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Ayurveda
: Ancient Heritage in the Age of Globalisation
India, four common reasons have been suggested why
people are opting for Ayurveda. The first one is the holistic
approach. The second is the treatment for patients and not
for the disease. Very interestingly, we were talking about
a very leading Ayurveda institute in south India known
as Kottakkal. So, they had an advertisement campaign
when they completed hundred years of their Institute.
There was one full page advertisement that said that they
have been treating for last hundred years and not even a
single illness was treated! It takes six months to seek an
appointment there. They said so because they treat the
individual andnot thedisease. Thus, theywereadvertising
that hundred years in health care but not a single illness
treated but hundreds of thousands of patients are treated
there! That is the greatness of Ayurvedic treatment!!
Third is the importance of diet and lifestyle
regiments and no adverse reactions. There are adverse
reactions but it is not dangerous or not very aggressive
like what we see in the conventional medical system. It
is believed that 80% of people in some Asia and African
countries depend on traditional medicine for primary
health care but in countries like India and China, a larger
percentage in fact go for even secondary care. So there
is something known as health transition according to the
W.H.O. happening in the health care scenario that once the
major threat came from communicable disease. Now it is
