Literate Kerala has ‘caged’ AYUSH

The state of Kerala deserves endless appreciation for caging the rogue elephant from rampage the medical science in the state under the name of great tradition, Hindu culture, pre-science etc. The State Government of Kerala under the present Chief Minister has annexed the state drug licensing authority of Indian System of Medicine under Drugs Control for the scientifically proven allopathic system. This is a very remarkable decision and 100% literate state has shown the way for rest of India.

AYUSH should be given only paramedical practice status. Except making tall claims and promoting pseudo-science, no proven science has come from AYUSH till date. Most of the herbal AYUSH preparations contain more than one herb. Anyone who has studied the basic chemistry would know how much variations occur in the secondary metabolite profile of even the plants under same species grown in same agro-climatic and geochemical conditions. These secondary metabolites are only the drugs of AYUSH.

The question is how even if the standardization of individual herbs in such poly-herbal concoctions are accurately done but still the quality standards of the finished polyherbal preparation proving the presence of quality herbs in such preparations cannot be established. In essence, poly-herbal AYUSH products cannot be standardized accurately by any scientific method. Imagine what would be the therapeutic efficacy of such preparations and how easily the AYUSH fraternity and AYUSH industries can amok the system by using all such unscientific advantages.

Promoting AYUSH for some palliative care and paramedical benefits is not a bad idea. But we should not allow the system to enjoy the status of medical science and the graduates from such system as a doctor to treat infectious diseases. AYUSH graduates must be pressed largely for providing bio-moral recipes, health tips, massage therapy and other allied paramedical services. None of the AYUSH products should be treated as ‘DRUG’ but as placebo / paramedical herbal preparations.

The decision of the state of Kerala to scrap the independence of SDLA and attaching it as one of the subservient departments under Drugs Control for scientifically proven allopathic medicine must be followed by all states. Otherwise, we will be mooting pseudo-science not only to thrive & rampage our health care system but also to exist as ‘judge, jury, and executioners.

Two distinct diversionary tactics AYUSH appears to employ in the society. Certainly, the big gainer of such diversionary tactics is AYUSH industry. The people in Government AYUSH establishments constantly claim AYUSH is a wonderful system and its products are above science and can cure all diseases. It is stated in Siddha system that one siddha preparation- Rasaghandhi mezhu containing the most harmful heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, lead etc., can cure about 4000 diseases. What a joke. Should we not give 8^th wonder status to Rasaghandhi mezhu? The people in government AYUSH establishments can afford to be so because they are paid heavily by the Government mostly for doing nothing useful to our nation.

The AYUSH graduates in private practice on the other hand (most, not all), secretly and or openly engage in cross pathy. They tactfully use allopathic drugs to give treatment benefit to the patients but make the poor patients believe that their AYUSH products only have done the medical wonder. The definite medical benefit achieved due to allopathic drugs most patients may not be aware believe that AYUSH products are effective. As a result, they innocently propagate the greatness of AYUSH. This situation heavily benefits the people in Government establishment because the policymakers always overweigh the views of the consumers. When consumers say that AYUSH is effective, naturally the policymakers will not take any policy change adverse to AYUSH. Unfortunately, no one investigates the reasons.

The advantage for the AYUSH practitioners in private practice is that people continue to flock to them for treatment believing AYUSH drugs are safe, effective, but the benefit they get mostly by the allopathic drugs. This situation gives an extra edge to the AYUSH vaidya in private practice to mesmerize the patients on tow accounts viz., an efficacy of AYUSH products and on their safety.

In fact, the above colloquium favors the AYUSH industry to make hay while the sun shines.

Time has come the Government must annul its patronage and funding to AYUSH. Similarly, the AYUSH products should not be procured by primary health centers as drugs because such products are likely to offer no benefit to the patients. In fact, such expense only drains money from public exchequer.

The concern is not about promoting AYUSH but allowing the system to amok the delicate health care fabric of our country and cause medication health fraud.

Dr S Ranganathan