This week I was able to finagle my schedule to include time spent with Ayurvedic and homeopathic doctors in India. It has been a refreshing change from the allopathic model I have been exposed to thus far. Both Ayurveda and homeopathy have the same fundamental philosophy as naturopathic medicine and it's been a bit of fresh air hearing doctors talk about health in such a manner.
In India both Ayurveda and homeopaths are considered doctors. The education of both is similar to allopathic medicine except for the treatment options. They are able to order labs and imaging and Ayurvedic doctors can even perform surgeries. Many Ayurvedic doctors prescribe allopathic and ayurvedic medicine.
In the morning we are shadowing an Ayurvedic doctor that does not prescribe allopathic medication. Most of the patients receive panchkarma treatment, ayurvedic herbs and dietary recommendations. Their fundamental belief is that lifestyle and diet create ill health and by redirecting the person to the proper lifestyle and diet that best suits them the person's health will improve. Panchkarma is performed before many treatments are started in order to detox the patient. This treatment is 8-15 days long and involves certain medications and oil massages to flush the system of toxins. Then a regiment of herbs is designed to target the problem area of the patient. I wish I understood what most of the herbs were so I could understand how they are used. Yesterday we watched a doctor perform an interuterine treatment of herbs to open up a blocked uterine tube. The doctor stated that the allopathic surgery for the same problem is only 20% effective and that she guarentees 100% effectiveness after three ayurvedic treatments. She showed us 2 sets of xrays of a similar case where the tube was opened.
The dietary regiments are decided based on the person's dosha. There are 3 doshas:vatta, pitta and kauffa. A person can have one dosha dominant or be a mixture of two or all three of them. The diets are based on the 7 tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and astringent. Each taste has an effect on the doshas. For example, if you eat sour it will increase your pitta and decrease your vatta. So, if you are out of balance and have too much pitta, then you do not want to eat sour foods because it will aggrevate your symptoms.
The homeopaths in India only use homeopathic medicine and some minor lifestyle changes. I have enjoyed hearing her tell patients who come in asking for a pill to help them lose weight. Her response is always to "exercise!" She is very anti-allopathic. Her intakes do not take as long as homeopathic intakes at home, and she writes down only a few lines from her interviews. But, she spends much more time with her patients than the allopathic doctors I have shadowed. She doesn't use a synthesis, but instead has all of the remedies memorized and prescribes from memory. Often, she prescribes a placebo in addition to the remedy because her patients often want to take more medicine than they really need. Occasionally patients will come back in to her feeling fine but saying that they need a refill. In cases like this she will also prescribe a placebo. She will only prescribe a medicine again if they come in with new symptoms.
India seems like a wonderful place to learn more about natural therapies and I hope to return in the future to enhance the skills I am learning at NCNM.
In India both Ayurveda and homeopaths are considered doctors. The education of both is similar to allopathic medicine except for the treatment options. They are able to order labs and imaging and Ayurvedic doctors can even perform surgeries. Many Ayurvedic doctors prescribe allopathic and ayurvedic medicine.
In the morning we are shadowing an Ayurvedic doctor that does not prescribe allopathic medication. Most of the patients receive panchkarma treatment, ayurvedic herbs and dietary recommendations. Their fundamental belief is that lifestyle and diet create ill health and by redirecting the person to the proper lifestyle and diet that best suits them the person's health will improve. Panchkarma is performed before many treatments are started in order to detox the patient. This treatment is 8-15 days long and involves certain medications and oil massages to flush the system of toxins. Then a regiment of herbs is designed to target the problem area of the patient. I wish I understood what most of the herbs were so I could understand how they are used. Yesterday we watched a doctor perform an interuterine treatment of herbs to open up a blocked uterine tube. The doctor stated that the allopathic surgery for the same problem is only 20% effective and that she guarentees 100% effectiveness after three ayurvedic treatments. She showed us 2 sets of xrays of a similar case where the tube was opened.
The dietary regiments are decided based on the person's dosha. There are 3 doshas:vatta, pitta and kauffa. A person can have one dosha dominant or be a mixture of two or all three of them. The diets are based on the 7 tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and astringent. Each taste has an effect on the doshas. For example, if you eat sour it will increase your pitta and decrease your vatta. So, if you are out of balance and have too much pitta, then you do not want to eat sour foods because it will aggrevate your symptoms.
The homeopaths in India only use homeopathic medicine and some minor lifestyle changes. I have enjoyed hearing her tell patients who come in asking for a pill to help them lose weight. Her response is always to "exercise!" She is very anti-allopathic. Her intakes do not take as long as homeopathic intakes at home, and she writes down only a few lines from her interviews. But, she spends much more time with her patients than the allopathic doctors I have shadowed. She doesn't use a synthesis, but instead has all of the remedies memorized and prescribes from memory. Often, she prescribes a placebo in addition to the remedy because her patients often want to take more medicine than they really need. Occasionally patients will come back in to her feeling fine but saying that they need a refill. In cases like this she will also prescribe a placebo. She will only prescribe a medicine again if they come in with new symptoms.
India seems like a wonderful place to learn more about natural therapies and I hope to return in the future to enhance the skills I am learning at NCNM.
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