Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient holistic healing system originating in India that aims to heal the body as a whole, in order to maintain optimal health and prevent future disease. Whereas in modern medicine, medications target the disease alone. Ayurvedic practitioners believe that illness is brought on by an imbalance in the body, therefore to cure the illness, homemade herbal medications are prescribed along with other necessary recommendations such as the use of oils, massage therapies and a shift in life-style choices, which includes dietary correction. In India, Ayurveda is under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), which serves to promote awareness of traditional Indian medicine and conduct research within those fields. 

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Ayurveda is of interest to me because alternative medicine in western culture has been gaining momentum for its notion of being natural thus giving consumers a sense that it is free of unwanted side-effects that come along with modern pharmacology. The interest has grown so much that the U.S government has granted funds into investigating its efficacy and effectiveness (Pandey, Rastogi & Rawat, 2013). For now, Americans can educate themselves and engage in the recommended lifestyle choice that Ayurveda speaks to however, there is still much to explore before all that encompasses Ayurveda can be practiced in the U.S. Therefore, while in Mysore I would like to gain a better understanding of the role of Ayurveda in India’s modern healthcare system. Specifically, how common it is for a person to seek out Ayurveda as their primary choice of care or as a supplement to conventional medicine and noting the demographics of those seeking it out.     

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A study conducted by Rudra, Kalra, Kumar & Joe (2017), sought to determine the use of AYUSH services, which includes Ayurveda, among the Indian population by gathering data from the India-Social Consumption: Health survey administered by the Government of India’s, Ministry of Statistic & Programme Implementation. With a sample size of 333,104 participants, Rudra et al. (2017) found that 6.7% of surveyed participants used an AYUSH service within the last 15 days. Further analysis of the results also shows that, although there was no significant difference in use among rural and urban communities, the more affluent and middle class were more likely to seek out AYUSH services (Pandey et al., 2013; Islam, 2010). This finding rules out the misconception that people seek traditional medicine due to economic disadvantage because it has also been noted that AYUSH and Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) is about equivalent in price to conventional medicine (Pandey et al., 2013).

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A possible reason as to why there may be a lack of AYUSH service use in India is because there is a perceived notion among the general population of ineffectiveness within these services and an overall absence of awareness (Rudra et al., 2017). According to Islam (2010) there has been a great shift in how Ayurveda is being promoted in India due to capitalist views, globalization and commodification. Before when a person would seek a traditional Ayurvedic practitioner, the herbal medication that was prescribed would be made at the moment and tailored specifically for the patient. However, now practitioners prescribe already packaged medications made by pharmaceutical companies. People can now go to a local pharmacy and pick out what they need without even visiting an Ayurvedic practitioner and instead of seeking Ayurveda as a means of care it is viewed as an over the counter dietary supplement (Islam, 2010). In an interview Islam (2010) had with a traditional Bengali Ayurvedic practitioner (known as kabirajes), who learned the skills necessary to be an Ayurvedic practitioner through an apprenticeship with an Ayurvedic guru, the kabiraje expressed how he felt modern Ayurvedic practitioners lack regard for tradition along with competence and expertise. He further explained that mass commercial advertisement of Ayurvedic medicine has changed its identity; where western countries see a holistic healing system India now sells Ayurveda as being a brand for supplement pills and cosmetics.

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Not only do kabirajes view modern Ayurvedic practitioners as unprepared, students attending colleges that offer a bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) along with the professors leading the classes feel that the existing curriculum is inadequate when it comes to preparing students for the career (Patwardhan, Gehlot, Singh & Rathore, 2011). This lack of preparedness is noted among the community thus fostering mistrust. However, its effectiveness in treating chronic illness and skin diseases along with promising outlook in preventing malnourishment has seemed to allow for its continual promotion (Islam, 2010; Pandey et al., 2013; Patwardhan et al., 2011; Rudra et al., 2017).   

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Overall it seems that Ayurveda is not a common primary choice of care. However, it is evident that the Indian government and pharmaceutical companies are keen on advocating its use, although both have different motives. Hopefully, while in Mysore I will be able to interview a Ayurvedic practitioner to gain his/her perspective on how the field has evolved in terms of its importance and demand in India’s healthcare system and its authenticity in keeping with tradition. I would also like to interview individuals who do and do not regularly visit Ayurvedic centers in order to gather their views and beliefs associated with Ayurveda, and especially emphasize on why they do choose Ayurveda rather than conventional medicine and vice versa.

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To sum up, this opportunity is in working towards my overall goal in becoming a physical therapist. I believe that as a future healthcare provider it is important and my responsibility to be knowledgeable and keep an open mind to all method of treatments, which includes holistic, traditional, alternative and conventional medicine, in order to provide the best possible care for my patients. I want to allow for an open dialogue and let patients know that their views will be taken into consideration, as it is becoming more common for people to have preconceived notions before visiting healthcare professionals.