Ayurvedic medicine
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[edit] Definition
[edit] History
In Hindu mythology, Ayurveda was invented by Brahma, the creator of the universe, and the knowledge was handed down from gods to god until one of them decided to explain it to humans: the story exists in a number of versions which differ over who exactly said what to whom.
In reality, the classics of Ayurvedic medicine, the Charaka Samhita and the Susrusha Samhita, were composed around 400 BC. There is some debate over whether these works represent a Hindu or a Buddhist tradition.
The Sushruta Samhita is devoted to surgery. The Ayurvedic surgeons were capable of such operations as amputation, tonsillectomy, ear and nose reconstruction, and cataract removal. They did not, it seems, perform interabdominal surgery, and this shows judicious restraint, given how little they knew about anatomy and hygiene. So far as we know, no modern advocate of Ayurvedic medicine suggests that we should return to the surgical techniques of the Shushruta Samhita.
The Charaka Samhita, which is written entirely in verse, is devoted to internal medicine, listing 341 medicinal herbs, 177 medicines of animal origin and 64 of mineral origin. [1]
Ayurvedic medicine continues in use in India to this day, and has become popular with Alternative Medicine fans in the West over the past few decades. Its best known advocate is the New Age guru Deepak Chopra. [2]
The potentials of Indian herbal knowledge are also of interest to scientists: a search of the medical literature [3] shows that hundreds of articles per year are being written on the Ayurvedic pharmacoepia.
[edit] The Theory of Ayurvedic Medicine
This system is reminiscent of the Classical and medieval European tradition of four elements and four humors, and as with this tradition, such methods as purging, vomiting and sweating were prescribed to reduce a supposed superfluity of a humor.
Other recognized causes of illness were environmental and hereditary factors, the actions of gods and demons, and possession by evil spirits. Viruses and bacteria were, of course, unknown, and the news of their discovery seems to have been lost on modern advocates of Ayurveda:
- Colds and flues are generally Kapha (phlegm) diseases. Exposure to cold air, seasonal changes are Kapha increasing factors. Exposure to hot and cold conditions alternatively in a short period is also responsible, as for example having cold water or drink immediately after coming in from the sun. [5]
The Ayurvedic knowledge of the inside of the human body was sketchy and inaccurate; and their knowledge of what the internal organs actually did was completely non-existent.
[edit] Safety Issues
In an article published by the Journal of American Medicine [6] it was found that 20% of Ayurvedic medicines contained dangerous traces of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic; similar studies have been done in India. Proponents of Ayurvedic medicine have hit back by saying that of course there are heavy metals in their products, they put them there, and what exactly is all the fuss about?
- Heavy metals are integral to some formulations and have been used for centuries. There is no point of doing trials as they have been used safely and have mention in our ancient texts. --- Tara Dutt Joint secretary, AYUSH [7]
With the greatest possible respect for ancient Hindu wisdom, heavy metals are toxic, and cause liver failure, nerve damage, blindness and death, and the JAMA article notes a number of well-documented cases in which Ayurvedic medicine has been shown to have caused heavy metal poisoning.
This is not all the Ayurvedic pharmacologists put in their products. As with other such remedies, Ayurvedic medicine is often "cut" with conventional pharmaceuticals, without this fact being advertised on the label. In a survey conducted at the All-India Institute of Medical Science, Dr. S. K. Gupta found that of Ayurvedic medicines prescribed for asthma and arthritis, thirty-eight per cent had been adulterated with steroids. [8] This, we feel, speaks volumes about the lack of confidence that purveyors of "Ayurvedic medicine" feel in the healing powers of actual Ayurvedic medicine.
It is worth bearing in mind that Western countries necessarily import their Ayurvedic remedies from India (where else would you get Indian herbs?) And if there is little quality control at the Indian end, there is none at all in the West: Ayurvedic medicines escape regulation by being marketed as "dietary supplements".
[edit] Links and References
- The Ayurveda Wars
- Heavy metals found in ayurvedic herbals
- The conception of the body in Ayurvedic Medicine
- Quackwatch on Deepak Chopra
