The evolution of YOGA, meditation, Dhyana, spiritual Sadhana, Satsang etc., of Hinduism has kept India unique, different, extraordinary and exemplary from rest of the world. When the western world gallops towards materialistic pleasure and gratification along with discovering/inventing several ways and means for comfortable life, India had always stressed upon sacred wisdom for happy, healthy life.
Happiness of mind is the foundation of healthy body and this is the cardinal philosophy of Indian heritage. The traditional healing practices of India predominantly stress upon preserving the health and wellness than diagnosis, treatment or cure. Hindu tradition imparts wisdom to prevent diseases and that is how the traditional paramedical practices such as Ayurveda and Siddha came into existence.
Time has come India must promote the paramedical science and the philosophy of wellness of Ayurveda and Siddha. Preserving the health of the mind and body should be given paramount importance so that the disease burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases can be greatly reduced.
Fortunately India has two wonderful paramedical systems in the form of traditional healing practices such as Siddha and Ayurveda. The vision and purpose of AYUSH has lost due to improper definition and wrong promotional strategies adopted by the Government in promoting AYUSH. Cross pathy by several AYUSH Vaidyas in private practice is also destroying the system.
Instead of protecting, preserving and promoting the paramedical recipes and rituals of AYUSH, AYUSH was made to compete and prove in the modern world over scientifically proven allopathic system. Instead of recognising the institutionally qualified AYUSH Vaidyas as paramedical wellness cum health experts, our society has made the AYUSH Vaidas to fight the battle of medical science as ‘doctor’ as our country has liberally granted ‘doctor tag’ to traditional healers. As a result, the wonderful ancient healing practices and its recipes started to suffer and the scientific community and our society have started to scrutinize and question the AYUSH recipes and practices purely because the recipes of AYUSH are given ‘drug’ status. In fact all AYUSH products are simple health food recipes.
Instead of cherishing the values of AYUSH for wellness of mind and body and for a disciplined life, we have started to ask whether AYUSH recipes would ever work like acetaminophen or antibiotics etc.
May be due to the dizziness in facing all such questions, many institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice have migrated to cross pathy and have totally and completely neglected AYUSH. Today we must promote AYUSH first to all those AYUSH vaidyas in private practice than to the society.
It is true with Siddha system as well where several Siddha vaidyas in private practice are engaged in rampant cross pathy and using Siddha recipes just to cover cross pathy so that the society will not see them as strict allopathic practitioner. The above scene is quite vivid even in rural parts of Chennai; imagine the situation in extreme rural belt in Tamil Nadu.
The point to be pondered upon is why we are not taking right, correct and appropriate steps and measures to promote AYUSH as paramedical science for wellness and health than as medical science? India has recognized the importance of preserving the healthy mind and body than one being casual and confident about the medical advancement available to treat diseases.
AYUSH vaidyas role in the society must be clearly defined so that the system as well as our society would benefit. Paramedical experts are much needed these days.
AYUSH vaidyas are trained well with the cult of philosophy, spirituality, importance of faith and trust in the treatment, counselling, astrology and its importance in health care etc. All the recipes of AYUSH are wonderful in a sense may provide small relief, give belief, confidence and hope to the patients and if not, would act like a placebo.
Cross pathy has not only demeans the medical system and AYUSH but also is causing medication health fraud resulting in delayed diagnosis, prolonged endurance of the patient due to wrong medication and causes loss of money and time to the patient. Cross pathy also creates the possibility of the disease spread to others in the community.
Instead of reading CIMS or other books just to learn the brand names of various allopathic drugs to engage in cross pathy, AYUSH vaidyas must re-invent their instinct, sensitivity and astuteness in reading Tridosha and other eight ways of understating the health of the patient and providing the individualized AYUSH recipes.
Self-discipline, awareness about the medical problem, knowing the preventive aspects etc., are more important to our society today. AYUSH vaidyas must take pride in promoting and popularizing own system and must prove their system is relevant and useful to our modern world to offer best paramedical therapy. Government should not shy to take stern legal action against those offenders of law – the cross pathians who are mandated to promote AYUSH.
