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HC irked over Ayurveda, Unani courses in UP medical colleges

akhila — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:45:21 +0000

The Allahabad High Court has expressed its displeasure over medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh conducting Ayurveda and Unani courses without due recognition from Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM), despite an order passed in this regard five years ago.

On last Friday, Justice Sunil Ambawani asked the state Secretary (Ayurvedic and Unani medicine) to file an affidavit in this regard within three weeks, failing which the court would order that no admissions shall take place in the 10 medical colleges offering these courses for 2011-12 session.The order was passed on a contempt petition filed by Rajesh Kumar Srivastava.The petition alleged that although the court had on July 21, 2006 ordered that admissions be stopped in nine out of the 10 colleges, students were being admitted for the aforesaid courses at all the institutions.The court has fixed April 24 as the next date of hearing in the case.

PTI

Lord Dhanawantari’s birthday

akhila — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:12:03 +0000

It is an important day for people in the field of Ayurveda as it is Dhanatrayodashi, or simply Lord Dhanwantri’s birth anniversary. He is considered as the promoter of Ayurveda and this celebration marks his incarnation.

Dhanwantari Jayanti of the founder of this ancient Indian medicine and therapy form is being celebrated in Nepal since 1975 when the Ayurved Campus was established in Naradevi, Kathmandu. This day is also commemorated as National Good Health day since 1999 with the Nepal Ayurved Doctors’ Association initiative.

People working at the Naradevi Campus, Singha Durbar Baidyakhana and the Dhanwantari Hospital at Samakhusi also celebrate this day to pay their respects to this diety.

Ayurveda helps to combat stress

akhila — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:00:51 +0000

Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine) has a number of easily implementable strategies for reducing the impact of stress on your body and mind.

Do a regular whole-body self massage with black sesame oil. When applied to the skin, this oil releases serotonin naturally in the body and rapidly eases the stress symptoms. You may have to do the massage daily for a week then reduce to two to three times weekly.

Practice slow, deep breathing for five minutes, morning and evening. This activity (called pranayama in Ayurveda) reduces the activity in the mind (beta frequency >18Hz).

Do yoga at least three times weekly for about half an hour daily. The “Moon Salute” is a powerful de-stressing sequence of yoga postures. The “Sun Salute” helps to protect the body against excessive stress and allows you to recover more easily.

Use non-toxic ayurvedic herbs to relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of stress.These are a few well known anti-stress herbs: Ashwagandha, Bacopa Chyawanprash, Gotu Kola, Guduchi, Damiana, Zizyphus.

Use a warm de-stressing drink every night before bed. Use half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg in a cup of warm milk. Drink this just before bedtime. If you are allergic or sensitive to cow’s milk, use soy or rice milk.

Learn to meditate. This is one of the best long-term methods in bringing stress under control. Just 20 minutes twice daily can make an enormous difference.

This has been a contribution of Dr Anand Ramphal and Rajen Cooppan.

akhila — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:31:58 +0000

Beside the ayurvedic museum, the establishment of an innovative research lab promises to add another feather to the cap of the Dravyaguna department, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, this year.

The state-of-the-art innovative research lab will become functional at the end of this year. The lab would witness installation of highly sophisticated machines, including the atomic absorption spectro photometer (for detection of heavy metals in herbal preparations) and HPLC (for establishing authenticity of ayurvedic drugs and herbal preparations).
The innovative research lab would not only make the department self-reliant in terms of detection of heavy metals and establishing authenticity of heavy metals, it would also reduce its dependency on other departments including department of Medicinal Chemistry (faculty of Ayurveda) and Pharmaceutics (Institute of Technology) in the university. The museum is open to visitors and students, including foreign nationalsfrom 8 am to 5 pm.
The lab would be a boon for research scholars. It will also help in identifying newer indications in older ayurvedic drugs or herbal preparations besides acting as guidance and reference tool for the research scholars and faculty members.
Ayurvedic museum is the only ayurvedic museum at faculty or departmental-level at an ayurvedic institute in the country with rich collection of around 450 medicinal plants and rare herbs. The museum also witnesses rich collection of herbarium sheets containing parts of plants like flowers and leaves that are preserved under anti-fungal preparations. Parts of traditional medicinal plants, including bulb of garlic and rhizome of turmeric, are also preserved here.It has a wide range collection of rare medicinal plants with anti-viral properties, including kalmegh and ashwagandha.

No action against genuine alternative medicine doctors

akhila — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:12:54 +0000

No proceedings can be initiated against any registered practitioners in Siddha, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, who are eligible to practice irrespective of their system, and also in modern scientific medicine, including surgery, gynecology, obstetrics, anesthesiology, ENT, ophthalmology, etc., the Madras High Court ruled on Thursday.

Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla gave the ruling while closing a contempt application from Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Colleges Association, represented by its president R Kumar, which sought to punish the DGP for her willful and wanton disobedience of the orders passed by the court on April 7, 2006.
The ruling runs contrary to a recent order delivered by another judge on a petition filed by two unani practitioners who sought similar relief. In February this year, Justice K K Sasidharan had held that practitioners of Indian system of medicines should not practise allopathy, and that there was nothing wrong if police take action against those who attempt to practice allopathy without valid qualification.

“If any action had been taken against such of those medical practitioners referred to above, it is needless to state that such action should be dropped forthwith pending further orders in the writ petition (pending before the High Court),” the judge said.
The ruling and observation followed the submission of advocate S Prabakaran that despite the April 2006 orders of the high court on the writ petition, many members of petitioner association were arrested between January 9, 2009 and June 12, 2010.
The 2006 order restrained the DGP and her subordinates from interfering with the professional practice of the members of the petitioner association, who held valid registration certificates issued by the Siddha Medical Council.

Ayurvastra the healing fabric

akhila — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:22:20 +0000

Kerala is known for rejuvenation therapies. One of the therapies that was unknown outside Kerala involves the use of garments for health solutions.; Now, Ayurvastra. This involves the use of natural fibres and herbal dyes and this eco-friendliness has appealed to the people, especially foreigners.

Ayurvastra is based on the principle of touch. By coming in contact with the cloth, the body loses toxins and the metabolism is enhanced. The cloth that has been permeated with special herbs and oils is believed to help cure a wide range of ailments, including diabetes, skin infections, psoriasis, hypertension, asthma, arthritis and rheumatism. It would help restore the balance in the body and strengthen the immune system. The most effective time to wear Ayurvastra is while sleeping or meditating.

The cloth is bleached with cow’s urine, which has high medicinal value and the dyeing gum too is herbal and it does not pollute like synthetic dye. The yarn or fabric is dyed in a mixture of dyes, containing 40 to 60 medicinal herbs, depending on the ailment. The herbs used in the dye for arthritis are curry leaves and apocynceae, while it is turmeric, neem and sandalwood for skin diseases. These fabrics embrace the body with a soft and supple touch.

it is difficult to get a patent for the technology, as they use many medicines and methods, that has been developed from Charaka’s Kudipraveshika Chikitsa. This ethnic method has been developed by the ancestors of the Kuzhivila family in Kerala. With health concerns spreading, Ayurvastra is carving a niche in the world of textiles. For all its contemporary looks, tradition is moulded with modernity and a variety of material such as skirts, blouses, shirts, pants, socks, home-linen and yoga mats are available.

There are garments for healing and wellness. There is a great demand among foreigners for wellness fabric, which includes yoga mats, shawls and stoles, The herbs will not run even after the cloth is washed.

The society has outlets in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The society also exports products to the US, Italy, Germany, UK, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

A clinical trial initiated by the Ministry of Health at the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram underlines that Ayurvastra can be effective in curing certain diseases. People suffering from rheumatism, allergies, diabetes, psoriasis and other skin ailments were constantly exposed to herbs for six months through Ayurvastra clothing, bed linens, and mattresses in specially prepared rooms.

The response was good, with patients showing remarkable improvement and speedy recovery especially in cases of arthritis and skin ailments, says Dr Vishwanathan, the former dean of the Drug Research Department at Ayurveda College, who led the research in 2005-2006 after the Central government allocated Rs 1 crore for scientific evaluation.“We need to do more research to determine the effectiveness of Ayurvastra, which can do wonders if used along with medication,” he says.

Splash 2011

akhila — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:54:06 +0000

Wayanad Tourism Organisation (WTO), the autonomous body formed by hoteliers, activity partners and Ayurveda service providers of Wayanad in Kerala, plans to tap the domestic leisure tourism market for its monsoon carnival Splash scheduled to be held on July 8-10, 2011.Kerala Tourism has also decided to add Splash 2011 into its calendar of events for the next season. It expects about 300 travel agents and tour operators to attend the event next year and will showcase adventure sports and cultural activities of the state at the carnival.

WTO will participate in road shows and travel marts organised by Kerala Tourism to promote the event. The participating members of WTO in TTF-OTM will also promote the carnival through their individual stalls. WTO will also have stall spaces in the upcoming nine-city Kerala Tourism road show. The organisation will also launch monsoon packages for 2011. Besides engaging in advertising and media publicity initiatives, WTO will also organise two familiarization trips this year. Details of the same are currently being chalked out. Splash recently concluded its second edition which was attended by 150 travel agents and tour operators from across the country. It showcased adventure sports activities like white water rafting, biking, and river- crossing at the carnival this year. In the first edition of the event in 2009, it was presented only to the local community with indoor and outdoor programmes including seminars on agriculture, photography, and cultural performances in the evenings.
While Kerala has been promoting Monsoon Tourism quite aggressively, Wayanad has been the only region in the state to launch such dedicated efforts to create an event around Monsoon Tourism.

Medical tourism defies decline

akhila — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:28:51 +0000

Despite the overall decline in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) to India at 5.16 million in 2009 from 5.36 million in 2008 and 5.19 in 2007, primarily due to the global economic slowdown, safety concerns arising from the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the medical tourism industry in the country bucked the trend. This segment of the industry actually grew on account of parameters such as the low-cost and vast range of healthcare facilities provided by the country, according to a FICCI-Evalueserve study on Inbound Tourism.

The reasons are not far to seek. According to the FICCI-Evalueserve study, All medical procedures including hospitalisation and recover costs are relatively low in India as compared to Europe and America.

An increasing number of patients are undergoing treatment here due to the following reasons:

Low cost of treatment in India: For instance, a heart bypass surgery costs USD 6,000 in India, whereas the same costs up to USD 19,700 in the US.

Patients covered by medical insurance in regions such as Europe and America have to wait a long time before they can undergo treatment in their country.

Furthermore, state governments encourage international tourists by leveraging the traditional wellness systems of India. Various healthcare traditions practised in India include Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, homeopathy, naturopathy and yoga. Ayurveda is quite popular in Kerala. The Kerala government also participated in various tradeshows and expos to highlight the advantages of Ayurveda in health management. Similarly, the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have made attempts to promote spiritual tourism and yoga, respectively.

In 2007, 450,000 inbound patients were treated in India. Singapore and Malaysia are the countries competing with India in this segment. The number of patient arrivals from the US, the UK and Europe has increased in India, apart from the usual inbound patients from neighbouring countries and West Asia. It is expected that India will increase its share in inbound medical tourism in Asia to around 25 per cent by 2012

The number of medical tourists in India is expected to reach one million by 2012, with India’s share in the global medical tourism industry reaching 2.4 per cent. This market in India is estimated to reach INR 44 billion by 2012. However, the current market for Indian medical tourism is predominantly limited to patients from the Middle East and South Asian economies. However, there is an immense potential for India to cater to African patients as well. It is estimated that Afro-Asians spend up to USD 20 billion per annum on healthcare outside their countries.

The Middle East region is an important market for India’s medical tourism industry. In the last two years, there has been a significant increase in the number of inbound tourists from this region for medical tourism. Though the West is the traditional medical tourism destination for citizens in the Middle East, the trend saw change after the 2001 terror attacks in the US. Campaigns, such as Incredible India, changed the perceptions towards India and helped in promoting India as a cost effective and reliable medical tourism destination. Today, there are many global tour operators who offer innovative medical tours cum leisure trips to India.

In 2007, Indian missions in the UAE issued a total of 60,814 visas compared to 50,076 in 2006. Similarly, the Indian embassy in Oman issued 21,843 visas in 2007 as compared to 18,476 in 2006. Indian missions in 12 Gulf and Middle East nations issued 1,72,689 visas in 2007 compared to 1,49,568 in 2006, a 16 percent increase.

Though, the marketing of medical value tourism is a relatively new concept in the country, India already has world-class hospitals and treatment centres. Apart from allopathic doctors, indigenous medical practitioners provide their services in India. In 2009, there were over 3,000 hospitals and 726,000 registered practitioners in the country.

Wellness tourism a sub-set of medical tourism, comprises Ayurveda treatment, spa therapy, yoga and meditation. A niche segment, it draws high-end inbound tourists.

Ayurveda draws medical tourists from countries like the US, Canada, South America, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and even countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan, etc. Visitors can choose between Ayurveda treatments or a combined package of Ayurveda, Yoga and meditation.

Kerala is the most popular wellness destination in India, but other states are also emerging in this segment. There is a huge demand for wellness treatments, especially Ayurvedic and herbal Ayurveda, as the effects are long term and the treatments are safe. Tourists who experience the change post treatment become repeat visitors to continue their treatment. Panchakarma, detoxification, rejuvenation, stress management and weight loss programmes are most popular among inbound tourists.

The FICCI-Evalueserve study states that the major factors that make India an attractive destination for medical tourism include:

Cost Effectiveness: The cost for medical treatment in India is approximately one-tenth of the costs in the West.

Availability of Traditional Therapies: States such as Kerala have strong traditional systems of healthcare. Kerala Ayurveda centres have been set up at various locations across India, promoting the benefits of Ayurveda in health management. Kerala has participated in various tradeshows and expos to highlight the advantages of traditional therapies.

Delhi, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu and Kerala lead the list of medical tourism destinations for medical tourism in India. The UK, USA, Canada, the Middle East and South-East Asia are the major countries that drive Indian’s medical tourism industry.

Apart from the Middle East, the number of inbound patients from western countries has also increased due to the high level of expertise and low-cost treatment.

Kerala is one of the major destinations for Ayurvedic treatment in India. A significant number of such treatment facilities also exist at the foothills of the Himalayas.

Spa resorts are coming up across India. Numerous centres or ashrams in India offer meditation as a package. In line with traditional meditation, Rishikesh in Uttarakhand is a popular destination among tourists.

Programme to incorporate ayurveda in rural women’s healthcare

akhila — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:05:03 +0000

With an aim to ensure that ayurveda is accessible to the rural community, especially women, efforts are being made to make the discipline a part of primary health centres and create awareness about it.

A programme has been conceptualized to create awareness, clear myths and generate suggestions for policy formulations for incorporating ayurveda in National Rural Healthcare systems for women.

“We propose to understand the science and logic behind traditional lifestyles and know the different options available for affordable and alternative means of good health for our rural populace,” an NGO participating in a seminar on ayurveda said.

A good example are the traditional ‘dais’ or midwives who have undoubtedly played a very significant role in human resource development but little or not effort has been made to upgrade their skills to meet new challenges, it said.

Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said rural women not being so well-educated are dependent on local health workers, governments’ hospitals and sometimes on the information that trickles down to them from urban lifestyles.

The seminar also recognized the need to clear some myths amongst both urban and rural women about some practices related to women-specific lifestyles.

Santhigram launches Ayurveda Center in East Brunswick, NJ

Vikas Sharma — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:28:47 +0000

Santhigram Kerala Ayurveda

Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Co. of US Inc launched its third Ayurveda and Panchakarma Center in the USA , at Bally Total Fitness Center , 8 Edgeboro Rd , East Brunswick , NJ 08816 . Santhigram is the provider of ISO 9001:2000 certified Ayurvedic Therapies in India for over a decade and is in the mission of to propagate worldwide, Kerala Ayurvedic Panchakarma Therapy for total body rejuvenation and offer effective therapies for chronic ailments. For last many years Santhigram had been a consultant for many Ayurvedic Centers in Western countries and now has successfully launched its third Center in the US after its rewarding spin offs in the UK.

Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Co. of US Inc launched its third Ayurveda and Panchakarma Center in the USA, at Bally Total Fitness Center, 8 Edgeboro Rd, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.

Mr. Gopinathan Nair, Chairman & Managing Director of the India based Santhigram Group, described the opportunity as a major milestone for the company which had recently celebrated its two years of successful operations in the US. He noted, “Our ability to work with a major national fitness center chain like Bally will help us reach a larger group of health conscious people who could benefit from Santhigram’s time tested Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments.”

Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Co. of US Inc launched its third Ayurveda and Panchakarma Center in the USA

The Center was inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Joe Eruppakkatt, SSP, Director St. Pauls Alba House Publications and he was joined by Dr Sudanshu Prasad, Council man of Edison. During his opening statement Dr. Prasad emphasized the need for comprehensive heath care and the role of Ayurveda as an Alternative treatment. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Murugesan Gounder, Ph.D, Cancer Institute of New Jersey at Robertwood Johnson University Hospital spoke about the great future Ayurveda has in this country for providing low cost and side-effect-free health care to the general public.

Other prominent people who celebrated the occasion included Rev. Fr. Joe Karikunnel, C.S.T, Former Principal, Dharmaram College, Bangalore, India, Mr. Alex Vilanilam Koshy, NJ State Martin Luther King Commissioner & Former President of World Malayalee Council, Mr. Aniyan George, Chairman, Kerala Association of New Jersey, Mr. Fred Edward, Metro Region Vice President FOMA and Ms. Sheela Sreekumar from the International Cultural Education Center.

Santhigram is the provider of ISO 9001:2000 certified Ayurvedic Therapies in India for over a decade and is in the mission of to propagate worldwide, Kerala Ayurvedic Panchakarma Therapy for total body rejuvenation and offer effective therapies for chronic ailments. For the past many years, Santhigram had been a consultant for many Ayurvedic Centers in Western countries and now has successfully launched its third Center in the US after its rewarding spin offs in the UK.

Ayurveda is a sister discipline of Yoga and is the time tested ancient system of medicine which is now popular in most western countries. It is a science that not only addresses to bodily infirmity but encourages social, spiritual, emotional and psychological well being. The Kerala specific Ayurvedic rejuvenation and “Panchakarma” Therapies have a unique history of evolution and offer many exceptional methods for total body rejuvenation. Panchakarma is a complete therapeutic regime that identifies “doshas” or the imbalances in the body that arise due to pathological conditions and detoxifies the body with therapeutic massages and unique procedures using specific herbal oils, strict dietary and life style changes.

Like its two earlier centers in the US, the center at Bally Total Fitness Center at East Brunswick will offer services by highly experienced Ayurvedic Consultants and Ayurvedic Panchakarma Therapists. The authentic therapy offered at the Center will use genuine herbal oils and other Ayurvedic techniques, to not only rejuvenate the body, but also to offer preventive and therapeutic treatments for a variety of chronic ailments like Back Pain, Neck Pain, Frozen Shoulder, Arthritis, Joint Pains, Migraine, Sinusitis, Stress, Depression, Insomnia, Obesity etc. without any side effects.

Contact Information:

Santhigram Kerala Ayurveda
8 Edgeboro Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

Contact Person:

Gopinathan Nair
President & CEO
Phone: 732-915-8813, 732-238-2003, 732-890-3095

email: info@santhigramus.com
Web: http://www.santhigramus.com