NDTV debate on yoga guru Ramdev exposes Brinda's 24Karat lie.

[Guest guest]

Dear List,

 

Yesterday an unprecedented one and half hour debate was conducted on NDTV's

regular Muqabla programme aired from 10PM to 11:36PM on the recent controversy

surrounding the ayurvedic medicines of yoga expert Swami Ramdev brought in by Ms

Brinda Karat CPI(M) leader. Many interesting facts emerged from the debate;

 

1. The Health Ministry's certificate on samples provided by Ms Karat spoke

only of animal remains. There was nothing " human " about it. This certificate was

shown by a social worker who had procured a copy of the same. (The Health

Ministry acknowledged a labelling problem and nothing else. The Health Minister

has, in an interview, also mentioned that he was not sure if the samples

provided to him were at all from Swami Ramdev's pharmacy.)

 

2. These " animal remains " could be antler/buffalo horn bhasmas (burnt and

processed ashes) and not bones (either animal or human) as Ms Karat had alleged.

Such bhasmas are perfectly ok, bones or skulls are never used in ayurvedic

remedies revealed an eminent ayurved participating in the debate.

 

3. (Buffetted by opposition from all sides Ms Karat has already gone on record

stating that she was an ayurveda and yoga fan herself. She wanted to merely

focus attention on the use of animal products. She said her party championed the

cause of ayurveda and homeopathy in Kerala and West Bengal. She wanted yoga to

be a part of the school curriculum in India. Fair enough.)

 

4. Such allegations against ayurveda are not new, revealed the ayurvedic

doctor. Whenever ayurveda has sought to raise its head, the twin " charges " of

heavy metals and animal remains have been levelled at it. But they were never

debated earlier as there was no public debate on the issue. The backstabbing was

always a very private affair which had resulted in the government banning some

very effective ayurvedic remedies under pressure from the allopathic lobby.

(This is sad because the government continues to turn a blind eye to the

continuing use of many allopathic medicines it has banned in India.)

 

5. There is not a single case recorded of heavy metal bhasmas used in

ayurvedic remedies hurting anybody. A very senior mainstream doctor informed

tests have been conducted on 200+ animals who showed no traces of heavy metals

in any portion of their bodies even after being successfully treated by such

remedies. The effectiveness of the remedies, the doctor said, was amazing. (This

proved that the process used by ayurveds to prepare the remedies ensured that

the heavy metals lost their toxicity and also other ingredients used along with

them ensured their elimination from the body).

 

6. Yet another mainstream doctor declared that ayurveda was the " mother of all

other systems of healing " including allopathy.

 

7. It was revealed that of the annual health budget 97% was allocated to the

system of allopathy while 3% went to fund ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani,

siddha and homeopathy. These funds went to projects headed by beurocrats and not

doctors of these systems. A very effective way to scuttle progress even while

pledging help.

 

8. There were more doctors practicing ayurveda than allopathic doctors. The

government did little to ensure their survival. (The government also has not

ensured that the pampered mainstream doctors report for duties in rural postings

ensuring that the rural population were left fending for themselves. The

allopathic lobby also has been vociferous against a policy mooted to post

ayurvedic, homeopathic and naturopathic doctors to primary health centres as

they felt that these doctors were " quacks " .)

 

9. That ayurveda worked was not the point really. The main problem is that it

was " unscientific " . Hence the backstabbing.

 

10. Tests on ayurveda and homeopathy should really be on allopathic methods,

else these systems cannot be allowed to prosper. " For the greater good " of

humanity? Probably.

 

11. " Very few people " die of allopathic drugs. " Even a single death " is a

cause of extreme anguish to the mainstream doctors. They would prefer to smother

ayurveda than risk ayurveda causing " a single death " .

 

12. In response to the above Swami Ramdev produced a book titled " Death by

prescription " by Dr Ray Strand, MD, which revealed that death by allopathic

medicine was the third largest cause of death in the USA. (But then all these

deaths must be for " the greater good of humanity " . We should never blame the

doctors.)

 

12. The senior doctor of G B Pant Hospital informed the audience that

" symptoms do not indicate a disease " , diagnostic tests did. An ayurved pointed

out here that they too used diagnostic tools, which was a gift of technology and

not allopathy, and also that they had additional tools like pulse reading,

physical examination etc.

 

13. The same doctor said that it was not enough if a patient of ayurveda

declared he was cured. It was also not enough if the ayurvedic doctor declared

that the patient was cured. There had to be a third party, read allopath, to

certify the claim. Thus it seems an allopathic doctor should be attached to

every ayurved to ensure healing.

 

14. A rationalist who formed a part of the programme informed us that the

atman (soul) was the mind. He thus went along to prove that as the mind died

along with the death of the body it proved that the atman too was subject to

death. Another entertainer, one Suhail Seth, who usually participates in page 3

debates also made similiar highly philosophical claims before being snubbed by

Swami Ramdev.

 

15. Peeved by such " high philosophy " Swami Agnivesh, also invited to the

debate, declared it would be wonderful if 97% of the health budget was allocated

to alternative therapies and 3% to the mainstream. Wouldn't that be fun?

 

The circus finally ended with the online SMS vote showing that 92% of the

audience favoured Swami Ramdev and only 8% bought the lies offered by his

detractors. Opinions from viewers who had mailed them revealed that they wanted

the TV channels to examine the issues of labelling of allopathic products, sub

standard allopathic medicines, use of animal serum by allopaths, use of heavy

metals in vaccines etc instead of trying to malign ayurveda.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

 

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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