'Ayurveda
has a bright future'
By
- Hiren K. Bose
Article
Published in “The Times Of India” on Saturday, July 19, 2003
It
takes determination, passion and perseverance to
practice ayurveda. More so in
times when health management systems have gone hi-tech. Meeting
Dr Prashant
Sawant gives one the impression that ayurveda is alive and kicking.
"It's
frustrating, " says Dr Sawant, MD,
medical director and chief physician of
Chembur-based Ayurlife Positive Health Centre and Research Institute, throwing
up his hands in the air. "To
see an MBBS start his/her practice without much ado while medical practitioner
like us, of an indigenous health care system are compelled to educate people on
ayurveda."
Approved
by BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) for treatment of its employees, Ayurlife
provides medical facility in ayurveda, panchakarma and yoga to those who visit
this spic and span clinic.
"Initially
reluctant to practice as an ayurvedic physician but having witnessed the
effectiveness of ayurvedic drugs I had a change of heart," says the
39-year-old ayurved. The conviction grew as he started preparing the medicine on
his own. "The results were astonishing, for instance, in case of severe
asthmatic patients. I also realised that the ayurveda medicines available were
not prepared according to conditions laid down by the Charak Samhita nor the
ingredients satisfactory," stresses Dr Sawant.
Unlike
other ayurveds, Dr Sawant is computer savvy and proud of his web presence with
saffronsoul.com, considered to be one of the largest sources for complementary
and alternative medicine from the Indian subcontinent. He disagrees with popular
belief that ayurveda is slow acting, outdated and ineffective in acute and
severe cases. According to him, the success of the ayurvedic treatment depends
on number of factors like type disease, age and sex of the patient, medicines
used etc. Minor cough, indigestion, diarrhoea etc. are the easy to cure
diseases; arthritis, skin diseases, asthma, piles etc. are the difficult
to cure ones; the incurables ones are which are manageable with drugs and diets,
namely diabetes, renal failure, heart diseases, cancer in first stage, HIV
positive etc.; last come terminally ill cases, like last stage cancers, full
blown AIDS etc.
Ayurveda
cannot be separated from panchakarma. In fact, not having the later facility is
a limiting factor in treatment of illnesses. In popular imagination panchakarma
treatment is associated with various oil massages, shirodhara etc. that are
being publicised to cash on the increasing popularity of ayurved and to attract
tourists.
"The
real panchakarma treatments, namely vamana (therapeutic emesis), virechana
(therapeutic purgation), basti (therapeutic enemas), nasya (nasal installation
of medicine) and raktamokshana (therapeutic blood cleansing) are extremely
important for treating diseases," elaborates Dr Sawant, who has co-promoted
a pharma firm, which manufactures and markets Food and Drug Administration
approved ayurvedic proprietary medicines.
Majority
of patients Ayurlife receives are those who have failed to find relied after
having tried the conventional medicines and therapy. These include ones
suffering from arthritis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, psoriasis,
migraine, allergic skin diseases, heart disease (blocks in coronary artery),
kidney stones, gall bladder stones, cancer, AIDS etc.
"We
are in to establishing efficacy of ayurvedic treatment in autoimmune diseases,
like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis; immunity-compromised cases and coronary
artery diseases, etc.," says Dr Sawant confident that in times to come
people will support and prefer ayurved to other systems of medicine.
Why
not? For ayurved has survived for more than 5000 years.
"What
ayurveda needs is the government's initiative to copyright and protect our rich
heritage of the knowledge in ayurveda and educate people about its
benefits," concludes Dr. Sawant.
By
- Dr. Prashant Sawant, M.D (Ayu.)
Article
Published in “The Times Of India” on Saturday, August 2, 2003
Satish, arrived at my clinic,
this morning, and greeted me with a big smile. Since I was not expecting him so
soon, I asked him if all was well. He
replied in the affirmative and stated that he was here to complete the basti (therapeutic enema) treatment that he underwent six months ago
at our Panchakarma Center. I had
recommended that the treatment has to be done twice a year.
In his early thirties, Satish
suffered from severe proteinuria, a disease wherein a patient passes proteins
through urine, causing a whitish coloration in the urine.
He had been referred to the clinic by a colleague Dr. Reshama, for
treatment. Satish was a fitness freak and an athlete. He ran 7 to 8 kms
everyday, and also exercised extensively. Until ten years ago, when he had the
first symptoms of proteinuria and noticed the white coloration in his urine. He
immediately consulted his family physician, who prescribed a course of Banocide,
a drug routinely prescribed for Fileriasis and as a prophylactic in proteinuria,
for a month. The symptoms gradually disappeared. However, in 1998, the symptoms
resurfaced, and Satish followed another course of Banocide, to no avail. Till
2002 he consulted various doctors however, his symptoms worsened as he started
passing more proteins in urine making it thicker. He was feeling too weak.
Finally, Satish contacted Dr.
Reshama hoping to find a cure in Ayurved. Dr. Reshma, prescribed a few ayurvedic
medicines and also insisted that he undergo a course of basti (one of the
panchakarma procedures) under my care.
What is proteinuria?
The normal output of protein
passed in urine per day is less than 150mg. In a number of apparently healthy
individuals, a small amount of protein is passed without visible renal disease. The diagnostic importance of proteinuria depends greatly on
its magnitude. Heavy proteinuria (more than 1.5 gm per day) is mostly linked to
impaired filtration by the kidneys. The trace amount of protein in urine is
usually diagnosed in routine urine examinations. However, if the amount of
protein is considerably high, the urine that is passed is either turbid or
whitish in colour. Generally, the
options in treating proteinuria are few like a low-protein diet and some
prophylactic medicines.
Ayurvedic viewpoint
In Ayurved, similar symptoms
are found in Prameha (literally means
‘passing through’), in which a group of disorders relating to
abnormal constituents passing through urine are described. All Kapha (one
of the three body humors)-provoking activities like lethargy, oversleeping,
eating too much of curd, meat, fish, milk, new cereals and jaggery (or sugar)
may lead to such prameha. This can impair the functioning of the kidney,
causing ‘milk-like’ urination.
The
ayurvedic treatment
The
first objective is to improve the functioning of the kidneys and protecting them
from further damage. The filtration and excretion of urine is under control of apana
vayu (one of the five types of vata, the basic element of the body).
Embryologically, the kidneys are made up of rakta and meda dhatu
(basic tissues). These facts are taken into consideration, while treating
proteinuria.
Basti
(therapeutic enema), in which medicated oils and decoction are administered as
enema, is regarded as the best procedure to treat diseases caused by vata
daosha. Satish, therefore, was given a course of eight enemas on consecutive
days. ‘Chandraprabha vati’. a well-known classical medicine, which has
ingredients acting on meda and rakta, was advised in a
two-is-two-dosage, before meals.
The
treatment worked. After the third basti, Satish started passing normal urine and has not had any
symptoms, to date. But since the treatment has to be carried out 4-5 times at an
interval of six months, he was here to complete the course.
What
you should do if you have similar problem?
- Do
not panic! Consult your doctor as early as possible.
- Reduce
intake of protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, milk and milk products.
- Avoid
kapha-provoking activities, mentioned earlier.
- Seek
immediate medical help for bladder and kidney infections.
- Check
your blood pressure regularly and begin treatment immediately if it is high.
- Reduce
your weight if you are overweight
- Check
urine and blood sample for signs of kidney problems.
- Stop
smoking.
- Keep
your blood fat low
Top
Back
to Articles
