ACCLAIMED NEW BOOK BY CHICAGO NEUROLOGIST COMBINES MODERN, AYURVEDIC MEDICAL THOUGHT

Business Wire Report
Chicago, Illinois USA
Sunday, October 11, 2015

Offering new hope to the 36 million Americans suffering from migraines: Dr. Trupti Gokani introduces The Mysterious Mind: How to Use Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science to Heal Your Headaches and Reclaim Your Health.

If you’ve had a headache lately, you’re not alone. An estimated 36 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. But if misery loves company, what it loves even more is a solution to the suffering. To give the public her unique insights about what causes headache pain and how to prevent and heal it, board-certified neurologist Dr. Trupti Gokani has written a practical book that seeks to crack the code on the mysterious mind and how it’s connected to other systems in the body, like the gut, the adrenals and the liver.

The Mysterious Mind: How to Use Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science to Heal Your Headaches and Reclaim Your Health has been amassing 5-star reviews from headache sufferers and even from fellow neurologists. The book has been called “a must-have … for every migraine sufferer,” “a great resource for natural healing,” and “a roadmap to good health.”

When most people hear the word “disease,” they think of something deadly, uncontrollable and swift ― like cancer. But we're facing an epidemic of “dis-ease” ― of Americans simply feeling unwell and unable to embrace the lives they want to lead. They’re tired, overweight and inflamed. They’re dealing with ongoing digestive issues, they aren't sleeping well, and many are suffering from debilitating headaches.

Dr. Gokani explains: “People say, ‘I just don’t feel healthy.’ They look in the mirror and wonder what happened to the vibrant person they were in their teens, 20s or 30s. They want to get back to that level of health, but they don’t know how.” According to Dr. Gokani, getting back to that “healthy you” requires understanding your natural state. Once you know what a balanced self looks like, you can identify the symptoms of imbalance and make changes to reverse the trajectory of poor health. In ancient Ayurvedic medicine, or Ayurveda (a science that dates back more than 5,000 years), these natural states are called Doshas. We are born with one or more Doshas that dominate our nature. There are three types: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. “Understanding your unique Dosha is the key to your health. Living a life in balance with your Dosha will alleviate many symptoms, such as headaches, mood issues, sleep disturbances, digestive issues and more. It’s really that simple,” says Dr. Gokani.

The Mysterious Mind tackles these questions, and more:

Why do I get HEADACHES and how can I prevent them?
Is it normal to be CONSTIPATED all the time?
Isn't there something I can do to cure my ACHING JOINTS?
Why can't I get my MOODS in balance?
What would it take for me to not feel so STRESSED OUT all the time?
Isn't there something I can do about my INSOMNIA?
Are there certain foods or ways to prepare my foods to help BALANCE my mind and body?

The Mysterious Mind has already begun to change and improve the lives of its readers, who are taking to social media with their stories and are writing book reviews in praise of its impact on their health. Rana Mafee, MD, goes a step further, suggesting that Dr. Gokani’s insights might also change how other physicians treat headache pain, characterizing Dr. Gokani as a professional who has “ingenuity, creativity, bravery, and a pioneering personality to pave the way to changing the culture in the neurology community to bring about more effective treatments.”

The Mysterious Mind is an accessible 178-page book written directly to the average person. It contains relatable stories, quizzes and checklists. The book helps readers interpret lab results that other doctors have called “normal,” and explains which herbals and nutrients are most beneficial for the brain and which medications are preferred (if medications are necessary). Because the book offers recommendations that are mindful of a patient’s Dosha, the approach is personalized enough to avoid “cookie-cutter” treatments, but is broad enough to be meaningful to any reader. Inside the book is a special offer for a free download of Dr. Gokani’s dietary handbook and recipes.

“Everyone deserves a chance to reclaim their life and live pain free. Everyone deserves answers to why they suffer and what they can do about it. Many believe these questions would go unanswered forever. That is simply not the case,” says Dr. Gokani.

The Mysterious Mind is now available in trade paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, where it was ranked #5 among pain management books. The book was also released last week on iTunes.

Trupti Gokani, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified neurologist best known for her innovative and integrative approach to treating headache pain. Her unique melding of modern medicine and ancient wisdom has enabled her to establish a thriving private practice in suburban Chicago. When not in the clinic, Dr. Gokani dedicates her time and significant insights to helping the wider community understand how to feel optimal, through a deeper appreciation of the mind-body connection. Dr. Gokani has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, is a blogger for The Huffington Post, and is part of a forthcoming documentary on Ayurveda.

50,000 MORE AYUSH DOCTORS REGISTERED IN 2013-2014

Times of India (Sushmi Dey)
New Delhi, India
Thursday, September 24, 2015

Traditional medicine streams such as Ayurveda, homeopathy and siddha seem to be gaining popularity with over 50,000 more doctors registering between 2013 and 2014, showed statistics collected by Central Bureau of Health Intelligence in National Health Profile, 2015.

"Over the years with gaining popularity, there is a steady rise in total number of registered AYUSH doctors in India from 6,86,319 in 2013 to 7,36,538 in 2014," the Profile highlighted.

According to the data, ayurvedic practitioners constitute the majority of it with over 54% of them registered with the government.

The government is now planning to induct AYUSH doctors into the mainstream medical system with required training to serve the rural population. Though allopathic doctors too have increased over past few years, the doctor patient ratio continues to lag. According to the data, an allopathic doctor in a government hospital is estimated to serve a population of 11,528 people.

Officials believe, utilizing AYUSH doctors to at least serve the distant rural area, where allopathic doctors do not wish to go, may help the situation. Of late, AYUSH has received tremendous support from the government. The present government has not only promoted the traditional medicine stream through events like the International Day of Yoga but has also proposed to support research to create documentation of the results of treatments of various chronic diseases through AYUSH. The government is now also mulling to set up a separate regulator for AYUSH medicines and practitioners.

"These (AYUSH doctors) are trained medical practitioners and can be used in at least primary care centres and district hospitals where the footfall is high with dearth of doctors," an official said.

"India with its kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage, is proud of some unique medicinal forms that look at health, disease and causes of disease in completely different ways," the Profile said.

States such as Bihar and Maharashtra, which are also impacted by poor doctor-patient ratio, have witnessed increasing trend in number of AYUSH doctors.

KOZHIKODE TO HOST GLOBAL AYURVEDA FETE

The Hindu
Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala, India
Sunday, October 4, 2015

Kozhikode will host the third edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) and Arogya Expo, said to be the largest biennial get-together of Ayurveda fraternity from January 29 to February 2.

About 5,000 delegates from 50 countries will take part in the conclave of Ayurveda enthusiasts at the Swapna Nagari here. Manifold stakeholders of Ayurveda including practitioners and students, manufactures, hospitals, medical plant growers, government and non-government agencies, service organisations, and civil society organisations will be part of the mega event.

The GAF is being organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action in association with the State government, Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisations of India, Ayurveda Drug Manufactures Association and Kerala State Indian Systems of Medicine of Medicine Self Financing Management Association, State Department of AYUSH, Department of Tourism and Department of Industry. The State AYUSH Department has appointed a nodal officer for the effective coordination of the event, organising committee chairman, P. Madhavan Kutty Warrier, convener M.M. Sanil Kumar and general convener Manoj Kaloor, told a news conference here on Saturday.

The GAF has been positioned as the destination festival on Ayurveda in the State to bridge the great native medicinal tradition with the global community that remains curious to gather knowledge, care, products and collaborations from India.

Both the preceding conferences organised in Thiruvananthapuram in 2012 and in Kochi, 2014, have made the GAF into an internationally recognised event in Ayurveda.

The delegates’ participation shows consistent growth from 1,800 in 2012 to 4,000 in 2014. President of Mauritius Raj Keswur Purryag was the chief guest at the Kochi conference. “This time we are planning to rope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inaugural function,” Dr. Kaloor said.

The GAF 2016 will have a host of activities including an international seminar on the theme, ‘Women’s Health,’ and exhibition of 500 stalls in which Ayurveda hospitals, drug manufacturing industry and various government and NGOs will showcase their services and products. Solidarity meets, live treatment clinics, workshops, an international business meet are other events, they said.

AS DENGUE THREATENS GUJARAT, AYURVEDA A POPULAR TREATMENT

Times of India (Ankur Tewari)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Tuesday, September 22, 2015

IIT-Gandhinagar student Minal Shah was petrified when her room-mate Sejal Tripathi was hospitalized with dengue fever this month. Since there is no specific vaccine or drug for the fatal disease, she took shelter in homemade remedies as a preventive measure.

Hers is not a lone case. With Aedes aegypti mosquito spreading dengue terror in the city, people have placed their hopes on alternative medicine — the ancient science of Ayurveda to protect themselves from the deadly bite.

Ayurveda experts are strongly endorsing the use of papaya juice, cow milk, desi ghee and neem to not only prevent dengue, but also H1N1 influenza.

Surprisingly, papaya leaves not only help prevent dengue, but also increase platelet counts. "The humble papaya leaf is a miracle panacea. I recommended its paste to several patients with less than 35,000 platelet count and it worked wonders," said Dr Dinesh Chandra Pandya, medical superintendent, Akhandanand Ayurvedic College.

He said: "Since nose is the route of all infections in the body, putting two drops of pure desi ghee in nose twice a day will guard you against all viruses."

Alpana Vasavada, a teacher in a private school, said: "My husband was diagnosed with dengue on September 5. I gave him the paste extracted from papaya leaves daily. This miraculously helped reduce the loss in platelet count."

Dr Pandya also recommended Sudarshan Ghanvati and Shamshamni Vati as an alternative treatment for dengue and swine flu. "Both are widely used for chronic fever. Patients have two tablets each of Sudarshan Ghanvati and Shamshamni Vati with warm water twice a day," he said.

Papaya tablets: Many pharmaceutical companies are selling papaya extracts in a tablet form to cash in on its popularity. A bottle of 15 tablets costs from Rs 300 to Rs 500.

Papaya paste: Devein the leaves of 'desi' papaya and use a mixer to make it into a thick paste. Remember not to mix water in it. Take 20ml (about four teaspoons) twice a day for at least a week on an empty stomach. Chymopapin and papin enzymes in the leaf not only guard you against dengue, but also help regenerate depleting platelet count.

Cow milk, dry ginger water: That cow milk helps bones grow strong is a common perception. But Ayurvedic experts claim that several enzymes found in this protein-rich milk can fight viral infections and dengue. After H1N1 or dengue, observe fast for at least two days and drink just dry ginger water for faster recovery.

Neem, Tulsi: Though bitter in taste, 11 leaves each of neem and tusli should be grounded and filtered. Consume 20ml twice a day. Even after recovery, this may be continued for another two days. Neem oil can also be mixed with coconut oil and rubbed on exposed body parts to ward off mosquitoes

Giloy (Guduchi):: It has a range of chemical constituents which are effective against different set of diseases. It is widely used in fever due to its anti inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Have at least 20ml on empty stomach twice a day.

EDITORIAL: WHAT ABOUT THE MEDICAL SECRETS IN OUR SCRIPTURES?

Times of India (Sushmi Dey)
Saturday, October 11, 2015
New Delhi, India

This year's Nobel Prize has focused international attention on traditional medicine but India is still not tapping the full potential of its herbal remedies.

Sometimes it takes an old solution to crack an even older problem.T his year's Nobel Prize for medicine points to that: Three scientists who reached back into nature and traditional remedies to develop therapies to fight parasites that cause malaria, filariasis and river blindness -all diseases as old as humankind -were awarded jointly for their work.

It's research that has many Indian doctors and experts shaking their heads in regret as they say India has many more such herbs, metals and minerals that are used in natural remedies which are documented in ancient scriptures. It's just that no one has applied scientific techniques to test their efficacy and develop medicines, as Chinese doctor and Nobel winner Youyou Tu did. She drew on traditional Chinese medicine practices to rediscover a powerful plant-based antimalarial agent artemisinin.

The other two winners, William Campbell from the US, and Satoshi Omura from Japan, have isolated bacteria from soil to develop a new drug, aver mectin, which fights roundworm parasites that cause filariasis and river blindness.

"There is enormous potential in India to develop similar herb-based medicines but it is a long process and needs institutionalized programmes," says Delhibased cardiologist Deepak Natarajan.

India has a catalogue of herbs and much of their use has been described in ancient texts and documents but there is a gap in its dissemination. "The data is primitive. There has been no development on it, no research to gather scientific evidence or prove consistency," says Natarajan.

Youyou Tu and her team found a reference to the use of sweet wor mwood, in which ar temisinin is present, in a Chinese text dating back to about 400AD. "From a large-scale screen of herbal remedies in malaria-infected animals, an extract from the plant Artemisia annua emerged as an interesting candidate," the Nobel committee says on its website. However, the results were inconsistent, so Tu revisited the ancient literature and discovered clues that guided her in her quest to successfully extract the active component from Artemisia annua.

The current government's moves to promote traditional system of medicines - ayurveda, unani, siddha and homeopathy (AYUSH) - have brought a ray of hope. The department was upgraded to ministry status last year and its budget allocation upped to Rs 1,214 crore. "We are commissioning research and observational studies to gather and document evidence on use of ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines," a senior official in the Ayush ministry said. Though the government wants to promote these streams, people do not have confidence in them due to lack of enough scientific evidence, he says. "Therefore, efforts are focused on documenting data through clinical trials and cohort studies."

Government data shows that malaria cases in the country rose from 8.8 lakh in 2013 to 10.7 lakh in 2014. Mortality due to the disease increased from 440 deaths in 2013 to 535 in 2014. And though artemisinin-based combination therapy has helped save millions of lives across the world and India, a new worry is resistance to the drug. It's already been de tected in Myanmar, quite close to the Indian border, a recent Lancet article warned.

Besides malaria, India bears the burden of other tropical diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, encephalitis and cholera.Many parasitic and bacterial diseases and infections have become resistant to regular medication.

Despite this, research on these diseases has slowed down and attention has shifted to chronic or lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

Herbal medicines or those based on natural products can help bring down the cost of treatment, says PK Arora, consultant, Ayurveda, at Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital. "For instance, neem and its bark have tremendous medicinal value and can be used to treat many tropical diseases but unfortunately, we are neither using these herbs nor promoting them," he says.

Experts say many of these therapies are not just cheaper but also don't have the side effects of allopathic medicines. In fact, several pharmaceutical companies have started manufacturing herb-based medicines.

DOCUMENARY FILM MADE ON LIFE OF DR. VASANT LAD, AYURVEDA PIONEER

Substratum Films
Brooklyn, New York
Undated (2014)

When Vasant Lad was eight years old, his guru predicted that he would one day spread the teachings and practices of Ayurveda in the Unites States. For a small boy in rural India who couldn't speak English, this seemed impossible, but that is exactly what came to be. This feature length documentary follows the journey of a simple man who has devoted his life to one of the oldest known medical systems in the world: Ayurveda.

Doctor Lad: The Movie is a documentary film exploring the life of renowned Ayurvedic physician Dr. Vasant Lad and is currently in production. The film is directed by Jeremy Frindel, Brooklyn-based filmmaker (most known for his award winning film One Track Heart: The Story Of Krishna Das) in tells the story of Dr. Lad's "pilgrimage of healing" that brought him from being a University professor of ayurveda in Pune, India to become North America's premier exponent of this ancient healing art.

The film follows the journey from Dr. Lad's childhood to his medical training and the Ayurveda movement in the West that his work has sparked. Filming began on this project in 2013 with travel to India and New Mexico to film Dr. Lad. This film has the enthusiastic support of Vasant Lad and his Ayurvedic Institute, and is being independently funded through individuals donors and private investors.

Detailed information is available at the film's website (http://www.vasantladmovie.com) and the movie's trailer can be viewed online at https://vimeo.com/88393685

FDA: HIGH MERCURY LEVEL FOUND IN BAIDYANATH PRODUCTS

US Food & Drug Administration
Washington, DC
Friday, September 17, 2015

On September 17, 2015, the USFDA announced that Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Ayurvedic dietary supplements were found to contain high levels of lead and/or mercury, which can cause serious health problems.

Excessive exposure to mercury can cause kidney or gastrointestinal problems with short-term use. Longer term use (a month or longer) can cause neurological problems and potentially be fatal. Exposure to levels found in these supplements can also cause psychiatric and personality disturbances, ataxia (or loss of coordination), visual loss and hearing loss.

Other symptoms of mercury poisoning include loss of coordination, "pins and needles" sensations usually in the hands, feet, and around the mouth, and muscle weakness. Exposure to lead, even at low levels, is associated with neurological impairment, and in children, learning disabilities and lower IQ scores. The levels of lead found in these products exceeds the recommended daily lead exposure for children less than 6 years of age and women of childbearing age and can potentially cause serious injury. Symptoms of lead toxicity include abdominal pain, headache, changes in blood pressure, dizziness, kidney and brain damage.

Baidyanath Ayurvedic supplements are manufactured by manufactured by Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan in India and are sold in the U.S. in retail stores and through internet sales.

The following products are affected, and the USFDA recommends that consumers avoid the following:

Agnitundi Bati
Arogyavardhini Bati
Brahmi Bati
Chitrakadi Bati
Gaisantak Bati
Marichyadi Bati
Rajahpravartini Bati
Saptamrit Lauh
Sarivadi Bati
Shankh Bati

The FDA is working to identify store which may have sold these products. One such store, Butala Emporium, Inc. of Jackson Heights, NY, has issued a recall of the products. The agency recommends that anyone who has purchased these products should stop taking them immediately and consult with their health care provider, even if you are not having symptoms. Those who believe they are having an adverse event related to these products should seek immediate medical care and/or contact a poison control center.

AYUSH MINISTRY RED FLAGS GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

The Times of India

September 11, 2015
New Delhi, India

New Delhi: Just as the government struggles to find some middle ground on Genetically Modified crops, there is a fresh twist to the politically sensitive issue. The "Ayush" ministry, which deals with Ayurveda and other Indian systems of medicine, has raised concerns with the environment ministry on the possible adverse impact GM crops could have on certain wild varieties of medicinal plants used for Ayurvedic purposes.

And in this context, the Ayush ministry has sought representation in the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) — the apex body that clears GM field trials in India. In 2010 too, the ministry had issues with Bt Brinjal and had made them known to the environment ministry. It raised the matter yet again with the ministry late last year writing to them.

When contacted by ET with queries on the same, the environment ministry said: "Ayush had nothing to do with GEAC. National Biodiversity Authority is already a member." Ayush officials confirmed to ET that they had taken up the matter with the environment ministry.

"We did write to them in late 2014 as well. The request was made because of several representations from the practitioners of Ayurvedic and also Unani medicines who feel that crosspollinated GM crops may affect other wild varieties of plants used for medicinal purposes. We are yet to hear from the environment ministry," Somita Biswas, CEO of the National Medicinal Plants Board — a body under the Ayush ministry — told ET.

However, senior Ayush ministry officials sought to nuance their position. "We are not opposed to introduction of GM crops as such. But there are views on the possible implications of GM introduction on the other species. We have only said that this issue must be addressed and the same can be done if we participate in the GEAC meetings."

The Modi government is in a bind on GM crops due to strong opposition from many right-wing outfits like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. The Modi government has not yet articulated a clear policy view on the subject. The environment ministry held a GEAC meeting last week, but it was only the second such meeting in the government's term so far and has been kept completely under wraps.

GLOBAL CONFERENCE on AYURVEDA & AUTOMIMMUNE DISEASES - OCTOBER 2015

PR Newswire.com
September 11, 2015

The Fifteenth Annual International Conference om Ayurveda & Autoimmune Disorders will take place on October 9th through 11th, 2015 at the Biltmore Hotel Conference Center, 2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA, organized by Global Ayurveda Conferences, LLC and is being hosted by Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America, includes a wide array of keynote and featured speakers from various countries – USA, Ireland, Canada, India, Thailand and Australia.

The conference is open to all health professionals including integrative medicine physicians, naturopathic doctors, massage therapists, yoga teachers, registered nurses, chiropractors, physicians’ assistants, dentists, osteopaths, alternative medicine practitioners, dietitians, nutritionists, and all who are interested in ayurveda.

Featured speakers include Drs. Anand Joshi, Pratibha Gramann, Rucha Kelkar, Cynthia Copple, Tom Yarema, Namyatha Pathak Gandhi, Devika Deshmukh, Priyatarssini Balamurugen, Kathy Gehleken, Mary Sullivan, Darshan Desai, Rekha Nair, Swati Mohite, Prashanth Acharya, Shanmugamurthy Lakshmanan, and Samarth Rao, and the conference will focus on rheumatoid arthritis (ama vata), psychology in autoimmune disorders, building the immune system, ayurvedic samvahana (relaxation) therapy, daily routine, biochemistry of cellular healing, sarcoidosis, and snehana (oleation) therapy in various kinds of autoimmune disorders.

Registration are being accepted online at globalayurvedaconferences.com/registration-ayurveda-autoimmune-disorders/

PATENT ISSUED FOR AYURVEDIC ANTI-RABIES MEDICATION

New Indian Express
Monday, September 10, 215
Thuruvananthapuram, India

A traditional ayurveda practitioner from Kozhikode got patent for his herbal composition which has proved effective against Rhabdovirus. Sivaraman Vaidyar, a traditional ayurveda practitioner from Thondayad, received the official information regarding the awarding of the patent two weeks ago from the Chennai office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks. The recognition comes after the ayurvedic medicine was submitted for patent in 2008.

Sivaraman Vaidyar says that the medicine has been developed purely from herbs and he wants to make it available in the market for everyone. “It is said that there is no effective medicine once the symptoms of rabies come to fore. But, normalcy can be regained if my medicine is given to the patients within 36 hours of incident,” said Sivaraman Vaidyar.

The traditional healer initiated the steps to patent his medicine after it was found to be effective in a large number of cases. The Vaidyar added that the cost of the medicine is very low when compared to those which are presently widely used and prescribed by the physicians.

Claiming that the effectiveness of the medicine has been scientifically proved, the Vaidyar says that it was approved by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bengaluru. Besides, according to him, permission to collect the herbs has been obtained from the National Biodiversity Authority.

The traditional healer has been approached by various pharmaceutical companies expressing interest to produce the medicine on industrial basis.

“I am yet to take a final decision. If I get a call from any government agency, priority will be given to such agencies,” he adds.

"IT'S ALL WORK AND NO PAY" SAY AYUSH DOCTORS

Times of India
July 14, 2015
Bangalore, India

"We have been used like tissue papers and mercilessly thrown in the waste bin..." This is how a few Ayush doctors described the government's alleged apathy towards them.

At a press meet here on Monday, they alleged that they haven't been provided with adequate facilities despite serving in rural parts of the state for years. They have decided to go on an indefinite protest from July 20.

The government had sought the services of Ayush doctors in 2006 as there was a shortage of MBBS doctors in public health centres (PHC). They were recruited on contract basis with a promise to make them permanent later on. "Our many pleas for increase in basic salary and other benefits like insurance cover and TA/DA allowance have fallen on deaf ears. We run 272 public health centres in north Karnataka but we still don't have a permanent job," rued BS Madhukar, Ayurveda doctor.

According to him, in the past eight years, the government has given them medicines only thrice. "These drugs last only for three months. How can we continue treating poor patients if we are not supplied with adequate medicines?" he asked.

Atmaram M Shetty, another doctor, said though the basic salary of allopathy doctors was raised to Rs 28,000, Ayush practitioners received only Rs 13,000 till 2014. "Though it was increased to Rs 15,400 this year, we are struggling to meet family expenses," he added.

"In case of emergency leave, our salary is deducted. Allopathy doctors went on a protest demanding revision in salary last year and the government immediately considered it,'' Shivalinga PPA, member of NRHM Karnataka Ayush Doctors' Association, said.

NIMHANS TO OFFER AYURVEDIC THERAPIES TO PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Times of India
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
by Sunitha Rao
Bangalore, India

Every fourth Saturday of the month, the otherwise quiet Advanced Centre for Ayurveda inside the sprawling Nimhans (the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience) campus comes alive. A psychiatrist and an ayurveda doctor screen 60-80 patients suffering from muscular dystrophy and other psychiatric illnesses. The ayurveda centre has been helping those suffering from schizophrenia to tackle their violent, aggressive behaviour and sleeplessness. Nimhans has been collaborating with the Indian ancient medicine since 1959. In 1970, the centre was upgraded by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) with the establishment of the Advanced Centre for Ayurveda in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences on 1.5 acres inside Nimhans.

Dr D Sudhakar, assistant director of the centre, said: "The focus is more on collaborative studies. They are suggested select therapies of Panchakarma that does detoxification. Medicated oil massage, termed Shirodhara in ayurveda, is also helpful. Today, almost every house has a psychiatric patient and a diabetic. Anxiety, stress, depression have become so common." He further said, "There is no 100% result for medication in neurological disorders. So we suggest them kriyas in ayurveda that can help them. For instance, those suffering from muscular dystrophy are suggested some Panchakarma therapies that reduce stiffness in the arms and calf muscles. What we give is supportive therapy." Dr P Satish Chandra, director of Nimhans, said, "Psychiatric patients and those suffering from neuro-generative disorders are told about possible treatment in ayurveda. We go ahead only if the patient is willing to take up ayurvedic therapies along with allopathic treatment." However, the 30-bed hospital, which sees 40 patients at the OPD everyday, lacks certain facilities.

A remark in the patient's feedback records summed up the scene at the centre. "For a Panchakarma treatment it requires seven days of stay in the hospital. But the facilities have to improve. When ayurveda treatment is on, we expect a typical ayurvedic diet chart, but here, the food given to all Nimhans patient is the same from the same kitchen. Ayurvedic centre should have its own kitchen," a patient wrote in the feedback records.

Low IQ? Get treated here

The Advanced Centre for Ayurveda in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, which is conducting in Manasa Mandata (slight mental retardation) among children, picks over 50 students from various schools every year for treatment. "We visit schools and find out the IQ of children in the age group of 8-13 years. We make them play games, interact with them and assess their IQ. The IQ for children of this age group should be ideally 90-100. But we have seen children whose IQ was below 52, and the parents, teachers were not much aware of it," said Shruthi Keerthi, a clinical psychologist at the centre. "In some cases, mild mental retardation can be noticed in the form of frequent bed wetting, lack of concentration and poor communication skills. We first reach out to the schools and explain the teachers about our project. We also interact with children. But it's the parents who have to bring the children to our centre after interacting with the teachers," she added.

Ayurvedic medicines like Saraswath Gritha (medicated ghee) and Brahmee Gritha made up of herbs are used to treat mild mental retardation. "There is a lot of stigma associated with these problems. We have had cases wherein after a couple of months of treatment with us, the children have improved their IQ from 52 to 61," Shruthi Keerthi added.

Reading palm leaves keeps him busy At a time when people of his age enjoy their post-retirement life, Lakshmi Narayana H S, 64-year-old ayurveda practitioner, is busy reading palm-leaf manuscripts about ayurveda to bring them to the mainstream. "Not all that is written and researched about ayurveda by our ancestors is available now. My effort is to make those manuscripts get into the mainstream... The inscriptions I have carry ayurvedic solutions for cancer, geriatric problems, heart ailments, diabetes."

It means that these diseases prevailed then also and the medicines they have suggested can be relevant now, said Lakshmi Narayana from Anekal, who retired as a clerk at the Advanced centre for Ayurveda, Nimhans. He has palm-leaf books of various sizes ranging from 25 leaves to 300 leaves. "I go in search of palm-leaf scripts. Sometimes people have contacted me and given the palm leaves they have for studies," he added. As a young boy, he grew up seeing his uncle provide ayurveda treatment to people which nurtured his curiosity for the Indian traditional medicine." He has transcribed the inscriptions in Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Halegannada and Telugu. He uses magnifying glasses to read the inscriptions and makes note of them in Kannada. "Some of the palm leaves that date back to the Krishnadevaraya empire of Vijayanagara, have details of medicines for different kinds of fever," Lakshmi Narayana added.

"I appreciate his efforts. But we do not know whether the manuscripts he has transcribed are present in the ayurvedic textbooks already," said Dr D Sudhakar, additional director of Centre for Ayurveda in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences.

AYURVEDA GETS NOD FROM SWISS GOVERNMENT

Swissinfo.ch
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
by Anand Chandrasekhar
Berne, Switzerland

Practitioners of traditional Indian medicine Ayurveda will soon be able to get a federally recognised national diploma after passing an exam. They hope this move will bring credibility, especially in the eyes of health insurance providers.

Prior to the approval of the national exam and diploma, Ayurveda lacked official recognition in Switzerland unlike other complementary and alternative medicine practices.

“Training institutes and schools offer diplomas but they are not officially recognised," Catherine Goodman Zosso, vice president of the Swiss Professional Association for Ayurveda Practitioners and Therapists (VSAMT), told swissinfo.ch.

She believes that one of the main reasons for Ayurveda’s failure to be taken seriously by the authorities is that it is associated more with “wellness” than with medicine. “Many hotels offer Ayurveda massages as a part of their spa packages and in the early days most Ayurveda practitioners had minimal qualifications and experience,” she says.

As a result of this lack of credibility and recognition, most health insurers refuse to reimburse patients for the cost of Ayurveda consultations, including those with supplementary coverage for alternative therapies.

“I have been practising in Switzerland for over ten years but have only been recognised by insurers for two years,” Bern-based Ayurveda therapist Krishnan Binu told swissinfo.ch. “Most insurers do not reimburse patients for Ayurveda treatments.”

This means patients have to dip into their own pockets if they want to avail of an Ayurvedic consultation.

Lobbying authorities

After being rejected in 2005 by the authorities for lack of scientific proof of their efficacy, complementary and alternative medicines made a comeback in 2009 when two-thirds of Swiss backed their inclusion on the constitutional list of paid health services. As a result of the vote, five alternative therapies – homeopathy, holistic, herbal and neural therapies and traditional Chinese medicine – were included under the basic health insurance package on a trial basis from 2012 to 2017, provided they are administered by certified medical doctors.

Despite efforts to lobby the government, Ayurveda was not included among them.

“The authorities asked us to wait until the trial period for these five therapies was over before demanding the inclusion of Ayurveda,” Franz Rutz, president of VSAMT and one of the main leaders of the people’s initiative, told swissinfo.ch.

Instead, the association concentrated on preparing Ayurveda for inclusion among the disciplines eligible for the national diploma. This would allow practitioners without a medical degree to receive an official professional qualification and pave the way for Ayurveda’s recognition by the health insurance industry. Steps taken included clearly differentiating Ayurveda medicine from Ayurvedic massage and categorising the practitioners on the basis of their expertise, experience and qualifications along the lines set out by the national exam requirements.

Their efforts paid off when Ayurveda was officially approved as one of four therapies – including Chinese and European traditional medicine, as well as homeopathy – for the national diploma by the State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation (SERI).

“The Ayurveda groups were very active in the public consultation,” says Nicole Aeby-Egger, who is in charge of professional training at SERI.

Road ahead

The first exams are expected to be held in November and applicants will first have to pass a series of six pre-exams. However, those with recognised qualifications and at least five years of experience could be exempt from the pre-exams. The exam is also open to foreign nationals but will only be offered in German, French and Italian. Besides benefiting the 2,500 alternative medicine therapists in Switzerland, the national diploma is also seen as a victory for patients who put their trust in alternative medicine.

“Patients can soon go to a professional who has passed these exams instead of someone who has done a weekend course,” Rudolf Happle, secretary general of the Organisation of Swiss Alternative Medicine Professionals, told swissinfo.ch.

According to him, the government will maintain a list of practitioners who have obtained the diploma and it is planned that the list will be available on the internet for verification.

India-trained Binu hopes that the national diploma will make Swiss health insurers more receptive to Ayurveda. Rutz, who is heading the Ayurveda lobbying effort, is optimistic.

“We are currently in talks with major health insurers to recognise those who pass these exams,” he says. “So far, we’ve received a positive response from them.”

According to Rutz, the next big challenge is ensuring that practitioners who obtain the national diploma have the right to prescribe Ayurvedic medicines and food supplements. Currently, patients can buy them only from pharmacies due to quality control issues. The Swiss regulations on therapeutic products are currently being revised by the Swiss parliament and Ayurveda practitioners are hoping for yet another reason to celebrate.

KERALA MINISTER URGES AYURVEDIC TREATMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

MD India.Medindia
Mumbai, India
Friday, March 27, 2015

Kerala Health Minister, V.S. Sivakumar, said, "Ayurveda expertise and care for the treatment of various developmental disorders in children, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) will be made available at major Ayurveda hospitals in the State."

Minister Sivakumar inaugurated a scheme that provides Ayurveda treatment for developmental disorders in children, launched in the pediatric division of the Poojappura Ayurveda Hospital for Women and Children, under the Government Ayurveda College, Trivandrum on March 26. "Steps will be taken to strengthen the pediatric wing in Ayurveda hospitals," he said.

A screening programme for identifying development disorders in children was also inaugurated by the Minister. A total number of 103 children below ten years of age were screened. Sixty were detected with cerebral palsy, twenty six were diagnosed with autism, seven were found to be hyperactive, another five had Down's Syndrome and seven children were found to have mental retardation.

PRESIDENT MUKHERJEE: "AURVEDA NOT UNPROVEN, HAVING CURED HIV & TB

DNA/Diligent Media
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
New Delhi, India

Urging to dismiss the notion of Ayurveda as an "unproven" discipline, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said the centuries-old knowledge system is believed to have treated diseases that resembled HIV and tuberculosis in ancient times and needs to be demystified and popularised.

Speaking at the 58th session of the All India Ayurvedic Congress, Mukherjee said for that too long Ayurveda has been dismissed as an "unproven" discipline and he would like to see Ayurvedic medicine being demystified and popularised through informative marketing and user-friendly packaging.

The President said he would like to see the day when we have mobile clinics delivering Ayurvedic treatment and medicine through the villages in all parts of India and that he would particularly like to encourage the youth of India to study, safeguard, practice and propagate this ancient knowledge system.

"It is believed that centuries ago, the medicinal systems of Ayurveda and Siddha had laid down protocols for successfully treating diseases that resembled the diseases that we know today as HIV and tuberculosis. If these remedies could be researched and the findings pursued, they could bring new hope to millions and revolutionise modern medicine," Mukherjee said.

To achieve this, there should be greater collaboration between ayurvedic and allopathic researchers to widen the database of treatment protocols and successful medical practices for the benefit of our people, he said.

"It would also be appropriate to establish channels of direct connectivity between Ayurvedic laboratories and drug manufacturers. Some modern hospitals are additionally offering Ayurveda in the name of integrative medicine. I would definitely encourage hospitals all over India to add the facility and service of Ayurvedic treatment in whichever way they can," he said.

EXPERTS: REGULATORY PANEL FOR AYURVEDA "A MUST"

DNA/Diligent Media
Friday, April 10 2015
New Delhi, India

With new herbal products being introduced in the market every other day, ayurveda experts have demanded a strong regulatory mechanism to ensure people are not misguided and land up in trouble.

According to the experts, it needs more people keep a check on the new herbal products coming into the market. Dr Kuldip Kohli, director of AYUSH in Maharashtra, said, "Every other day, a new herbal product is being introduced in the market which may have a rational or an irrational combination. People feel it is very easy to float their products in the market as there is no good regulatory mechanism to ensure that the product is safe for use."

Dr Kohli, who agrees that ayurveda has been a preferred choice of people for years, said that FDA has a very few drug inspectors to check on these products. "FDA needs to have more drug inspectors for ayurveda like they have for allopathy medicines," said Dr Kohli.

According to ST Patil, joint commissioner (drugs) of FDA, there is only one technical officer for ayurveda. Doctors say that people, especially the ones suffering from chronic ailments, rely on herbal products in the market.

"Such medicines are neither effective nor tested by any drug controller. Hence, it's not advisable for patients to buy them. People tend to discontinue their regular medicines and rely on ayurvedic ones that are not prescribed by an expert and land themselves in trouble," said Dr Tushar Rege, diabetic foot surgeon.

AIIMS ENDORSES AYURVEDA OR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The Times of India
Saturday, April 4, 2015
New Delhi, India

In a significant scientific validation for traditional therapies, India's premier medical institution, AIIMS (the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences) has found certain Ayurvedic formulations effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes irreversible joint damage. The study, conducted on 125 RA patients, found Ayurvedic medicines Ashwagandha powder and Sidh Makardhwaj, helped in relieving pain in tender and swollen joints, and increased mobility in a majority of subjects. Ashwagandha powder is derived from a plant while Sidh Makardhwaj is a formulation of herbal and mineral ingredients.

The study was part of a larger research being conducted by the institution, known for cutting-edge treatments, for scientific validation of therapies offered under traditional systems of medicine. PM Narendra Modi's endorsement of alternative medicine has given further push to the programme.

AIIMS is also conducting multiple studies to validate alternative therapies for epilepsy, Alzheimer's and chronic heart failure, among others. Dr Y K Gupta, who heads AIIMS' pharmacology department, told TOI that scientific validation of alternative therapies and medicines was one of the mandates of the institute.

"Interest in traditional medicines is renewed and growing exponentially due to the adverse drug reactions and economic burden associated with modern system of medicine. The central government is promoting them too," he added.

AIIMS is also conducting studies to validate the medicinal values of turmeric, Shankhpushpi or Evolvulus alsinoides and stem bark of terminalia arjuna (a medicinal plant used by Ayurvedic physicians) for treating various health ailments. AIIMS doctors said Ashwagandha powder had anti-inflammatory, anti-stress and immuno-modulatory properties, which help improving physical function and joint pain in RA patients.

A researcher who participated in the study said the formulations had multiple benefits. The subjects were administered 5 gram of Ashwagandha powder twice a day for three weeks with lukewarm water or milk and 100 gram of Sidh Makardhwaj daily with honey for the next four weeks as part of the pilot study."The drugs decreased RA factor and there was significant change in post-treatment scores of tender joints, swollen joints, pain assessment score and patient self-assessed disability index among other," the researcher said. The study has been published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research.

Dr (Gen) Ved Chaturvedi, rheumatologist at Army (Research and Referral hospital) said this is a welcome step. "Whether we accept it or not, there are many people in India who subscribe to the health benefits of alternative therapies. It is important to scientifically validate the claims about their efficacy rather than ignoring them totally," he said. According to him, rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating condition in which patients have to take life-long medications. "In many cases, where treatment is delayed or the joints get damaged badly, costly joint replacements is done," added Dr Chaturvedi.

The NDA government recently announced opening of institute of Ayurveda on the lines of AIIMS in Delhi and several other parts of the country.

AYURVEDIC SPORTS MEDICINE GAINS WIDE ACCEPTANCE

The Times of India
Friday, March 20, 2015
Kannur, Kerala

The role of ayurveda in sports medicine is increasing day by day and the sports personalities have also started realising this, according to the experts.

Though it is a relatively new wing of the ayurveda, which focuses on the health aspects of sports personalities, including stamina and flexibility of the body, more and more people have showed interest it, said Dr P V Srinivasan, coordinator of the Sports Ayurveda unit, under the Indian Systems of Medicine Department in Kannur.

It was this acceptance which prompted the authorities to organise a two-day workshop here, 'Drona 2015', for the doctors, trainers, physical education teachers and students, he said.

In the workshop, which concluded on Thursday, the experts were of the opinion that the role of sports ayurveda was immense in the performance of the Kerala women's team which clinched gold in the basketball event in the recent National Games, said Srinivasan.

"In this system, no steroids are used and also most of the injuries are treated without any surgical intervention," he said.

Though the system had been practiced in India since time immemorial, especially for the warriors, it was recently that sports ayurveda got some recognition in the sports scenario in the country, said A V Suresh, DMO, Indian Systems of Medicine.

"We can assure that ayurvedic treatment will not come under doping and also it is highly effective in treating soft tissue injuries like ligament, tendom, meniscus," he said. "Since the scar formation is less and tissue regeneration is speedy in ayurvedic treatment, it enables the injured sports personalities to come back to sports field rather quickly."

The students of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Thalassery and the sports division in Kannur regularly come for treatment and its efficacy has been scientifically proved, he said.

The 50-bed sports ayurveda hospital coming up in Thrissur is also underscores the recognition it has in the modern times, said the experts in the field. In the workshop, experts took classes on various subjects in sports ayurveda.

EBOLA-HIT LIBERIA SEEKS AYURVEDIC HELP FROM INDIA

The Times of India/TNN
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Bnglaru (Bangalore), Karnataka, India

Doctors in Karnataka will advise the Liberian government on using traditional Ayurveda to tackle modern-day scourge Ebola.

State health minister U.T. Khader confirmed correspondence between his office and Liberian counterparts on this subject. "A month ago, we received mails from Liberia about it and I had discussions with Ayurveda specialists in Belagavi. The doctors are working on it."

According to Ayurveda, pitta (in the form of bile juice) becomes concentrated and dries up leading to corrosion in cell walls resulting in bleeding when a person is infected with Ebola. Ayurvedic medicine prevents denaturing of pitta from liquid to dried acidic form and neutralizes toxins released by the Ebola virus.

Doctors from AyurVAID hospitals, a chain of Ayurvedic hospitals, had sent a proposal to the Karnataka government on possible treatment for Ebola. The government has also discussed Ayurvedic treatment with the doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases where a quarantine unit has been set up for Ebola-suspect cases. "As of now, there's no treatment for Ebola. We discussed methods of treatment with AyurVaid doctors. I've written to the government that if we get an Ebola-suspect case, we'll take up a combined therapy of allopathy and Ayurveda," said Dr Shashidhar Buggi, director, RGICD.

Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids, blood, contaminated medical material such as needles or syringes, or even infected organisms. It's not transmitted through the air. The symptoms show up 2-3 weeks after contraction and include nausea, fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches. In extreme cases, there could be internal bleeding and the intestinal tract is badly affected.

Ebola and Ayurveda

Dr Ajit Kumar, head of communicable diseases, AyurVAID, who has researched Ebola extensively, says, "In the initial stage of the fever corresponding to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), according to Ayurveda, vata-pitta doshas and rakta dhatu (blood and plasma) gets affected leading to the haemorrhagic phase or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) with symptoms including excessive thirst, skin rashes, blood in spit, burning sensation, redness of body, giddiness and delirium. As per Ayurveda texts (Charaka Samhita), one complication of the fever is rakta-pitta resulting in bleeding from mouth, rectum, and other orifices. This is also happening in EHF victims."

Ayurveda solution

"Studies reveal that symptoms of Ebola are similar to that of dengue fever and India has been able to tackle severe illnesses effectively. We have to create a hostile environment for the virus to contain it," says Rajiv Vasudevan, CEO, AyurVAID. He has conveyed this to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. "To stop the virus from spreading from one affected to person to others, we also suggest quarantine," adds Dr Ajit Kumar.

Medicine in Ayurveda

Ayurvedic protocols include diet, lifestyle, medicines, and therapies applicable to different stages of the disease. Medicine prepared from astringent foods items are favoured at intermediate stage and these include figs, gooseberries, white pepper, cucurbita, jamun fruit, walnut, dry mango seed/aamchur, raw woodapple, vastuk (bathwa), leafy vegetable, badri (berries), bamboo shoots, dates, lotus stem/stalk, charoli (chironji) to be administered in liquid form.

MEGA-STUDY ON AYURVEDA'S HEALING POWERS

By Shobita Dhar,
TNN/he Times of India

January 25, 2015, 06.19 AM

Perhaps for the first time leading research and medical institutions in the US-Harvard University, Scripps Clinic, University of California San Diego, Mt Sinai University , University of California San Francisco and Duke University -are collaborating on a project to study ayurveda's healing powers.

Called the `Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI) Research Study', the study is being conducted at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in California. The center, run by wellness expert Deepak Chopra, had earlier conducted a smaller study to examine the effects of meditation and yoga on gene expression.

"The findings from the older study showed that a week of meditation and yoga practice led to an increase in expression of genes that support rejuvenation of the body , a reduction in expression of genes associated with the stress response, and a large increase in telomerase levels (an enzyme that helps maintain structural identity of genes)," says Chopra.

In the SBTI study , researchers will be analyzing the impact of ayurvedic treatments on participants' genes, certain hormones associated with metabolism and mood change, bacteria present in the gut and on the skin, inflammation markers, weight, stress makers etc. "The body's healing system is still little understood because of the complex inputs -thoughts, emotions, diet, stress, exercise, immune response - that affect healing. The picture is further clouded when isolated findings overlap or contradict one another. In the context of ayurveda, therapies and practices aren't done in isolation. Instead of focusing on local symptoms, the diagnosis is systemic. Only now is Western medicine beginning to understand that a blanket condition like `stress' or `inflammation' connects many diverse disorders, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes," says Chopra.

Ayurveda is widely practiced and followed in India. There are 2,458 ayurveda hospitals running in India under the government's directorate of Ayush (Ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homoeopathy). However since there have been few scientific studies on the safety and efficacy of the system in the West, it is often perceived as a pseudoscience there. Dr Rudolf Tanzi, a professor at the Harvard University and a co-researcher at the SBTI study, says that this perception is now changing.

"Any scientist of worth will admit that most of time we are wrong. Just look back at science 100 years ago and ask how much is still correct today. Why would this not continue to be the case 100 years from now? Thus, it makes sense to look back to ancient remedies and wisdom, for example, as prescribed in ayurvedic medicine. So far, the results ranging from the effects of meditation on beneficial gene activity to ashwagandha on Alzheimer's pathology are certainly looking sufficiently promising to continue," says Tanzi who specializes in researching gene mutations linked to Alzheimer's Disease.

The study also has the potential to throw light on which brain-function related genes and chemicals are turned "on" or turned "off " by an ayurvedic diet and lifestyle." "That type of information can help us not only better establish how ayurveda works at a cellular level but also how best to integrate it into a modern healthy lifestyle," says Dr Murali Doraiswamy , professor at Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and coresearcher on the study .