The effectiveness of Ayurveda as an integrative health system in the western world.
Ayurveda, an ancient health system originating from India from approximately 5000 years ago is considered by many scholars to be the oldest holistic healing modality in the world. However, it is considered a relatively new alternative medicine system in the UK, with reports suggesting that its interest started in the 1980’s, with the arrival of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed Maharishi Ayurveda which is a unique method of ayurvedic medicine interconnected with Transcendental Meditation, and from then the interest in Ayurveda in the UK grew. Over the last two decades Ayurveda has grown rapidly in popularity in the west, with noticeably more people knowing about it and using it.
Herbs such as shatarvari and ashwaganda have seen a rapid uptake in use, partly to do with its ease of accessibility and availability and partly to its wide-spread promotions through social media and the wellness industry. It is great that ayurveda is now slowly being more well known, however it also comes at a cost for patient safety where potentially very powerful herbs are being used improperly and incorrectly. The most fundamental aspect of Ayurvedic medicine is that personal, patient centered treatment pathways is used. Not everyone can benefit from the same medicine in the same way.
Ayurveda as a health system, is unique. In its treatment, it focuses not only on the mental and physical health of an individual but also on the spiritual or subconscious level of a person too with the aim to bring them back into perfect health. This reflects on the very meaning of the word ‘Ayurveda’ which in Sanskrit meaning ‘Ayuh’ = life, ‘Veda’ = Knowledge.
The necessity for a new form of medical system in the world- integrating traditional and modern methodology.
The current state of the UK health system is at a critical breaking point, the increase in many preventable diseases, as well as an aging population coupled with years and years of austerity has made the health system unsafe and in dire need of support.
There needs to be significant change if it is to continue being the main medical system in the UK. The added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last few years has added to this pressure resulting in severe backlog of services and huge waiting lists and is very likely to that the service will tip over the edge soon. Certainly we have seen effects of this in smaller hospitals in deprived areas across the UK. Currently there are 6.6 million people waiting for treatment in the NHS, at an average wait time of 12 weeks (pre-covid the average waitlist was 7.7weeks)
Having worked in the NHS since 2001, I have seen the steady decline of the service which I have been so proud to work for, and unfortunately the last few years has resulted in even more of a decline. Staff shortages are at an all-time high, and with many staff taking time off due to being ill themselves, be it stress or chronic illness from years of working so hard under so much pressure. It is evident to see that many of the diseases that are prevalent nowadays could be prevented through lifestyle changes, It is estimated that 40% of premature mortality in the UK is caused by preventable cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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According to the five year forward view strategy by the NHS states that up to 40% of patients seen with their GPs is due to preventable diseases (NHS England, 2014) and a staggering 70% of all in-patient hospital stays are due preventable diseases.
How can Ayurveda fit into modern medicine not as an alternative system but rather as an adjunct or using an integrative approach.?
Ayurvedic medicine is a perfect health system that would have a vast impact on preventative health, the fact that in ayurveda every disease state has a methodology of detecting pre-disease and essentially halting it or reversing it before it becomes an established disease, something that western medicine does not have. ‘Purarupa’ is the name given to the signs and symptoms of an impending disease, and it is the body’s highly intellectual way of warning us that a disease can occur, it is therefore the best time to intervene by providing lifestyle, diet, and herbal remedy advice. Furthermore, even before purarupa is identified or becomes apparent, a good knowledge and practice of diet, lifestyle and remedies can reduce the incidence of that disease occurring even if it is in the patient’s karma/destiny.
A big advantage of using the ayurvedic health system is patient empowerment. Patients can take charge of their health and wellbeing through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. It is something that for them would also be easy to monitor, e.g., they would know why they are feeling a certain way or if their symptoms became worse if they changed something in their diet or lifestyle. Patient empowerment gives patients more autonomy, more confidence, and more flexibility in their lifestyle, and comes without side effects which all medications and quick fixes in western medicine will have. It has been proven that patients who feel that they have more autonomy in their health experience better outcomes, more confidence in their bodies own healing capabilities and a drive to improve their health more.
Benefits of using an ayurvedic consultation methodology
An ayurvedic doctor or practitioner assesses a patient holistically, and the patient is asked about their lifestyle, their emotions, the history of their illness in addition to performing the usual physical health checks on the patient. A big part of the consultation is being there in a supportive capacity to let the patient speak and be relaxed and able to speak without being rushed or felt that they are wasting the doctor or practitioner’s time. In fact, the need for better consultations was recently discussed at the Royal College of GPs, with it being evident that more consultations are done over the phone, and how a face-to-face consultation may allow for greater assessment of non-verbal cues, a richer information exchange as well as the ability to physically examine a patient (taking into consideration the impact of wearing a mask and the consultation setting). For patients who are distressed, the use of touch can be a supportive gesture.
Recommendations for the advancement of ayurvedic medicine in the west.
The advancement of any medical system needs to have good clinical trials, good cohesion between peers, widespread research, and the use of evidence-based practice. Having a link between the western medical systems and ayurvedic medicine would be a beneficial first start. Making ayurvedic education more accessible for people and encouraging uptake of post graduate courses available for health professionals or incorporating it into their degrees as modules. I believe the way ayurveda will be more mainstream and more widespread is when we start building bridges between other ayurvedic practitioners and doctors both abroad and the UK, creating cohesion and having joint guidelines and protocol and working under one umbrella.
Having access to GP surgeries and working alongside GP surgeries would be also be beneficial, previously acupuncture and homeopathy were both offered on the NHS and were available as resources in the GP surgery, as well as homeopathy on prescription which unfortunately is no longer funded on the NHS. (NHS England, 2019) A good way would also be making ayurveda more accessible perhaps linking with charitable groups that can offer discounted prices for patients to be consulted, such as cancer UK, diabetes UK etc.
Having platforms on NHS websites with information about ayurveda and basic food advice would be beneficial as well as having workshops available for patients to attend that maybe cheaper than them paying for a consultation? Increasing social media coverage and sharing success stories from reputable ayurvedic practitioners, consultants, and doctors.
More money should be allocated to ayurvedic research which would enable clinical trials and more evidence-based practice which in turn supports and heralds ayurveda as a reputable and safe medical practice. Having stricter rules on the prescribing of ayurvedic medications would I feel also help, whereby patients would only be able to purchase certain herbs under the guidance of a registered practitioner or doctor.
I personally feel that ayurvedic medicine should be accessible across all cultures, as a middle eastern, whilst I absolutely love Indian cooking, I have found that recipes for ayurvedic cooking doesn’t go beyond Indian food. I am keen to incorporate my knowledge of ayurveda into my culture and make the food we eat more ayurvedically balanced. In addition, being able to make an impact at times such as Ramadan and Eid etc. I believe ayurvedic medicine should be accessible for everyone regardless of their economic and cultural background. Although there is a spiritual basis to ayurveda, I believe that the spiritual understanding and explanations can be replicated and adapted to all religions or ways of life as the fundamentals of ayurvedic teachings can be used and adapted to suit all lives. Having Ayurveda accessible in the west would be an excellent advancement of health care, both in preventative healthcare but also in treatment and would save many lives, be richer and kinder to our environment and would benefit everyone.