AYUSH need Allopathy or vice versa – Science, Puzzle, Pun and Paradox

Often the missionaries and obsessed lovers of AYUSH would say that patients get better when some AYUSH products are given along with the main line allopathic drugs. It means allopathic drugs could perform well when AYUSH products are given along with them. Ironically, if AYUSH products alone are given to patients…… oh! no, we should not ask any such questions because if we ask, the tradition, 5000-year-old legacy, the system is time tested, god’s gift etc. would come as an answer. Further such questions would amount to questioning and demeaning our tradition which is unpatriotic.

Better let us not try to know the therapeutic benefits of AYUSH products because the known truth no one needs to know again and again. Although most AYUSH products will do little to the patients but definitely they would burn the hard earned money of the users, flattering their faith in pseudoscience and make them continue to suspend and oscillate like pendulum in the thread of hope and faith and when the thread breaks, innocently conclude it is due to wear and tear which is quite natural. Never doubt, blame, question AYUSH.

The unfortunate part is that when AYUSH products are given along with scientifically proven allopathic drugs to patients, the allopathic drugs would perform better and patients also would get better than when allopathic drugs alone are given is the popular claim of most AYUSH lovers. It means AYUSH products would act as complimentary medicine.

How the AYUSH products complement allopathic treatment, do they compliment the health of the patients or the performances of the allopathic drugs?

What a great science the lovers and missionaries of AYUSH are spinning for us!!!!

The above statement we must believe and even if we do not believe, we do not have the right to question because such attempts would receive the wrath of God as AYUSH is a gift of God to humanity.

When we look at how Sages and Sadhus speak about AYUSH these days, all countries in the world must confess and burry their head in guilt for developing medical science, creating a large number of medical colleges, hospitals, producing doctors with various specializations etc., then promoting Sadhus and Sages to treat diseases.

If we give just allopathic drugs alone to the patients, certainly they will work and patients would get benefit instantaneously, if not complete cure, in some cases. That is science known to the world.

We must note the following ironic facts such as how, where, for what and when the AYUSH products would work? Based on the above doubt, we can easily arrive at the following three possibilities

Truth/Science

1. Allopathic drugs are proven, effective and their science is known to the world

Mystery and Miracle

2. None of the AYUSH products are drugs and no one knows how they work, their pharmacokinetics etc., but still they enjoy the status of drug and cure based medical science in India

Popular claim/Pun

3. The effective and scientifically proven allopathic drugs need AYUSH products to perform better and faster!!!!

What a bizarre claim. It is like the good old village story on how some people would easily outsmart the gullible fellowmen. The story goes like this. One smart man asks his innocent friend to bring roasted ground nut from home and to his share, he would bring husk so that both can be mixed, divided into equal halves and then can be shared amongst the two without any dispute.

We have smartly and conveniently phrased such approach under the nomenclature of integrated health care practice to benefit the patients from all schools of medicines. Patients must benefit the best and therefore, complimentary health care is needed.

It is like how the husk is when mixed with the ground nut to show both persons have contributed their shares so both can claim their right.

When cross pathy can be permitted for the sake of health and well-being of poor patients in rural India, why not we allow mixing of allopathic drugs in AYUSH products? Why such products should be treated as spurious and adulterants etc?

In the first instance (cross pathy), the vaidyas are allowing both AYUSH products and allopathic drugs to get mixed in human system in the name of cross pathy. In the second instance, some individuals do mix allopathic drugs in AYUSH products to convince the efficacy of AYUSH products to the poor patients. If we look at both events scientifically, both are same as in the first instance the mixing of AYUSH products and allopathic drugs happen directly in human system whereas, in the second instance, the some allopathic drugs are mixed in AYUSH products and then enters the human system.

If we have to accept AYUSH products are complimenting the scientifically proven allopathic treatment, do they increase the performance of allopathic drugs or improve the health of the patients become the natural curiosity of people?

If they improve the health of patients, then are they not health promoting preparations and why we promote such system as drug and cure based medical science? Does that not clearly show AYUSH is paramedical practice?

In AYUSH, the concept of anupanam is quite popular. The anupanam can even change the therapeutics of some AYUSH products from vata drugs to pitta drugs when the anupanam of for example water is replaced with milk or vice versa, according to the system.

When AYUSH products are given along with allopathic drugs, it improves the performance of allopathic drugs is the popular claim. Does that mean the AYUSH products act like anupanam to allopathic drugs? If so, how can we give the status of the system of medicine to AYUSH?

Why we prefer to travel on the horseback of faith, ignorance and occultism than questioning and understanding the science and merit of co-administration of AYUSH products and allopathic drugs. Plenty of scientific evidence are proving the adverse effects of various herbs on several allopathic drugs. When such is a reality, why we over shower our love for integrated medical approach.

How cross pathy can save humanity or AYUSH? On the one side, we are debating upon the urgent need for common entrance test for MBBS admission to get high-quality MBBS doctors. At the same time, we are consciously allowing back door entry for AYUSH vaidyas to practice allopathic drugs. Why let our left hand beat the right hand and vice versa and why we either innocently watch the above show or get entertained ignorantly?

Considering the origin and tradition of AYUSH, we need to preserve, protect and make AYUSH useful to us. By giving the status of drug and cure based medical science to AYUSH can we ever make AYUSH easily accepted by people?

If we re-promote AYUSH as paramedical practices and re-name AYUSH as Indian Traditional Medicine and the graduates of the system as Indian Traditional Medicine Practitioner, certainly the system would grow and export the AYUSH products to various countries also become quite easy.

Without knowing the elementary science and ability to answer even the simple questions of a kindergarten school child, if we promote AYUSH as a complimentary system of medicine or alternative medicine etc., in the modern world, such efforts only would make AYUSH alien to people. The present generation people are quite curious and experimenting type. If they experiment some AYUSH products vis-à-vis the incredible therapeutic claims, in seconds, people can validate facts. Once they realize the merit of meritless AYUSH products, the chance of juxtaposing such findings to entire AYUSH cannot be negated.

Therefore, it is wise and scientific to promote AYUSH for paramedical benefits and not as drug and cure based medical science.

Let us not produce more graduates from AYUSH as AYUSH doctor (not MBBS vaidyas) to prescribe allopathic drugs than AYUSH products.

S Ranganathan