Making inroads into US through ayurveda

Till now many Americans could have benefited from ayurveda, but now they can learn for themselves the ancient Indian science of medicine in their homeland.

Ayurveda experts from Mumbai and Pune will conduct a six-week course in traditional Indian system of medicine at various medical schools, including at the prestigious Harvard and Rutgers University, in the USA from May.

Medical students, resident doctors, faculty and practicising physicians are likely to attend the free-of-cost ayurveda classes to be organised at nine medical schools across the USA by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH).

Navin Shah, co-founder of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in the USA, who has been the brain behind this programme, said India had not been able to promote their alternative medicinal system as the Chinese and Koreans, who have made significant inroads into the USA.

The Ministry of Health is sending two ayurveda professors H.S. Palep from Mumbai and Tanuja Nesari from Pune to the USA to impart knowledge of Ayurveda to US doctors. If successful, the courses can be a part of the complementary alternative medicine (CAM) under the medical curriculum in the US education system.

"Alternative medicine has a $ 40-billion market in the USA and traditional systems of medicines of China, Korea and Mexico have cornered a lion's share," he said. Ayurveda has been able to capture a share of just $ 200 million, he added.

Shah further said the National Health Institute has shown keen interest for a joint Indo-US research on ayurveda. — PTI