OUTCRY OVER UK REGULATION OF HINDU MEDICINE

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OUTCRY OVER REGULATION OF HINDU MEDICINE

Back Print Download By Rosamond Hutt, Community Newswire

 

RELIGION Ayurveda, 03 Jul 2006 - 14:08

The national representative body for British Hindus today condemned

attempts by the Government to regulate Ayurveda, an ancient

alternative medicine derived from Hinduism.

 

The Hindu Forum of Britain said the Department of Health's newly

formed Herbal Working Group was seeking to water down the study of

Ayurveda and separate it from its Hindu roots.

 

It claims practitioners of Ayurveda who do not undertake rigorous

study of traditional religious texts could pose a serious risk to

their patients.

 

Ayurveda is a holistic medicine that treats body, mind, and spirit

and especially emphasises diet, herbal remedies, exercise,

meditation, breathing and physical therapy.

 

The forum has now established its own group that will look into the

impact on patients of possible regulations of Ayurvedic medicine and

take into account the concerns of Hindus and leading practitioners.

 

The Hindu Forum of Britain's working group on Ayurveda is led by

Professor Raman Gokal, a retired consultant nephrologist and

honourable professor of medicine at Manchester University.

 

Professor Gokal said: "Ayurvedic therapies are only effective when

we understand the traditional knowledge of holistic treatment from

the Vedas [ancient Hindu scriptures] and Hindu books.

 

"Moreover, in India, a qualified Ayurvedic doctor is required to

study for at least five years to obtain a BAMS degree in Ayurvedic

medicine, during which time they undergo rigorous training in the

holistic system of medicine with an understanding of the original

Sanskrit texts that are necessary to acquire a firm understanding of

Ayurvedic principles.

 

"The Herbal Working Group's attempts to create practitioners of

Ayurveda without this knowledge base will create a generation of

quacks who could pose a serious health and safety risk for people in

general."

 

The forum is calling for a separate body to regulate Ayurvedic

medicine in the UK made up of representatives and practitioners from

the Hindu faith.

 

Professor Gokal said: "Separating Ayurveda from Hinduism is like

removing any Chinese connection with acupuncture. It is yet another

attempt to dismiss Hindu culture and traditions well rooted in

Ayurveda as inconsequential without clearly understanding the

thousands of years of Hindu philosophy key in the development of

this ancient science."

 

Anuja Prashar, chair of the Hindu Forum of Britain's Interfaith and

Race Relations Committee, added: "Policy and political processes can

sometimes assume that there is uniform access to information and

power by the public. This can lead to denial of authenticity to

traditional views, as in this case, to the authentic Vedic roots of

Ayurveda."

 

The Hindu Forum of Britain is the representative umbrella body for

British Hindus with formal membership of over 270 Hindu

organisations from different regions and cultural backgrounds in

Britain.

 

The organisation has conducted some of the largest community

consultation activities on behalf of the Hindu community to

influence Government policy and runs a number of projects for Hindu

youth, women, community safety and temples.

 

For more information about the work of the Hindu Forum of Britain

visit the website at www.hinduforum.org

http://www.communitynewswire.press.net/article.jsp?id=479517

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