:: June 2006 Volume 5/Number 4

Journey to Ayurveda Special Section:

Is it Real Ayurveda?
Developing standards of care for a new world market in an ancient system of care

By Dr. Ramkumar

The roots of Ayurveda go down deep for Dr. Ramkumar and many in India. They have grown up with it, it is a way of life, it is a profession, a science and an art. Dr. Ramkumar, BAMS, formerly with AVP hospital in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, is currently a principle in the Ayurvedic consulting group Punarnava which he helped found.

Dr. Ramkumar comes to Ayurveda through family lineage, as do many. He was one of a small group selected for traditional Ayurvedic education in an eight-year study program that occurred almost entirely in nature examining the five elements in everything around him, the doshas and their qualities and applying them to the human system per ancient texts.
After years of study followed by practice in hospitals and villages, he now works to improve the quality of Ayurveda offered. He consults with organizations in India to help bring some order to the helter-skelter array of treatments, facilities and medicines. Because of this, health travelers as well as the Indian people can know that the treatment they are about to receive actually strives to reflect the culture and the character of the ancient art and science. If you’re going to India and thinking about Ayurveda, here is what he suggests.

India’s Southern west coast state of Kerala is famous for Ayurveda inside and outside of India. With twelve Ayurveda medical colleges and 150 private hospitals located there, not even counting the hundreds of Ayurveda “resorts,” the Kerala Government (Tourism Department) has reason to help tourists understand the various levels of Ayurvedic care.

The Tourism Department is addressing the issue of standards with a plan to certify Ayurveda centers primarily run in resorts and hotels. Facilities will receive either an olive or green seal or none at all. To be expected, many Ayurveda providers do not yet subscribe to the program.
Currently it is only the Ayurveda centers operating in hotels/resorts, centers that have been established in tourist locations and the bigger Ayurveda centers that have actually applied and secured this certification. The many small Ayurveda centers run by Ayurveda families and having beds ranging from 4 - 10 are outside the purview of this certification process.

For those thinking about coming to Kerala for treatment, there are some key factors to consider in deciding where to go for treatment. The first is to understand why you are going. Start by determining in which of three main categories you fall: curative treatment as a patient, rejuvenative treatment as a patient or rejuvenative treatment as a guest.
The difference between rejuvenative treatment as a patient and as a guest, is that the former is more long-term and requires one to follow all the dietary and lifestyle restrictions. Being a guest can be short-term and the restrictions, while advised, are not mandatory. Needless to say, the former is far more effective if one is planning to be a serious patient; and if that is the case, then it is better to avoid the hotels/resorts and focus more on finding a good Ayurveda hospital which suits one’s requirements.

To be a serious patient, it is important to make preparations before going for a course of intensive Ayurveda treatment. For example, one should be mentally prepared for total physical and mental rest - the more one slows down one’s physical and mental processes, the better will be the healing.
Also be mentally prepared for emotional healing which can happen during or after the treatment process. This can happen up to six months after the treatment, especially for those who have been through intense emotional trauma.

Prepare for qualitative shifts in your own life. Post-treatment is when the real healing happens, when you shoulder full responsibility and introspect, recognize and find solutions for the “problem centers” within yourself, your family, your environment, work, etc.

Some patients who are unaware of the simple, vegetarian and apparently “low nutritional” Indian diet during the treatment, experience difficulty adjusting to it, hindering the possibility of gaining the full value of their time spent. During this time, even the metabolic processes within are slowed down and hence very light and easy-to-digest food is what is preferred.

The patient should be prepared to share complete details about oneself, i.e. medical, family, emotional, occupational history. However, leave it to the Ayurvedic physician to decide what is relevant and what is not. A gradual and steady improvement process is what is to be expected, not a sudden result. Patience is a key word when it comes to healing.

Last but not least, have absolute faith in Ayurveda, the physician treating you and the treatment and healing process. The firmer your conviction, the better will be the healing process.

Identify your best option for treatment
As in western medicine, when preparing to undergo a treatment, it is always recommended to do the research needed to identify a qualified physician. Ensure that there is at least a B.A.M.S. (Bacheclor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) qualified Ayurveda physician with a minimum experience of 5 - 7 years. If you get a reference to a particular Ayurveda hospital, Ayurveda center or physician that would certainly be a good starting point. It might even be good to have a few conversations over email or internet prior to finalizing where you want to go.

The “decibel levels” would be another factor to consider while making your decision - so is hygiene. Westerners sometimes have a different opinion of what constitutes good hygiene, as compared to what they “see” in Ayurveda hospitals in Kerala. Therefore, if you are looking at budget accommodations, be mentally prepared to stay in a space which may not be “clinically hygiene” but which would still suffice to meet essential standards.

While the rejuvenative guest has hundreds of options along the sea shore as well as in the backwaters, the serious patient should look for facilities that are in interior Kerala - for the sea breeze and the beach are not the most conducive for a serious patient.

You can also choose between being in a town or city as compared to the countryside - while the countryside is green and beautiful and generally quiet and free from external pollution, there may be a problem with getting amenities, as also with communication with the outside world. While the telephone lines are fine, internet/email is still to reach many of these smaller hospitals that are located in the countryside. And yes, invariably only the physician and 1 - 2 others would know English, making it all the more difficult to communicate.

If you have any history of emergency hospitalization, you might want to ensure that there is a reliable western medicine emergency care unit within a radius of 4 - 5km of the center. Most Ayurveda centers are not well equipped to deal with emergency situations.

Finally, the good Ayurveda center would have at least two experienced Ayurveda physicians and support staff such as therapists. They would use the medicine/oils of their reputed institution or make their own. There should be transparency about the treatments and medicines, and the center should be willing to give a detailed discharge summary. It should not be a problem for the center to refer you to other Ayurveda/Allopathy physicians where necessary, and demand should not be made to suddenly stop any medication currently being used. No false promises of “panacea for all diseases” should be made, rather just good personal care and attention provided such that you would feel part of an extended family.

As Ayurveda becomes more and more popular we gain something and we lose something. It is important to be aware of both.

The Signs of Ayurveda

Everywhere in Mahabalipuram, along the dusty streets between the stone carvers and sandal makers are signs advertising one form of Ayurveda or another, mostly for tourists. Abhyanga a hot oil massage is offered here, Shirodhara, where hot oil is dripped on the third eye site on the forehead seems to be offered everywhere. There are facials or body plaster made of turmeric, ground coriander seeds, dried orange peels or other exotic herbs. Then there is marma massage. Ayurveda posits 107 acupuncture-like points, called marmas from which toxins can be released, helping to restore normal energy flow to the body. Most Western medical doctors refuse to believe that a 4000 year old chart of the ancient Hindu pressure points is almost identical to the modern lymphangiography chart in their medical textbooks. But it is.

Most of these offerings, or at least the form in which they are offered in the streets of Mahabalipuram are Ayurveda-light. More often than not there is no methodology, consistency or physician involved. It’s a place where travelers can dabble in Ayurveda and ultimately it may be misleading.
Not many of these retail Ayurveda storefronts seem to offer either the beauty or the professional care or the spirit which is all bound up and at the heart of real Ayurveda.

For more informatin reach Dr. Ramkumar at
ramkumar@punarnava.com

 

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