Ancient India Now a Modern Land of Healing & Wellness

India’s progression in modern medicines has been exponential, a phenomenon recognized all over the World. Thanks to the rising popularity of medical tourism in India, the World has come to comprehend the unique health ecosystem that the country has created in modern times.

The country is home to the finest medical institutions dealing with a wide spectrum of therapeutics, surgery, and wellness treatments. Patients suffering from serious illnesses arrive here for tertiary treatment related to terminal cancers, liver and kidney transplants, and heart ailments to name a few. The country also attracts people for secondary health care related to cosmetics, hair transplants, and dentistry to name a few.     

India boasts one of the finest and largest platforms for education in modern medicine. But in spite of extreme reliance on allopathy, the inclusion of traditional pathways of healing has not been shunned. The ancient healing systems have been absorbed along with the rising tide of modern medicine in a syncretistic approach.      

Ancient Healing Systems

Healing as a science is an age-old phenomenon in India dating back more than 5000 years. The Hindu sages although born with a religious bent were explorers of spiritual mind and body as well. They created a society with a propensity towards research and development, as did few other civilizations flourishing in the World in ancient times.

In the centuries that followed, they developed numerous sciences not only those associated with healing but also with civics, art, and cultural aspects.  As a human entity, India was a conglomeration of robust cultures with an inclination toward science.

Ayurveda

Yoga and Transcendental Meditation are recognized globally for the immense health benefits they promote. Ayurveda too is slowly being accepted with greater result-based research being carried out. The benefits of herbs used in Ayurvedic practice are being understood far better now. The country exported 330.18 million USD worth of herbs in the period 2017 – 2018. The trade holds greater potential due to a projected growth rate of 14 % CAGR.  

Herbal cosmetic and value-added extracts were shipped overseas to the tune of 456.12 million USD in the same period.  With the standardization of organic agricultural practices, the demand for herbs and value-added herbal products will increase exponentially in the near future.  To prevent biopiracy, the Government of India has set up Traditional Knowledge Digital Library which serves as the repository for Indian formulations.

Yoga Tourism

Major centers of Yoga Tourism include Rishikesh and Mysore. Yoga holidays have become a mainstream tourism activity not only in India but in many countries due to the rising popularity of science which deals both with the physical and mental aspects of the human body. The ashrams or Yogi ashrams were the ones to popularize Yoga. The activity became commercialized with the spawning of a number of centers pan India in form of spa and wildlife resorts and five-star hotels. Experts teach yoga in private schools as well and certify learners. TM is delivered side by side in most of these centers. The AYUSH Ministry plays a vital role in the promotion within.

Yoga tourism is secondary to medical tourism, and it generates revenue according to health to the of overseas visitors. A drop-in class fee in Rishikesh ranges from INR 200 to 500. The classes are well organized and headed by a Guru, and most of the followers are overseas visitors from the UK, EU, and the USA.     

Wellness resorts are flourishing all over the country promoting therapy based on diet, Naturopathy, Yoga, and Ayurvedic treatments the latter including the most sought-after massages. There is no fine line that segregates indigenous healing therapies, as a matter of fact, the delivery is often mixed in these resorts.   

Towards Syncretism

Most practitioners of modern medicine or allopathy tolerate patients undergoing alternate healing. As a matter of fact, some doctors prescribe innocuous Ayurvedic herbal formulations along with their treatments.   The rate of patients using indigenous formulations along with allopathic drugs is 3.5 % percent but this does not include habitual users of the formulations. Ayurvedic herbal formulations are used in every Indian household. This is evident from the growing exports and mushrooming of small units manufacturing the formulations. The popularity of herbal cosmetics and therapeutics that line the stores all over the country is another indicator of the increasing demand.    

Across the World, around 80 percent of 6 billion people use herbal medicine for primary healthcare. Although describes as pseudoscientific, a good number of Ayurvedic products have proven their efficacy abroad, but a lot of studies proving the efficacy of many other formulations need to be carried out. 

Herbal medicine is culturally accepted throughout the World as part of traditional healing that promotes a healthier living besides offering a moderate approach to healthcare. 

With a robust healthcare infrastructure, India is attracting international patients from many countries. Reach and the cost has been the criteria upon which to base the visit for international patients everywhere. This applies to India as well, but the alternative healing and wellness holidays act as additional criteria upon which the patients base their visits. Hence it is not only neighborhood visitors that arrive from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal traveling to India for medical treatments. Yoga, TM, and Ayurveda are proving as additional determinants that are attracting people from developed countries as well as propelling health tourism in India.             

India a Global Wellness Hub

India Healing

India is a land of Vedic teachings which are based on principles of Hindu religious beliefs. Hinduism is an ecosystem that has given birth to diverse beliefs and nurtures them. The practice is centered around meditation and physical wellness with an inclination toward nature.  But the most significant contribution to spiritual and physical wellness has been Ayurveda and Yoga.   

With a history of more than five thousand years, the country has always evolved based on scientific principles and research. This is a civilizational quest to learn and discover. The progress has been remarkable in spite of numerous invasions that impacted the sociocultural aspects. Nevertheless, due to the strong ethos of self-preservation, the country propelled itself to glory once again and is now a leading wellness destination. 

Ayurveda in Modern India   

Ayurveda is an ancient science that used human observation guidelines for treatments accorded. The impact of consuming natural substances for wellness is being noticed the World over with the added benefit of noncarbon-intensive eating habits. In spite of loads of detractors, medical science has become popular all over the World. It is a science not based on modern metrics that Western medicine employs but its popularity has risen due to years of use and observations.  

Unlike TCM, the Indian healing system (TIM) relies heavily on natural vegetative materials and little on the animal kingdom perhaps because of leaning toward vegetarianism and Ahimsa. This has led to the extensive development of herbal and mineral-based formulations.  The herbal ingredients have been studied in isolation for centuries and then combined in formulations to avail optimum results. Another positive aspect of this healing system is the use of herbal materials in a natural state and rarely as isolated extracts or complex organic or inorganic chemicals as in Western medicine. Albeit the results in the case of Ayurveda take more time as compared to modern medicine nevertheless the incidence of after-effects or side effects are rare or extremely mild. 

Ayurveda  and Modern Medicine 

Ayurvedic Medicines do not work as the modern system of healing works. The latter has definitely proven to be a lifesaver by quickly fighting diseases using drugs and surgery. Whereas Ayurveda is a holistic medicinal system that impacts both the mind and the body. The system lays tremendous stress on controlling lifestyle and consumption as part of treatment besides the use of formulations in form of liquid, powder, and tablets. 

Another difference is that the method of treatment is non-invasive and no injectibles and surgical interventions are prescribed by modern-day practitioners or Ayurvedaacharyas. 

The Government of India recognizes an Ayurvedic degree which is tantamount to a Bachelors's degree in modern medicine. This degree is popular in India and is named using an acronym called BAMS. It stands for Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine, and Surgery. Obviously, as the name suggests some aspects of modern medicine are employed by BAMS doctors in order to facilitate clinical practices in remote India. 

Thus the Ayurvedic practices and modern healing science work side by side in tandem each imparting their inherent benefits to the patients. It should be noted both sciences should not substitute for each other and breaking the norm could be fatal.

Hence TIM is employed on a long-term basis though some of the formulations do impart quick results that impact the metabolism favorably, directly fight disease, and suppress symptoms. The impact is not as one observes when modern medicines are used but Ayurveda works well in non-life-threatening circumstances with time on hand. In the case of a patient suffering from a lifestyle disease, the cumulative action of formulations and dietary regimen works very well over a period of time.   

Though often described as pseudoscience, the impact of this Indian system of medicine is noticeable. For example, the use of Isabgol has become universal thanks to its positive impact on bowel movement thus easing the life of those suffering from troubling constipation.  Similarly, stress on a vegetarian diet is helpful to those ailing from kidney problems and are advised to reduce their intake of proteins. Other fine examples are Shilajit, Ashwagandha, and Brahmi which are universally accepted herbal products for health treatments prescribed in Ayurveda. These are for rejuvenation, improving cognition, and antioxidants to name a few benefits.  

The herbal ingredients become more potent in carefully calibrated formulations, and since the drugs are manufactured by reputed companies in India the chances of a harmful overdose of ingredients are reduced.  

Thus, this Indian system of medicine can be used in parallel overseas as it is in this country. The healing system is becoming popular in many developed nations and is now recognized more as an alternative system than a pseudoscience. 

Ayurvedic Retreats 

There are many retreats and resorts that offer wellness programs using the practices employed in Ayurveda. Most of these are luxurious resorts but nevertheless, their wellness programs are much appreciated and have gained popularity among international patients seeking holistic wellness treatments overseas. 

Most of the resorts are situated in panoramic surroundings with extensive greenery, forests, rivers, and heights. These are places well-known for salubrity, serenity, and peace. Thus these retreats are most preferred for wellness programs in India.    

The programs include Yoga, Ayurvedic treatments pertaining to the ailment, and a dietary regimen often bolstered by cooking classes for vegetarian recipes. These programs are conducted by experts in Yoga and Ayurveda namely Yoga Gurus and Ayurvedacharyas. The resort's chefs assist in delivering the cookery lessons. 

Bolstering Medical Tourism in India 

Alternative healing systems like Ayurveda and Yoga are contributing immensely to medical tourism in India.  The formulations fetch in added foreign exchange due to demand abroad. 

For international patients, the country provides one of the best low-cost treatment options for surgeries and modern allopathic treatments as well.  Combined with Ayurveda retreats and Yoga camps the enhancement in inbound arrivals is impressive for a country that is experiencing thirty percent growth in health travel year on year. 

The popularity of alternative indigenous healing sciences in the country is rising rapidly across the oceans.  And what began as a healing science five thousand years ago will impart tremendous wellness globally and make India a gateway for robust health.  

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Uday writes for Fanling Wellness Medical Tourism Company in India.  He writes on medical tourism, advanced disease treatments, and health infrastructure in India.  As an experienced SEO and Content Writer he writes on diverse topics on various platforms. 

He was earlier teaching digital marketing in Jabalpur in his free time. He can be contacted at:

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323 

Understanding Ayurveda amidst Modern Day Therapies

It all started five thousand years back whence Vedic civilization was flourishing. Hinduism was the backbone. It is an ideology with a propensity for vegetarianism which albeit it surfaced much later but I believe it had taken roots by then. Today almost 30% of Indians are vegetarian. Another feather in the cap was the development of another wellness therapy and that was Yoga. 

The two gems of Indian healing systems are very much popular today in India as well as overseas. Most of the proponents of Yoga have been initiated in the Vedic Era or earlier perhaps. The guru shishya tradition has been instrumental in exporting the wellness system to many countries. The sages left no stone unturned to discover the holistic healing sciences. Although considered as an alternative or pseudoscientific term according to some Western prejudiced practitioners and scientists.     

Ayurveda is in existence since its inception and the system is growing. New scientific logic is being applied to the system now subject to research and the quest for evidence as in the case of modern medicine. The sheer magnitude of consumption in the country of origin, and the growing popularity overseas should make habitual detractors of this ancient Indian medical science think. 

Ayurveda is close to nature since Hindu or Santam Dharma is nature-centric. A majority of formulations comprise vegetative matter, and the animal matter used is derived from creatures not subject to killing. The use of ghee or clarified butter and honey is one such example. 

The use of minerals and some metals are a cause of concern as rightly pointed out by scientists and modern medicine practitioners Some of them are toxic in large quantities. Hence all pharmaceutical concerns should create a standard for this usage that is suggestive of medicinal value. 

Ayurveda practitioners are registered practitioners with degrees from colleges and universities. They are familiar with modern medicines. Many of the pharma companies that make Ayurvedic medicines are global or National concerns that will follow standards. 

The formulations are available as tablets, powders, and liquids. Most of the popular formulations are consumed in India and abroad by the masses. Although the medicine comprises a complex mix of ingredients - herbs, roots, and minerals they are all mentioned in quantity in branded formulations.  

This Indian healing system also prescribes diet regimen, exercise, and in some instances abstinence which means it advocates lifestyle changes necessary to deal with an anomaly in the system.  Thus, it may still be not evidence-based but the lifestyle changes augur wellness, and the ingredients from the medicinal plants have beneficial properties many of which have been studied although more needs to be done to quantify. 

The system lays more emphasis on lifestyle and consuming elements in harmony with nature. Many natural remedies like Isabgol or psyllium husk, ashwagandha, shilajit, sankphuspi, and Brahmi have become popular and are used by the masses. There are more herbal ingredients on the list may be in thousands. 

India is biodiversity-rich and more herbs with medicinal properties would be discovered in time to come. Around 7000 herbs have already been classified. 

**Never consume the medicine without the advice of a doctor

**Do not stop modern medicine treatments suggested by your doctor

**Consult doctor at every step. 

Be safe and healthy!