Psychology of human mind, advantage AYUSH

One may wonder how several people even today opts AYUSH to address their health problems when AYUSH has more of promises than science? The answer to such question is not simple. Indeed human psychology has a lot to do with the acceptance of AYUSH than the true science, merit or efficacy of the system.

Human mind always live either in the past or in future. Most people derive lot of happiness when they reminisce the past. Ironically none of them would have been as happy as when they recollect the past than when they were with all such experiences.

AYUSH always talk about and dwell on the past. How old and how ancient the system is, how the great sages have developed the system over the ages, how healthy were our ancient generation when AYUSH was the only medical system available then etc. Most of such narratives usually create lot of impact in people. As a result, most of them naturally accept AYUSH to be great.

The fundamental question is not about AYUSH is great or not. Whether AYUSH has any merit to be called medical science is the fundamental question? If it is medical science, where is the scientific validity of the diagnostic procedures of AYUSH, which AYUSH product we can call as an effective drug, where is the proof that such drugs are curative etc. But unfortunately people often get lost in the narratives of the glorious past of AYUSH than its real merit. One must ask the question on whether such glory or past narratives ever address our health care problems.

Without playing hide and seek game, can the AYUSH experts demonstrate the effects of AYUSH? When they are cornered, often the AYUSH vaidyas would ask a counter question whether science has answer for every question. Science indeed does not have answer to all our questions. Science meekly and humbly admits its limitation. But can we conclude the failure of science as success of AYUSH? If science fails to answer certain questions, does that mean AYUSH is therefore meaningful? Does this not sound most bizarre and obscurant logic?

The advantage of AYUSH is that it always downloads the past files and talk about its glory. The proponents of AYUSH would always speak about the past and never come even near to the shadow of science.

On the contrary the scientifically proven allopathic system never talks about past but only about future. What is considered most valuable and effective today would disappear tomorrow in the realm of science. As a result, most people likely to think allopathic system is not reliable as it is not stable. It changes every then and there. Whereas AYUSH is firm, stable and had remained the same over 5000 years. Most of them unfortunately use the scale of ‘static’ or ‘stagnant’ means reliable and ‘dynamic’ means, unreliable.

Every useful thing around us (animate and inanimate) undergoes rapid changes and in due course most of them likely to lose their relevance if they fail to evolve and modernize. On the contrary anything that has no scientific value and merit in physical sense may remain apparently deathless. Faith in God, existence of God and Ghost, future birth etc., will never die. But on the contrary, may scientific laws and principles may change when our knowledge expands and prove the limitations of all such laws.

Another remarkable point is that the intelligent people in the society are also smartly ensuring that such faith system is well protected and preserved in order to maintain the ratio of innocent versus intelligent people remain constant. Intelligence can exist only when ignorance and innocence exist in the society.

If we look at the recent statistics on the incidence of unreported TB cases in India, we can understand how we mock our rural health care system by promoting all unscientific practices under AYUSH as medical science. The states like UP, Bihar, Maharastra etc., harbor largest number of unreported TB patients one news report says. The irony is that these states produce large number of AYUSH vaidyas every year.

When we have plenty of AYUSH vaidyas on one side and unchecked cross pathy on other side, why still these states lag behind in health care delivery? Does this situation not tell us clearly AYUSH is not a medical science and so are the graduates, not doctor?

Many scams came to light from CAG report. Why our Government is not doing a through audit of various AYUSH departments to understand what AYUSH has achieved to our country as medical science since 1970?

Can we allow AYUSH to keep parroting the past glory and continue to bask without contributing anything worthwhile to our society? Why we promote the unscientific AYUSH as medical science?

How do the innocent, uneducated villagers understand the difference between BSMS/ BAMS and MD from allopathic doctors with MBBS, MD degree?

Today people in remote villages know that drugs and doctor means allopathic drugs and MBBS doctor. When the same villager sees BSMS graduates, in all probability might think BSMS to be some super specialty medicine. If we mandate the AYUSH graduates to display their degree as ‘Siddha vaidya’, ‘Ayurveda vaidya’ in the respective local language, the confusion can be reasonably minimized.

To prove the villager right, many AYUSH vaidyas prescribe allopathic drugs along with mostly some ineffective AYUSH products. When patients find some relief, always the credit is cunningly reserved for AYUSH products.

The trick is that even if the patients procure the same AYUSH products from the market and use may not find any effect obviously because none of the AYUSH products are drugs. When they do not get any effect from such products, naturally the patients would visit the AYUSH vaidya again for treatment. Some AYUSH vaidyas are likely play their trick - cross pathy and would prove that it is not just AYUSH products, but AYUSH vaidya is also important for cure. Obviously the cure would have come from allopathic drugs.

Many patients innocently believe that only because of the vaidya they got cured. When such word spreads and repeatedly recited, that becomes the gospel truth. People become the product of what they believe and trust. Naturally many become obsessed followers of AYUSH.

The symbiotic cycle of innocent believers and the agents of mesmerism through time-tested AYUSH and cross pathy continues unabated. The above lines are applicable only to those who are engaged in cross pathy.

If cross pathy is not there, AYUSH system may die and disappear soon. Knowing fully well the above truth, many AYUSH departments such as CCIM, CCRS, NIS etc., never dare to question cross pathy by many institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice.

It is like how the innocent people are essential for the survival of AYUSH, so is cross pathy. Only with the help of scientifically proven allopathic drugs, AYUSH products can be made to believe they are effective, thanks to many people who are innocent as well.

Need of the hour is 360˚ reform in our health care delivery system. Indeed we need large number of health care professionals. The doctors from scientifically proven system must be separated from other unproven and unscientific practices that we have coroneted as medical science. It is not the number of doctors, but how scientific they are and how effective and proven are the drugs they prescribe only can make the difference. AYUSH can be promoted as paramedical practice for providing massage therapy and other allied paramedical services.

We should engage the expertise of AYUSH like how physiotherapy, dietetics, audio-visual therapy etc., serve the scientifically proven allopathic system.

We also must question our unwise approach in classifying all AYUSH products as drugs. They are indeed paramedical substances and may have some small paramedical benefits.

Cross pathy must end and every patient who receives allopathic drug prescription from AYUSH vaidya must verify whether the AYUSH vaidya have the legal right to do so.

Further, the believers also must verify whether the AYUSH products that they pay and consume have any effect. Only through collective efforts and awareness, the deep existence of non-science nonsense can be removed from our society.

Dr. S Ranganathan