Science or traditional medicine???

Dr. Surendra Chaudhary

Ayurveda

What is Ayurveda? We, the Ayurveda people know well what

Ayurveda stands for, but we ever think what other people of the world know about Ayurveda?

“Science of life” is the meaning of Ayurveda if we break the word in to two Ayu= life and Veda= science. This definition is in practice for so many years but when people start looking beyond this definition what they think about Ayurveda from internet or elsewhere is a matter of concern for me and entire Ayurveda world.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda scholars defines Ayurveda As-

AYU- LongevityVEDA- Wisdom(Wisdom= Knowledge with experience.)

So we can define Ayurveda as“SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING AND ART OF NATURAL HEALING”

The big question ??????

“Ayurveda is a science or not?”

The big question ??????

IS Ayurveda .. Traditional Medicine? Indigenous Medicine ? Folklore Medicine ? Complimentary Medicine ? Alternative Medicine And So on……………..

What world say about AYURVEDA Entire world knows Ayurveda as-

TM- Traditional medicine, AM - Alternate medicine, CM - Complementary Medicine

or CAM- Complementary

Alternative Medicine

Traditional medicine- TM-“Traditional medicine is the sum

total of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health, as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses.” (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/index.html)

What dictionary says about Traditional & knowledge -

Traditional-“Being part of the beliefs, customs or way of life of a particular group of people, that has not changed for a long time” [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/traditional]

Knowledge-“The information, understanding and skills that you gain through education or experience” [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/knowledge]

Alternative and/or Complementary Medicine AM or CM-“Traditional medicine that

has been adopted by other populations (outside its indigenous culture) is often termed alternative or complementary medicine.”

Means Ayurveda is Alternate or complimentary medicine for those countries which doesn’t have it as indigenous, not in India.

W.H.O’s explanation of the word Indigenous…….. “Indigenous medicine is generally transmitted orally through a community, family and

individuals until "collected". Within a given culture, elements of indigenous medicine knowledge may be diffusely known by many, or may be gathered and applied by those in a specific role of healer such as a shaman or midwife.

Three factors legitimize the role of the healer – their own beliefs, the success of their actions and the beliefs of the community.

When the claims of indigenous medicine become rejected by a culture, generally three types of adherents still use it-

1. Those born and socialized in it who become permanent believers,

2. Temporary believers who turn to it in crisis times, 3. and those who only believe in specific aspects, not in

all of it” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_medicine#cite_note-WHO-0)]

Ayurveda in dictionary-

Oxford dictionary says- “The traditional Hindu system of medicine (incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four Vedas), which is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing”. (http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0052470#m_en_gb0052470)

Webster dictionary says- “An ancient medical treatise summarizing the Hindu art of healing and prolonging life, sometimes regarded as 5th Veda”. (http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/ayurveda)

Ayurveda- Science of Life “Science- knowledge about the

structure and behaviour of the natural and physical world, based on facts that you can prove, for example by experiments” [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/science]

What Ayurveda really is ? Science Indigenous medicine, Traditional medicine or Folklore medicine ?

It is pure science….. Ayurveda is being projected in a

wrong way by all the authentic sources- Ayurveda is a science which can be proven by all parameters described in the definition of science [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/science]

Number of clinical and evidence based studies are making regular presence in the famous medical periodicals like “PubMed” and “LANCET”

Ayurveda is a proven science All these definitions and citations by

the dictionaries clearly shows How scientific Ayurveda Is.

It needs more scientific approach to understand Ayurveda.

The last one……. Please be proud of being the part of

this ancient science and contribute something out of your vast knowledge for the development of AYURVEDA

Your comments and feedback awaited.

Thanks dr.surendra.chaudhary@gmail.com