Try to find the answer of a big question- is ayurveda a traditional or alternate medicine in India. Read the definitions of indigenous, science, alternate and traditional, will get the answer.

1. Science or traditional medicine???
Dr. Surendra Chaudhary
Ayurveda

2. What is Ayurveda?
 We, the Ayurveda people know well what
Ayurveda stands for, but we ever think what other
people of the world know about Ayurveda?
 “Science of life” is the meaning of Ayurveda if we
break the word in to two Ayu= life and Veda=
science. This definition is in practice for so many
years but when people start looking beyond this
definition what they think about Ayurveda from
internet or elsewhere is a matter of concern for me
and entire Ayurveda world.

3. What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda scholars defines Ayurveda As-
AYU- Longevity
VEDA- Wisdom
(Wisdom= Knowledge with experience.)
So we can define Ayurveda as
“SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING AND ART OF
NATURAL HEALING”

4. The big question ??????
“Ayurveda is a science or not?”

5. The big question ??????
IS Ayurveda ..
 Traditional Medicine?
 Indigenous Medicine ?
 Folklore Medicine ?
 Complimentary Medicine ?
 Alternative Medicine
And
So on……………..

6. What world say about AYURVEDA
Entire world knows Ayurveda as-
 TM- Traditional medicine,
 AM - Alternate medicine,
 CM - Complementary Medicine or
 CAM- Complementary Alternative
Medicine

7. Traditional medicine-
 TM-“Traditional medicine is the sum total of
knowledge, skills and practices based on the
theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous
to different cultures that are used to maintain
health, as well as to prevent, diagnose,
improve or treat physical and mental
illnesses.” (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/index.html)

8. What dictionary says about
Traditional & knowledge -
 Traditional-“Being part of the beliefs,
customs or way of life of a particular group of
people, that has not changed for a long time”
[http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/traditional]
 Knowledge-“The information, understanding
and skills that you gain through education or
experience” [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/knowledge]

9. Alternative and/or Complementary
Medicine
 AM or CM-“Traditional medicine that has
been adopted by other populations (outside
its indigenous culture) is often termed
alternative or complementary medicine.”
 Means Ayurveda is Alternate or complimentary
medicine for those countries which doesn’t
have it as indigenous, not in India.

10. W.H.O’s explanation of the word
Indigenous……..
 “Indigenous medicine is generally
transmitted orally through a community, family and individuals until
"collected". Within a given culture, elements of indigenous medicine
knowledge may be diffusely known by many, or may be gathered and
applied by those in a specific role of healer such as a shaman or
midwife.
 Three factors legitimize the role of the healer – their own beliefs, the
success of their actions and the beliefs of the community.
 When the claims of indigenous medicine become rejected by a
culture, generally three types of adherents still use it-
1. Those born and socialized in it who become permanent believers,
2. Temporary believers who turn to it in crisis times,
3. and those who only believe in specific aspects, not in all of it”
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_medicine#cite_note-WHO-0)]

11. Ayurveda in dictionary-
 Oxford dictionary says-
“The traditional Hindu system of medicine
(incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four
Vedas), which is based on the idea of balance in
bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and
yogic breathing”.
(http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0052470#m_en_gb0052470)
 Webster dictionary says-
“An ancient medical treatise summarizing the
Hindu art of healing and prolonging life, sometimes
regarded as 5th Veda”.
(http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/ayurveda)

12. Ayurveda- Science of Life
 “Science- knowledge about the structure and
behaviour of the natural and physical world,
based on facts that you can prove, for
example by experiments”
[http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/science]

13. What Ayurveda really is ?
 Science
 Indigenous medicine,
 Traditional medicine or
 Folklore medicine ?

14. It is pure science…..
 Ayurveda is being projected in a wrong way
by all the authentic sources- Ayurveda is a
science which can be proven by all
parameters described in the definition of
science [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/science]
 Number of clinical and evidence based studies
are making regular presence in the famous
medical periodicals like “PubMed” and
“LANCET”

15. Ayurveda is a proven science
 All these definitions and citations by the
dictionaries clearly shows How scientific
Ayurveda Is.
 It needs more scientific approach to
understand Ayurveda.

16. The last one…….
 Please be proud of being the part of this
ancient science and contribute something out
of your vast knowledge for the development
of AYURVEDA
 Your comments and feedback awaited.

17. Thanks
dr.surendra.chaudhary@gmail.com