National Geographic programme on Ayurveda

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

This Saturday, the National Geographic NatGeo channel telecast an hour long

programme on ayurveda. It had a narrative approach featuring a mainstream doctor

from Israel coming to Kerala in India to have an idea about ayurveda, the oldest

system of healing in the world.

 

The programme began by stating how ayurveda cured cases rejected by mainstream

medicine without taking recourse to invasive diagnostic tests, surgery or

antibiotics. It said, though the system seemed improbable, the results were

beginning to be noticed prompting mainstream medicine to take a closer look at

this therapy hoping to learn from it.

 

The scene was set in an ayurvedic clinic in Kerala where three cases were picked

up for close examination. The first was an epileptic child who was unable to

move or speak. The second was a truck driver with a deformed spine. The third

was a diabetic hampered by memory loss and excess sleep. All the three cases had

travelled far and wide without any relief. A fourth case of a snakebite was also

featured being treated by an ayurvedic vaidya at a home clinic.

 

Then the programme shifted to the basics of ayurveda detailed how three types of

body conditions, vata, pitta and kapha were recognised by ayurveda while

treating various diseases. The programme showed three types of persons who

represented the three bodily conditions. It was informed that the three

conditions created discomfort and disease only when disturbed or "out of

equilibrium". It also featured the elements of air, water, fire, earth, and

space which the ayurveds relied heavily upon.

 

The clinic was shown treating patients using the panchakarma therapy which

comprised message, shirodhara, enema etc. The system of plucking natural herbs

and vegetables and preparing them for ayurvedic use using oil and other

ingredients was shown.

 

The serial was perplexed by the ability of the ayurvedic doctors to diagnose

diseases without taking recourse to internal examination and based upon external

features like appearance, skin texture and colour, tongue, eye colour, pulse,

nature of excretions etc. A village doctor was shown diagnosing disease based on

pulse alone. He was able to reveal the diseases/discomfort suffered by the

patients without the patients informing him of their own. In three cases

documented, the doctor was bang on target drawing nodding approval of the

patients. This doctor said that he knew of 108 different types of pulse based

upon the movement. He classified them on animals/birds and reptiles such as

snake, frog, swan, turtle etc.

 

The programme examined a family of physicians who had various palm leaf

manuscripts handed down over generations depicting various aspects of ayurveda.

The whole family was involved in preparing medicines and treating patients. An

aged ayurvedic professor, termed the father of ayurveda in Kerala, was shown

teaching students at home who came from far flung areas to sit at his feet and

learn the science. They preferred coming to him rather than going in for

specialised courses in ayurveda as they wanted to learn the subtle nuances of

the science from a person who had decades of experience behind him. The old

professor talked of how intense compassion for the suffering had prompted him to

teach the science to all who thronged to his house even at such an old age. He

rued over the fact that Indians had forgotten how to breathe, eat and live

according to ayurvedic principles.

 

The programme then narrated how Buddhist influence and British coercion had

forced ayurveda from the mainstream in India. It narrated how early ayurveds

were threatened, tortured and coerced into leaving their profession to make way

for modern medicine. The scene is not very different now as sincere ayurveds

practicing pure ayurveda are forced to practice the science from their homes for

a pittance and without any government help.

 

Then the attention of the programme shifted to the cases mentioned earlier. The

epileptic child was shown laughing, sitting up and even standing with help;

shown in the background was a happy mother. The truck driver with the deformed

spine was shown performing sit ups and then running to catch his bus as he was

discharged from the clinic. The diabetic patient was shown conversing happily

with his spouse. All the above cases took only three months of residential

treatment.

 

The snake bite victim, who had already developed spasms and shivers before being

brought to the physician was shown being administered a small home made pill

based upon how she reacted to a leaf she was offered to chew. She recovered soon

enough and was sent home.

 

The doctor from Israel was shown on her journey back having learnt a lot and

obviously in awe of a science which delivered so much without much strain on the

patient at the physical, mental, emotional or economic levels.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for information.. But i missed the prog.. He

you have copy of that channel prog, please forward it

at my mail add. I would like it. Thanks......

--- ayurveda

<jagchat01 wrote:

> Dear Friends,

> This Saturday, the National Geographic NatGeo

channel telecast an hour long programme on ayurveda.

[Guest guest]

Dear Dr Bhimani,

 

I'm so sorry I totally missed your post. Unfortunately I don't have a

copy of that programme. I sometimes scan the newspaper for the day's

Nat Geo/Discovery/Animal Planet programmes and watch them provided the

Television is not in use at that time.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

ayurveda, dr ketan bhimani

<ayurastha> wrote:

> Thanks for information.. But i missed the prog.. He

> you have copy of that channel prog, please forward it

> at my mail add. I would like it. Thanks......