed liver problem that became almost incurable. The allopathic doctors had given up and having lost all the hopes my mother took me to our village. It is here the village Ayurveda expert Pt Khushi Lal Chobe treated my liver sorosis by administering a fresh drop of Gular milk on a sugar patti, popularly called Batasa early morning before sunrise for 2-3 days. The ayurvedic drug worked wonders and my liver became fit and fine. Till date I had no liver problem. I am narrating this only to illustrate the great power of Ayurveda and Herbal medicine. Our herbal pharma scientists at Amity University Haryana carried out scientific research on Gular milk and have discovered that not only it treats the infected liver but also improves the immunity and filed a few patents. No wonder I never had in my life high fever ever nor any liver problem in life till date.
It is heartening that Baba Ramdev has set up a good R&D facility at Haridwar for Patanjali Herbal. But facility alone is not enough. Patanjali R&D Centre should attract the very best of bio scientists, pharmacy experts from within India and from around the globe and create world’s most modern and most advanced research hub in Ayurveda. Patanjali should also fund research on herbal and medicinal plants in selected Universities in India where expertise life for utilizing the most modern scientific tools for research on herbal drug design and drug discovery. The rich wealth of knowledge of Acharya Balkrishna and Swami Ramdev ji would then create a much bigger intellectual wealth of Ayurveda and earn global recognition for this age old ‘Science of Healthy Life’ that our Vedic Seers and Sages developed to assure a healthy life of 100 years and more. The ‘Jivem Sarda Satam’ would then become a reality in our lifetime.
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Thank you Om Prakash ji for endorsing my views. You are witness to the glory of Ayurveda and indigenous medicines that served the masses at highly affordable cost for years together at our historic town of Vidisha.
The medical treatment with modern allopathy is becoming not only expensive but unaffordable by the masses. Now that Corona has created an intense urgency to redesign our life style and the way we go about looking after our wellbeing, a greater space of Ayurveda and Yogic sciences is needed in our Healthcare.
Assuming that you are right Professor,
then just tell me that despite Ramdev mocking our doctors & healthcare workers who are risking their lives everyday, Why did the chairman of Patanjali himself got admitted to AIIMS for his treatment.
Why didn’t #Balkrishna get himself treated at Patanjali Yogpeeth if allopathy is a sham?
Rastogi gi,
I do not endorse the wholsole condemnation of Allopathic Doctors that Bawa Ramdev has allegedly made. Nor do I support those who see no value of Allopathy and the expert support it has created for a number of superspecialities. But I am also not proposing that those advocating Ayurveda and Yogic sciences should not take recourse to Allopathy even when they suffer heart attack or need brain surgery or any emergent treatment to save life. Why should they not use the best of the treatment of allopathy if needed.
We need both scientifically developed Ayurveda and scientifically designed and discovered Ayurvedic medicines as well as Allopathy when needed. The only care we all need to take is not to fall pray to indiscriminate use of steroids and antibiotics except under strict medical emergencies. This is how medicine is practiced in developed countries. There steroids and antibodies are not the first but last choice for treating an ailment.
A much greater investment in R&D in Ayurveda and indigenous medicines is needed to make Ayurveda a world beater. China has already shown the way how indigenous medicines could be developed.
Comment from Prof JK Mehta recd on whattsapp by the Author Prof PB Sharma:
Thanks Sir for sharing your above facts based upto date knowledge of Both Ayurveda and Ailopathic treatment processes.. Whereas ayurveda has been proud discovery of our own Rishis and Munis from time immemorial.. Ailopathic medical is based upon scientific research and so have successfully caterers to the new infections including Covid. Baba Ramdev established a research institute in Haridwar and came out with herbal medicine for Covid also. But GOI didn’t promote it . Baba Ramdev ji is not qualified enough to challenge the new inventions and discoveries by the scientific community of the world.. Therefore, herbal medicine for Covid has been sidelined because of unproven efficacy. Your own succesful liver treatment during your childhood is a proof of its efficacy.. You are right that indiscriminate use of strong Antibiotics and Steroids , particularly during present times, has resulted many many untimely deaths in hospitals. I am undergoing same stressful state of mind because of very strong Antibiotics being prescribed to my 70 yrs old wife resulting in total loss of appetite and feeling not hungry resulting in inability to walk independently, except with a walker. It’s a long 6 months treatment. Finally I am consulting an Ayurvedic medicines practitioner Dr Ashokan . How to save the previous life of my wife is my top priority. I have not visited any Ailopathic and Ayurvedic Dr for myself, thanks to regular Yoga Practices and meditation and taking honey mixed lime water for the last 25 yrs. Zero expenses on medicine. I am very keen to promote our own holistic treatments without any medicines.
I feel honoured to endorse views of kulpati Pritam B Sharma ji.Being from Vidisha I am aware of amazing cure of his liver solocis through Ayurvedic therapy of Pt Choubey.Aureveda is as old as Indian civilization.It was practised as Sewa for generations But due to onset of market economy,it was NOT pursuaded further.Unfortunately it was discouraged in independent India.The testimony is All India Institute of Ayurveda,saritavihar where the hospital building took 16 years to complete.Foundation stone laid in 2002 while Vajpayee ji was PM & inaugurated by NaMo in 2018.The recent conduct of IMA under missionary Jayaram is suspicious.