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Indian experts to teach Ayurveda in US schoolshttp://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/04ayur.htmJanuary 04, 2007 15:00 IST

In a bid to make alternative medicine more

popular in the US, Indian experts may soon start teaching medical

students about Ayurveda in some of America's best colleges. "The

proposal is in the pipeline. We want to make Indian alternative

medicine more popular in the west," Shiv Basant, joint secretary in the

Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and

Homeopathy told PTI. The ayurveda

experts are likely to take a short course for the US medical students

under the Complementary Alternative Medicine in 16 colleges. Basant

said for the past two years they have initiated international exchange

programmes to promote India's traditional medicinal system. "For

the past two years in Connecticut our experts have been teaching

medical students and graduates about alternative medicines. This

programme would be an extension," he said. Navin

Shah, who is the founder and past president of the American Association

of Physicians of Indian Origin in the US and who has been trying to

promote this programme, said that as India has not been able to

advocate their alternative system, Chinese and Koreans are benefiting

in America. Shah, a famous urologist based in Washington DC and who was

in Delhi in connection with the programme, said he has already attended

a meeting of 16 college deans and their representatives at the Indian

Embassy in Washington DC on the matter. "There

is tremendous interest on the subject. Interest has also been shown by

American medical students and graduates to come to India and take a

one-year course in Ayurveda," he said. Shah said the National Health

Institute has shown interest for a joint Indo-US research on Ayurveda.

"They are ready to fund the research. It will be a great thing for

India," he said. He said students,

faculty members and graduates of four colleges of Wasghinton DC, four

of New York, two of Baltimore, and three each of Philadelphia and

Boston would be attending the ayurveda classes. "The

only condition we have stipulated is that these experts should be able

to scientifically validate that they have been able to cure the

diseases," he said. The students would not be charged any fees for

attending the classes, he said. "For the first time, we will not charge

them. Maybe later, we would do that, but it is yet to be decided," he

said. He said they are yet to decide about the two experts. "In

America, the concept is now to heal mind-body-and soul and this could

be done through ayurveda," he said. Shah

said the classes might encourage many American graduates to come to

India and learn the craft.They could be great potential clientele

for India," he said.

 

 

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