Allyson St Amand
Scott Ostriker
(Track B Student Submissions)
Roots
Despite the 5000+ year roots of Ayurveda in ancient religious traditions of India, the interest in this holistic medicine did not expand in the United States until the 1970’s. Adoption of Ayurveda in the United States has been slow going due to the differences in holistic versus allopathic medicine approaches. As a result, traditional western medicine has contrasted with Ayurvedic beliefs linked to treating the being at multiple levels, not solely the physical body. In the United States, the mind and spirit are missing from approach to treating illness and disease.
Challenges
Over the past 40 years, adoption of Ayurveda in the United States has been faced with challenges. The present challenges of Ayurveda include globalization and industrialization of drugs, and the quality assurance in the use of drugs. Traces of lead, mercury and arsenic have been found in over-the-counter medicine manufactured in South Asia (Ref: National Institute for Ayurvedic Medicine.) In addition, it is believed further research, testing and validation is needed to expand upon the Pramana Vijnan Ayurvedic principles and philosophies.
The World Health Organization has studied the uses of Ayurveda and herbal medicine in India. Due to regulatory challenges, the WHO has suggested a plan for countries to standardize national traditional medicine polies and programs.
Although Ayurveda is faced with some challenges, there is billions of American’s spending money on alternative medical treatments. The emphasis on holistic medicine is increasing as side effects and outcomes of allopathic medicine become understood. A shift away from treating the disease to preventative and pre-symptoms are now being taken into account. Spirituality, beliefs, values, diet and lifestyle are all very important components of health and well-being. Best practices of Ayurvedic medicines include sophisticated therapeutic formulations and detailed guidance about food/nutrition/diet (EPMA, 2014).
In addition, the Ayurvedic physician offers personalized medicine to maximize the therapeutic efficacy and safety of persons with their disorder, specified condition according to their constitution, and properties of materials (EPMA, 2014). Ayurveda is non-invasive and
Although the present challenges to adoption of Ayurveda has impacted the speed of adoption, I believe the growing need for Ayurveda as a healthcare approach which incorporates religious and spiritual demands, will force scientists and healthcare professionals to study and practice Ayurveda. Patients are becoming more informed about the medical approaches available to them. As a result, this will only continue to reinforce the best practices and benefits of Ayurveda.
Best Practices
Scott Ostriker
I am choosing to discuss challenges and best practices in Ayurveda in the US. I have to admit that i am very much a student of the discipline and am not sure if best practices have been defined. I know in western medicine, the term best practice is often used rather loosely as their can be differing opinions on what "best practice" actually is. Sometimes, there are evidence based or consensus based recommendations from experts in that niche area.
This gives us something to work with but even these become outdated rapidly and will sometimes conflict with other guidelines/recommendations. I am not aware that there are any specialty groups within Ayurveda than can offer these evidence based or consensus based guidelines or "best practices" at this point. (Here is where i am fine with being corrected as we will all learn from this if there is something i don't know out here...)
I think that one of the greatest challenges is that Ayurveda it does not benefit any special interest groups or organizations. Because of this, there will always be limited funds to conduct intense scientific based research which is often needed to be recognized in this country. As we all know, there is research funded by the government and public organizations but much of the research being done is still funded by the pharmaceutical industry.
Of course, if Ayurveda can prove that integrating its use can decrease morbidity and cost insurance companies less money, there is a chance it may be recognized and paid for. These may be recognized by Accountable Care Organizations as well if Ayurveda can prove that integrating this practice into the lives of the population cared for can decrease hospitalizations and overall costs.
With a focus on true wellness, this may be a possibility but we have to recognize that many will not be open to this discipline anytime soon so we will need to focus on improving the outcomes of those who are. Until this is recognized by Medicare, Medicaid, and private payers, Ayurveda will need to focus on those willing to go outside of their insurance company.