Ayurvedic Herbalism: Conclusion


♦ Home Part I: Ayurveda ♦ Introduction & History ♦ Indian Cosmology ♦ The Human Body ♦ Health & Sickness Part II: Ayurvedic Herbalism ♦ Humans & Plants ♦ Food Energies ♦ Plant Classification ♦ Herbal Preparations ♦ Herbal Usage ♦ Common Herbs Part III: Future of Ayurveda ♦ Limits to Ayurveda ♦ Ayurveda-Western Medicine Comparison ♦ Ayurveda as CAM ♦ Conclusion		Conclusion The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that as therapies of CAM become proven to work consistently safely and effectively, they get adopted into conventional medicine (1). Although Ayurveda is slowly being researched by the NCCAM, it is highly unlikely that much of its practices will become mainstream within the next two decades. However, Ayurveda is enjoying a quickly growing popularity in the public. A survey done by the National Center for Health Statistics in May 2004 reveals that over 750,000 people in the U.S. had used Ayurveda at least once and 154,000 people had used it within the past year (2). Ayurveda is currently growing in two areas of the country- the public and the education sector. The public is becoming increasingly more receptive to the use of Ayurvedic treatments as an Alternative form of medicine to common ailments and prevention of these ailments. Ayurveda’s popularity in the public remains largely superficial. The average individual is intrigued by the physical products such as “Ayurvedic soaps” (3), herbs, oils, and stones to improve personal hygiene but is not as equally interested in the spiritual philosophies or the aspect of Ayurveda that demands lifestyle changes. Ayurveda is also growing in the education sector. There are many schools and “colleges” that exclusively teach Ayurveda and offer certificate programs in Ayurvedic therapies. A personal Internet search of the word “Ayurveda” produced links to many online institutions that offered training courses in Ayurveda (4). The U.S. currently has no national system for certifying or training Ayurvedic practitioners or accrediting Ayurvedic schools. Ayurvedic practitioners often study conventional medicine first before studying Ayurveda in India or American Ayurvedic colleges to be licensed (5). The promise of Ayurveda’s presence in the American medical field is strong as more and more physicians, researchers, and medical scientists recognize the pitfalls of conventional medicine. Many, but not a majority of, physicians have started to incorporate a limited number of safe Ayurvedic practices. Hopefully, in the near future, many more conventional doctors will be open to using Ayurveda to complement their conventional medicine and make the healing process more whole. References: 1. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. “What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?” http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/. September 25, 2006. (Accessed: December 4, 2006). 2. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. “What is Ayurvedic Medicine?” http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/. March 23, 2006. (Accessed: December 4, 2006). 3. Wikipedia.com. “Ayurveda- Current Status”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda#Current_Status. December 4, 2006. (Accessed: December 4, 2006). 4. A search of the word “Ayurveda” on Yahoo.com produced links to over 15 different organizations and institutions offering training courses. 5. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. “What is Ayurvedic Medicine?” http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/. March 23, 2006. (Accessed: December 4, 2006).