“Ayurveda is becoming extremely popular in Kathmandu, because there is a general movement towards holistic healing systems and alternative therapies,” says Dr Pooja Agarwal, an ayurvedic general physician. [break]
According to Dr Agarwal, ayurvedic therapies are slowly gaining popularity as people are finding them effective in treating various ailments ranging from simple conditions like skin rashes to more complex diseases like cancer. Now there are many ayurvedic centers around the capital which are trying to popularize such therapies. These centers offer cures for joint pain, arthritis, spondylitis, sciatica, paralysis, insomnia, diabetes, sinusitis, migraine and respiratory ailments with different treatments.
According to Kamal Jwala Shrestha, director at Patanjali Ayurvedic Kendra at Patan Dhoka, the popularity of Ayurveda has definitely been on a steady rise in the recent times. Shrestha has been working at the same facility outlet for the past four years and claims that the popularity is growing day by day because of recommendations from satisfied patients.
Keshab Thoker
“Around 40-60 patients come to our center every single day. These people have mostly been suggested to try ayurvedic medicines by their relatives and friends,” says Shrestha adding that Patanjali Ayurvedic Kendra has outlets in various areas around the valley and many people visit these centers on a daily basis.
Ganga Gautam, sales clerk at Satya Sai Ayurveda in Anamnagar, has also seen a wave of change in the mindset of people regarding ayurvedic treatments. Gautam has been working at the pharmacy for nearly nine years and says that people of all ages now seem to be opting for ayurvedic medications. An interesting fact is that while medical doctors have always remained a bit skeptical about this mode of treatment in the past, they too can be seen giving preference to Ayurveda in the recent times.
“Many medical doctors come to us seeking herbal remedies and we’ve received good feedback from them too,” she says.
Dr Hari Yadav, an ayurvedic practitioner and production officer at Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana Bikash Samiti, says that while the main aim of Ayurveda is to promote good health, it’s curative and palliative aspects can’t be ignored.
There are special medications for eye ailments, respiratory problems and infertility. There are even treatments – which ayurvedic practitioners claim to be more effective than medical treatments – for anxiety, hypertension, and insomnia which are quite common especially in the younger generation these days. However, Ayurveda is not limited to the physical body but also deals with the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life.
Photo:Cilla Khatry
Ayurveda emphasizes on the health of the mind, body, and spirit besides re-establishing balance in the body through diet, lifestyle, and workouts. A coherent, comprehensive system emphasizing nutrition, herbal medicine, exercise, yoga and meditation, and synchrony with the biological cycles, Ayurveda offers a strong framework for multi-modal preventive medicine.
However, according to Dr Mahesh Raj Ghimire, a medical doctor, it can be challenging to balance the essentials of an ancient tradition with the daily realities of a very different world. Also, it’s not feasible to opt for ayurvedic treatments when you need instant medical intervention and treatment as ayurvedic medications take a longer time to work.
“Ayurvedic treatments aren’t fast acting and that can pose a serious threat to those who need immediate attention,” says Dr Ghimire explaining that allopathic medicines are designed to affect the system at a much faster rate than ayurvedic medicines.
Ayurvedic practitioners, however, beg to differ. They are, collectively, of the opinion that people tend to seek ayurvedic consultation when other methods of treatments have failed by when their condition will have progressed too far. That is, they stress, why ayurvedic treatments seem to take a longer time to show its effectiveness.
“We have many patients coming to us for the treatment of gastritis and so far the success rate is 100 percent,” says Dr Yadav adding that the success rate for other ailments like skin conditions and gynecological problems are also as high as 90 percent.
Nutrition and digestion are at the heart of Ayurvedic practice. “So many problems stem from poor digestion and elimination,” explains Dr Yadav. Dr. Ghimire, agrees with Dr Yadav on this front. “Roughly 80% of all chronic disease has its roots in poor diet and dysfunctional digestion,” says Dr Ghimire adding that ayurveda has shown the potential to remedy much that has gone wrong in modern medicine.
“Digestion is very often the place we start at when treating patients. We explore their eating habits, from the types of food they consume to the amount as well as what kind of exercise they engage in, to get to the root of the problem,” reveals Dr Yadav.
The goal of ayurvedic treatment is to help people reconnect with their physiology. With the focus largely on lifestyle and diet, ayurvedic treatments are simple and practical and that more or less explains the growing popularity. The other reason could also be its cost effectiveness. Ayurvedic treatments are less expensive compared to other modern medicinal treatments.
However, many – including those who have opted for ayurvedic treatments – are still skeptical about it and that is mostly due to lack of enough
scientific research and studies. Ayurvedic practitioners and researchers claim that studies are being carried out and the results have been good. There have even been groups, through the past couple of decades, who have worked to translate the available ancient texts of Ayurveda into other languages, including English, Hindi, and Nepali.
The common perception is that traditional medicines, an age-old heritage inherited from years of experience, are bound to contain some valuable elements but inevitably they might also contain some ingredients which are no longer useful. It is therefore necessary to carry out research to separate the grain from the chaff and to develop and improve the useful element. And with the growing popularity of Ayurveda, the need is being felt like never before.
People’s perspective:The alternative solution
Bhawani Thapa*, 61, has had hypertension for almost ten years. Though she was put on medication six months after being diagnosed with the condition, her blood pressure kept fluctuating and as a result, she suffered from frequent bouts of headache and dizziness. Then two years ago, a friend recommended ayurvedic treatment.
“My blood pressure has been a lot stable since then and I no longer suffer from headaches,” says Bhawani who visited an ayurvedic facility at Patan Dhoka and started taking medicines recommended by the on duty ayurvedic practitioner.
According to Bhawani, she was easily convinced by her friend to try ayurvedic medicines because she wanted to do something about the recurrent headache and dizzy spells. Also the fact that ayurvedic medicines are believed to be free from side effects added to her unflinching determination to give it a shot once her friend recommended it with such conviction.
“I felt I had nothing to lose. Even if it didn’t work, there was no possibility of any harm,” says Bhawani adding that she firmly believes she made the right choice as her blood pressure is finally under control.
However, there have been periods when Bhawani has gone off the prescribed ayurvedic medications – in a bid to lower her drug intake – and she claims that her blood pressure has always fluctuated during those times.
Similar is Rishab Sapkota’s case who has been taking ayurvedic medicines for diabetes for nearly a year now. The 52 year old says that his wife forced him to do so after his blood sugar levels remained high despite treatment. Under the advice of ayurvedic practitioners in Delhi, he started taking additional medicines without discontinuing the allopathic drugs prescribed when he was diagnosed with the condition three years ago.
“In four months time, my blood sugar levels started decreasing and now after a year of having ayurvedic drugs, tests results show normal blood sugar levels,” says Rishab.
Though many people these days can be seen opting for ayurvedic medications, medical doctors don’t recommend relying on it completely. Medical authorities claim that ayurvedic treatment is only advisable alongside medical intervention and to opt for it alone can spell disaster.
Also due to lack of credible and substantial scientific research, ayurvedic treatments and medications’ reliability remains questionable. Ayurvedic medications take a longer time to work as compared to allopathic drugs and hence aren’t feasible in cases where immediate effect is required.
However, that doesn’t seem to stop the flow of patients at ayurvedic facility centers and clinics especially within the capital in the recent times. People also appear to be taking up and sticking with this form of treatment and recommending it to their friends and relatives based largely on personal experience.
Out of the 70 people The Week questioned, 34 were seeking ayurvedic consultation and treatment after their regular medication failed to control their health condition, 28 were opting for it as a side treatment and only eight admitted to relying solely on ayurvedic treatments. Though almost all of those questioned had received good reviews of ayurvedic treatments from family and friends, nearly 50% confessed to still being skeptical about the medicines they were prescribed.
“I want to try ayurvedic medicines to get my skin rashes under control but I’m not convinced it will be of much help,” says Sanjay Timilsina, 47, adding that a friend claimed that ayurvedic treatment cured his severe indigestion problems and advised Sanjay to try it for his skin problems as well.
“My friend came across a program on Ayurveda on an Indian television channel and got in touch with the practitioners of the ayurvedic facility that ran the show,” explains Sanjay.
According to Sanjay, he ordered the medicines after phone consultations with the ayurvedic practitioner in Haryana, India. The practitioner has claimed that the treatment will take time but it will get to the root of the problem and cure it for once and for all.
Now Sanjay has a number of ayurvedic concoctions and pills and applies various balms and lotions on the affected areas on a daily basis. He’s been advised to follow the regime for the next three months after which the dosage will be decreased or increased depending upon his condition.
Though Sanjay questions the reliability of the approach, he continues to follow the treatment. After years of medical treatment during which his condition further worsened instead of getting better, he doesn’t want to give up on what he feels is probably his last resort.
And the scenario is the same for many who have opted to take up Ayurveda. Having heard about the ‘healing powers’ of this natural yet scientific mode of treatment – be it through friends or relatives, advertisements, and even television shows – people have chosen to give it a try with the hope that it will put an end to their persistent health woes.
Understanding Ayurveda
Though Ayurveda has definitely been gaining popularity among the masses, many people are still largely unaware about the workings of this method of treatment and hence skepticism prevails.
The Week’s Cilla Khatry met up with Dr Pooja Agarwal in an attempt to understand Ayurveda. Dr Agarwal has completed her BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery) degree from Gurukul Kangri Ayurvedic College in Haridwar, India and has been working at Patanjali Ayurvedic Kendra at Patan Dhoka for the past four years. [break]
Excerpts from the interview:
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and balanced lives. Ayurveda aims to prevent as well as treat illness by maintaining physical, mental and spiritual balance through proper diet, lifestyle and herbal remedies. It’s the oldest science that has been practiced for at least 5,000 years.
What is the principle of Ayurveda?
According to ayurvedic beliefs, each person has a particular energy type. There are three energy types commonly known as doshas – vata, pitta, kapha – and every person falls under one category or has a combination of these doshas. Many things can disturb these energy balances which manifests in the form of different diseases. The principle of Ayurveda is to prescribe treatment plans to rebalance these doshas.
How reliable and effective are ayurvedic treatments?
Ayurveda has its roots in science and hence are as reliable and effective as medical treatments, if not more. Ayurvedic treatments, unlike allopathic treatments, focus on treating the cause of the disease rather than just the symptoms. This is one reason why ayurvedic treatments aren’t as fast acting as allopathic medications. Generally in allopathic medicines, one component is for fast action which is why people tend to think it’s more effective.
How long do ayurvedic treatments generally take to work?
Ayurveda is not magic as many people would like to believe. The treatment efficacy and the time it takes for medicines to work depend on the condition of the patient. If the disease is minor, a few days to weeks might be all the time it takes for the person to get better. If the condition has progressed and is chronic, then it might take a few months too. I say the earlier the patient comes to us, the better. Usually what happens is that patients come to us when all other forms of treatments have failed.
A common perception is that ayurvedic treatments have no side effects. Is that true?
Yes. Ayurvedic treatments are free from side effects. I can understand that many are cynical about this but it’s true as the medicines are all herbal. Though there might be cases where a certain remedy might not work for someone, there’s never been a case when someone has complained of ill effects. Also in cases where remedies don’t work, generally all that is required is a readjustment of the dose. Ayurvedic concoctions and pills are safe for all and you can have it even if you are on allopathic drugs.
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