Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health?
Ayurveda translates as ‘life science’. Its knowledge is not limited to medicine, cure or therapy and is for laypersons, households, communities, as well as for physicians. Throughout its evolutionary history, Ayurveda and Local Health Traditions have reciprocally influenced each other. In modern tim...
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doaj-3d15b35dd3b7439498d1c6ce00ee2ae72020-11-25T02:10:43ZengElsevierJournal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine0975-94762020-01-011118994Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health?Mahesh Madhav Mathpati0Sandra Albert1John D.H. Porter2Institute of Trans-disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bangalore, India; Corresponding author.Public Health Foundation of India, IndiaLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UKAyurveda translates as ‘life science’. Its knowledge is not limited to medicine, cure or therapy and is for laypersons, households, communities, as well as for physicians. Throughout its evolutionary history, Ayurveda and Local Health Traditions have reciprocally influenced each other. In modern times, the influence of biomedicine on Ayurveda is leading to its medicalisation. Over the past century, the introduction and perspective of biomedicine into India has made the human being an object for positive knowledge, a being who can be understood with scientific reason and can be governed and controlled through medical knowledge. This paper explores how this shift towards medicalisation is affecting the knowledge, teaching, and practice of Ayurveda. It examines the impact and contribution of processes like standardisation, professionalisation, bio-medicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation on Ayurveda education, knowledge, practice and policies. To maintain health and wellbeing Ayurveda's ancient knowledge and practice needs to be applied at individual, community and health care provider levels and not be limited to the medical system. The current over medicalisation of society is a potential threat to human health and well-being. Ayurveda and LHT knowledge can provide essential teachings and practices to counter-balance this current trend through encouraging a population's self-reliance in its health. Keywords: Ayurveda, Medicalization, Knowledge, Education, Practice, Policyhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0975947618300950 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Mahesh Madhav Mathpati Sandra Albert John D.H. Porter |
spellingShingle |
Mahesh Madhav Mathpati Sandra Albert John D.H. Porter Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine |
author_facet |
Mahesh Madhav Mathpati Sandra Albert John D.H. Porter |
author_sort |
Mahesh Madhav Mathpati |
title |
Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
title_short |
Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
title_full |
Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
title_fullStr |
Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ayurveda and medicalisation today: The loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
title_sort |
ayurveda and medicalisation today: the loss of important knowledge and practice in health? |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine |
issn |
0975-9476 |
publishDate |
2020-01-01 |
description |
Ayurveda translates as ‘life science’. Its knowledge is not limited to medicine, cure or therapy and is for laypersons, households, communities, as well as for physicians. Throughout its evolutionary history, Ayurveda and Local Health Traditions have reciprocally influenced each other. In modern times, the influence of biomedicine on Ayurveda is leading to its medicalisation. Over the past century, the introduction and perspective of biomedicine into India has made the human being an object for positive knowledge, a being who can be understood with scientific reason and can be governed and controlled through medical knowledge. This paper explores how this shift towards medicalisation is affecting the knowledge, teaching, and practice of Ayurveda. It examines the impact and contribution of processes like standardisation, professionalisation, bio-medicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation on Ayurveda education, knowledge, practice and policies. To maintain health and wellbeing Ayurveda's ancient knowledge and practice needs to be applied at individual, community and health care provider levels and not be limited to the medical system. The current over medicalisation of society is a potential threat to human health and well-being. Ayurveda and LHT knowledge can provide essential teachings and practices to counter-balance this current trend through encouraging a population's self-reliance in its health. Keywords: Ayurveda, Medicalization, Knowledge, Education, Practice, Policy |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0975947618300950 |
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