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HOW TO POPULARISE INDIAN SYSTEMS OF MEDICINES

            The world is seeing an increasing influx of new diseases and perennially life taking conditions and the necessity new methodologies for dealing with these situations cannot be emphasized enough. With this present scenario in perspective it’s becoming increasingly hard for us to ignore the hidden treasures that we, as Indians, are resting upon. A simple analysis of the long forgotten techniques that our long gone ancestors had developed would shock you as to the vision that they had even in their days with the limited means to deal with them. It’s almost saddening that the potential that these systems have are still by far untapped. The systems of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy and Yoga all have highly effective methods to deal with several of the health problems that the present generation is dealing with. 

With the advent of modern medicine a lot of this have been trampled over and laid aside as obsolete systems. But recent research has proved that some of these techniques are not only curative but also preventive. This broadens the spectrum of these systems significantly. Though we can see a slow but steady shift of people’s mindset towards the Indian system of medicine, it’s still far from being acceptable. This trend is especially notable in the urban areas, which is truly encouraging. People have finally understood the effectiveness of these systems, and though often out of compulsion than choice, they are starting to opt for the Indian style of treatment than western. But the journey is not yet over. We still cannot rest on our laurels and take the system take its own course. Wide spread awareness is the need of the hour. To sustain the gain in popularity, to ensure that our rich culture and the spread of knowledge thus resting in the hands of a few, we need a massive effort at the people’s level. It’s our responsibility to bring back the days when medicinal plants were opted over chemicals churned out from a factory and when the average life expectancy was well over late 90’s.

As in every other problem, this has to be dealt from the roots too. The root of all this the wide scale ignorance of people about these systems and the most basic way of dealing with this is to set up specialized universities and colleges which provide degrees and Research and Development centers for these systems. Children should have some knowledge about all this right from there schooling days. As a child of India its mandatory for them to have deep knowledge about our rich culture. Not only the government but private firms also can help in all this. There are dime a dozen associations and NGO’s who work for this cause. All they need is the proper kind of funding and guidance perhaps.

Next step that the government needs to take is to ensure wide scale and easy availability of resources needed for practicing as well as administering these systems. For this the government has to provide subsidized raw products, while enforcing regulations which guarantee the quality of these products, and strict monitoring to prevent misuse. This way the proper usage as well more wide scale acceptance of these systems as an acceptable alternative to the common people. All this also requires that specialists who have deep knowledge about all this are also aplenty.

Information Technology can also contribute a lot to this cause. It can help discard myths, spread awareness and even make availability of raw materials easier and more efficient. Through websites dedicated to each system of medicine, which give details about each system, their mode of application, there pros and cons etc, the general public gets a good perspective about them. Internet can also help bring physically separated entities closer through technologies like video conferencing, email, chats, VoIP etc. This way, medical practitioners from all over the country can work from under the same virtual roof, sharing ideas and concepts which can help the growth of their respective style of medicine. They can also discuss the latest advents in their fields, take advice from experts or even have long distance consultations with their patients. Such technology is already in use, though predominantly for the English style of medicine. Another important advantage of using the powers of the internet is the fact that it applies to a wider and much larger audience. The fact that websites and other such online entities can be accessed and viewed from all over the world gives the whole campaign a more international flair. This will do wonders to the popularization of our ancestors fruits of labour. Already systems like Yoga and Ayurveda is being viewed with a lot of interest and respect by the western culture. So it is our duty to provide further impetus to this ongoing trend.

A similar campaign can be launched in other mass media solutions like the television, radio, newspaper or magazines. Conducting seminars and medical camps also help this cause to a great extent. There must be special forums and organizations dedicated to the conditioning and sustenance of experts in these fields. So that this knowledge is never lost to us. They must also be allowed to spread it among the masses through direct interactions like sessions and seminars or indirect means like books and recordings. The involvement of the government is very much needed for helping these movements achieve the results that they are targeting. Special committees should be set up to study and understand the needs of the subject matter experts and provide them with the facilities to further the growth of these dying systems. All of these measures must never be concentrated to the cities, as a great man once said, “The real India exists in our villages”.

From all these facts, it is very clear that the people’s conscious need to be seriously worked upon. They need to understand the greatness of their origins. The world needs to know that nature herself provides us means to every end. The effort and fortitude that our ancestors showed in the developments of these technologies through several centuries need to be justified. Our culture and history deserves this. Though primitive still effective, we owe this to our medicinal systems. We owe this to ourselves.