Holistic or Holy-Trick……AYUSH versus Humanity

What is the real meaning of the word ‘holistic’; the fancy phrase very affectionately many AYUSH experts use? Often they claim that the treatment approach of AYUSH is holistic.

There is lot of holiness we can see in such claims and therefore nothing wrong if we are tempted to believe that the treatment approach of AYUSH largely includes several holy procedures such as praying to God, chant mantra, seek the blessing of Guru, Priests, Swamiji’s, Sadgurus etc., consult astrologer, do the needful as per the advice of black magician to ward off the evil spirit if necessary and finally follow the individualized AYUSH recipes of herbal or animal or metal or mineral or their combinations as prescribed by AYUSH vaidya supposed to have prescribed after examining the Tridosha equilibrium. The above approach of AYUSH makes it holy-stic ( a definite role for God and divinity in treating diseases) than holistic.

The term ‘holistic’ that often used by AYUSH vaidyas have its roots predominantly in holy practices than anything else. As per the dictionary meaning of the term, ‘holistic’ is nothing but total, complete or whole. Such definition of the term ‘holistic’ by English dictionary does not apply to AYUSH and instead, only the term ‘holy-stic’ appropriately suite for AYUSH practices.

According to the broader philosophy of AYUSH, one has to please God, consult an astrologer to understand the evil spirit and then consult black magician to ward off the evil spirit and finally must take all individualized products of AYUSH. All the above methods are not explicitly told in the contemporary works of AYUSH but the dumb message is quite obvious, reverberating and loud. By doing all the above practices one is expected to find great relief. If one finds no relief even after doing all the above instructions and recipes of AYUSH still there is nothing to doubt about the merit or holistic approach of AYUSH, it is only the karma of the previous birth of the patients are responsible for the patients not responding to AYUSH treatment.

Always AYUSH has enough room to pass the buck and give reasons and explanations for everything termed in impractical, philosophical language than giving any scientific explanations.

When AYUSH vaidya fails to treat the patients, immediately the AYUSH vaidya could refer the patient to temple priest and then to an astrologer and or to black magicians and vice versa. This was the practice believed to be prevalent in great past. All those who were affiliated with such spiritual practices claim that they are here only to save humanity but are ironically living luxuriantly by invoking God and Godliness etc. Through such well orchestrates choreography many have smartly created a Chrakravyuha (Padmavyuha) and the believer once stuck inside such vyugha would never escape as they keep moving from one ring of faith to another.

The faith and belief of the poor patients on AYUSH are immobilized by several means and ways including cross pathy by several institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice. Thus the holistic practice has become holy-trick, a big global business enterprise or gamble.

Since AYUSH believes in God, prayers, hymn, black magic, fortune and astrological /planetary constellations, several products of herbal, animal, mineral and metal origin to treat and also have the abundant freedom and privilege to quote karma of the previous birth of each patient to blame for the treatment failure, the system could move well within its matrix by playing all its coins & pounds and holy-tricks.

The bizarre truth is that AYUSH practices neither have any holistic-ness nor any science. But how we have made such unscientific and archaic artifacts as medical science? When patriots could influence the administration way back in 1947 or post to that, instead of inventing anything new, they invented the relics of the past and acclaimed it as medical science. The traditional /parambarya system scripted its own hara-kiri when leaped to institutionalize by copying everything from scientifically proven allopathic system except science.

Perhaps, the AYUSH experts during pre- to post-independence would have assumed that AYUSH would become a fantastic medical science automatically.

Medicine only can support the medical science to be successful and relevant. Similarly proper and correct diagnosis of any disease only would ensure the scientific validity and usefulness of any drug. The allopathic system of medicine scores 100/100 in this regard.

But in the case of AYUSH, the Tridosha fundamentals and method of diagnosis of vata, pitta or kapha look evanescent and elusive than scientific, authentic and reproducible. So the disease diagnosis by AYUSH system especially to correlate with modern terms is impractical and impossible. Similarly, none of the products of AYUSH are drugs by any definition of science. As a result, both the Tridosha principle and AYUSH products as drugs could score only 0/100 from pharmacokinetic and other scientific standards.

We should have developed AYUSH in its own parambarya method than through institutionalization. It is like providing a user manual and SOP along with every gadget we buy in the market. With user manual and SOP one can learn how to operate a mobile phone or other electronic gadgets but cannot drive a car or motorbike. AYUSH is meant for paramedical benefits both to mind and body. But we have converted it to medical science, diagnosis, drug and cure based system. It was like asking people to drive car or motorbike with a user manual or SOP.

If we re-promote AYUSH as paramedical practice for wellness and health than treating diseases, the system will certainly grow and become relevant. AYUSH vaidyas also will find a definite niche in the society. We must stop producing AYUSH vaidyas as a doctor and appoint them in PHC’s, CHC’s etc., as a doctor. Instead, they can be appointed as wellness and health specialist to provide massage therapy, panchakarma, community health awareness etc.

Every allopathic hospital can be advised to appoint the AYUSH vaidyas to provide specialized paramedical therapy to patients.

Allowing AYUSH vaidyas in private practice to engage in cross pathy would earn them nothing but the denigrating and disgraceful title –‘quack’.

Why after studying AYUSH for 5 ½ years, some AYUSH vaidyas in private practice affect the credence of the entire AYUSH system by engaging in cross pathy? Is it not the responsibility of Government to act firm against the growing medical menace – cross pathy and save humanity and AYUSH?

S Ranganathan