The diagnosis and treatment offered to most of the diseases by majority of doctors have reduced the profession to just hearing the complaints of the patient and then arrive at a diagnosis than knowing and understanding the entire constitution of the patient in a holistic manner to customize the treatment as followed in AYUSH. The modern day medical practitioners at primary level largely diagnose the disease based on complaints as narrated or described by the patient and then a battery of drugs is prescribed for a given period.
The time spent either to listen to the patient or in arriving the diagnosis is too less and the speed at which the treatment is given sometime may even beat our reflex. After treatment if the patient reports back some relief, the drug may be either changed or the patient is asked to continue the same treatment for some more period of time. Only when the patient fails to respond and the health conditions dwindle, the patient is referred to specialty centres for treatment. This is how the modern allopathic system is being practiced and followed in large extent.
The fundamental philosophy and system of practice of AYUSH is totally different. AYUSH being a paramedical and pre-medical system, the thrust is given for wellness and paramedical benefits. AYUSH also emphasise on aligning the mind-body harmony so that the patient is sufficiently counselled and prepared to deal the health problem.
The AYUSH Vaidya are supposed to examine the patient based on pulse reading, mind reading, knowing his or her relatives, their mental status, financial status, their belief systems in God and spirituality, knowing the Tridosha constitution, food habits, dressing style and that is how the health problem is identified. The AYUSH vaidya always examine the patient to understand the patient in totality than just knowing the symptom and then arrive at a set of drugs for treatment as followed in modern science. The vaidya always tries to connect with the patient as well as with his relatives, spiritually and intuitively. The treatment is never limited to the recipes of AYUSH but certain spiritual practices are also suggested.
The present day health care system needs such dedicated AYUSH vaidyas to provide both ‘doctors word’ and ‘Florence nightingale touch’. Unfortunately many institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice have reduced the essence of AYUSH to serious suspicion and most of them take pride in cross pathy.
All those institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice who engage in cross pathy are neither true to AYUSH nor to the noble profession of apothecary. Most of them just learn the brand names of certain allopathic drugs from CIMS etc., and based on the complaints of the patient, the allopathic drugs are prescribed. Thanks to the long life of the patient nothing worse is happening but such situation in fact give confidence to those Vaidyas in private practice to mock the health care system and abuse the sacred AYUSH tradition through cross pathy. AYUSH offers relief both to the mind and body.
The medical ethics of AYUSH is totally different from allopathic system. AYUSH vaidyas must have faith in God, spirituality, astrology, humanity, purity and must follow simplicity. It is not just respect but bhakti, the vaidya must evoke upon patient and that is how the AYUSH tradition has developed and evolved.
Many institutionally qualified Siddha vaidyas in private practice have bruised and mocked the relevance of Siddha system through rampant cross pathy. Today our society need ‘complete health healer’ and not specialists separately for nail, hair, skin etc.
AYUSH vaidyas in private practice can not only offer relief to the patients but also can elevate the spiritual status of the patients by bringing certain moral and ethical discipline in them. But unfortunately cross pathy is destroying the relevance of AYUSH. The Ministry of AYUSH must recognize the serious ill-effects of cross pathy by several AYUSH vaidyas in private practice to the existence and dignity of AYUSH tradition. India needs lots of ‘total’, ‘complete’, ‘holistic’ healers of AYUSH to meet the multi-various health challenges in rural areas.
