Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

Attempt to modernise ayurveda...

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

On 21-Aug-05, at 4:07 AM, ayurveda wrote:

 

> Dear Sir,

>

> The doctors of the like of Raghunath Mashelkar now have taken the safe

> route of trying to "modernise" ayurveda. He talks of isolating the

> "active ingredients" of herbs and then maybe finding a chemical

> equivalent so that allopaths can embrace ayurveda in its folds and

> thereby nullify the threat. It should be noted

> that such attempts have already been made and have failed to deliver

> the desired results. For example, whereas the plant Rawolfia

> Serpentina is a potent medicine in the hands of ayurveds in lowering

> high blood pressure,

 

there is no way that sarpagandha was ever used to lower blood pressure

because the technology to measure BP never existed prior to modern

medicine

if a practitioner uses sarpgandha to lower BP, whether crude extract or

the isolated alkaloid, he or she is NOT practicing Ayurveda

 

the only way to stop the medicalization of herbs and ayurveda is to

demonstrate that it is MORE than just using herbs - it is the SYSTEM of

their use, which in many respects contradicts and challenges prevailing

medical beliefs or limited pharmacological evidence - see my

accompanying discussion "Dr. Venugopal and CVD"

Caldecott

todd

www.toddcaldecott.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear

 

It is good to see you post after such a long time. How are you?

 

But though "BP", an allopathic term, may not have been measured

earlier, the symptoms clearly were widely known as "manas vata". Some

years back when my father was diagnosed with "high BP" I took him to

a reputed local ayurved here who prescribed "Cardimap" of Maharshi

Ayurved, a preparation which contains Sarpagandha. He responded very

well till he decided to consult an allopath for some other problem.

When the doctor came to know he was taking "Cardimap" he tried to

dissuade him by saying that the medicine would cause deep depression.

It took quite a lot of persuasion on my part, including dowloading

relevant literature from the net, to convince him not to discontinue.

 

Similiarly, a friend of mine was taking "Neeri" of Alarsin

Laboratories for his kidney stones prescribed by an ayurved and which

contained the herb, "patharkuchi". However the "specialists" managed

to convince him that no medicine existed for dissolving stones. After

a few months of discontinuation my friend had to be hospitalised with

severe pain and put on drips. He desparately asked me to procure

the "Neeri" tablets and the homeopathic tincture, "Berberis

Vulgaris", once again which he secretly started taking. In three days

he passed ash coloured urine and the matter being resolved

he was discharged from the hospital.

 

In both the cases the medicines were taken under the supervision of

an ayurved.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

>

> there is no way that sarpagandha was ever used to lower blood

pressure

> because the technology to measure BP never existed prior to modern

> medicine

> if a practitioner uses sarpgandha to lower BP, whether crude

extract or

> the isolated alkaloid, he or she is NOT practicing Ayurveda

>

> the only way to stop the medicalization of herbs and ayurveda is to

> demonstrate that it is MORE than just using herbs - it is the

SYSTEM of

> their use, which in many respects contradicts and challenges

prevailing

> medical beliefs or limited pharmacological evidence - see my

> accompanying discussion "Dr. Venugopal and CVD"

>

Caldecott

> todd@t...

> www.toddcaldecott.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jagannath

 

the symptoms of high BP (or hypertension) are mostly non-existent,

which is why hypertension is called the "silent killer"

however, there are usually concomitant symptoms that indicate the

metabolic dysfunction that underlies the condition - but this is a

fairly new understanding, and most people/doctors aren't orientated to

removing the cause

 

in reality, (essential) hypertension isn't a disease at all but a

symptom - its like being diagnosed with a sore big toe - its says

nothing specifically about the underlying etiology - its an effect of

some kind of obstruction in the arterial system that impairs blood

flow, usually from a narrowing of the lumen from atherosclerosis or

from hormonal factors that promote the retention of sodium - all of

this functions to raise the pressure in the arterial system

 

hypertension cannot be equated with manas vata - i suspect your

practitioner simply used a formula that contained rauwolfia to lower BP

because he/she already knew you had hypertension - there is nothing

wrong with this, except that it has nothing to do with Ayurveda nor any

other form of traditional herbal medicine - its how most scientific

western herbalists work, using herbs as "little drugs"

Caldecott

www.toddcaldecott.com

 

> But though "BP", an allopathic term, may not have been measured

> earlier, the symptoms clearly were widely known as "manas vata".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...