INDIAN MEDICINE REPORT – GROUP 12 IMD 9BIndian medicine is considered to be one of the oldest types of traditional healing and alternative medicine in Asia, derived from the natives of India. Ayurvedic medicine is considered by most to be the oldest system of traditional medicine from India. The oldest known Ayurvedic texts are the Suśrutha Saṃhitā and the Charaka Saṃhitā. These Classical Sanskrit texts are among the foundational and formally compiled works of Ayurveda. By the medieval period, Ayurvedic practitioners had developed a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for the treatment of various diseases. Practices/Treatments derived from Ayurvedic medicine are regarded as part of complementary and alternative medicine, along with Siddha Medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine. These practices formed the basis for systems medicine. (Systems Medicine is defined as a multi-integrated field of study which looks at the dynamic systems of the human body as part of an integrated whole, including biochemical, physiological, and environmental interactions that sustain life itself.) In historical Sanskrit literature, Ayurveda was referred to as "the science of eight components". These eight components included: 1. General medicine – Kāya-chikitsā: "cure of diseases affecting the body" 2. Pediatrics – Kaumāra-bhṛtya: "treatment of children" 3. Surgery – Śhalya-chikitsā: "removal of any substance which has entered the body (as extraction of darts, of splinters, etc.)" 4. Ophthalmology/ENT – Śālākya-tantra: "cure of diseases of the eye or ear etc. by sharp instruments"[dubious – discuss] 5. Demonology/exorcism/psychiatry – Bhūta(past)-vidyā: "treatment of mental diseases supposed to be produced by past experiences" 6. Toxicology – Agada-tantra: "doctrine of antidotes" 7. Elixirs – Rasayana-tantra: "doctrine of Rasayana" 8. Aphrodisiacs – Vājīkaraṇa tantra PRACTICES: Ayurvedic doctors have always regarded the physical and mental existence as well as the personality as a unit, each element having the capacity to influence the others. One of the fundamental aspects of Ayurvedic medicine is to take this holistic approach into account during diagnosis and therapy of a patient. DIAGNOSIS: Ayurveda has 8 ways of diagnosis. They are Nadi (Pulse), Mootra (Urine), Mala (Stool), Jinvha (Tongue), Shabda (Speech), Sparsha (Touch), Druk (Vision), Aakruti (Appearance). TREATMENT PROCEDURES: Ayurvedic practitioners approach diagnosis by using the five senses. For example, hearing is used to observe the condition of breathing and speech. TREAMENT AND HEALTH: Although two of the eight branches of classical Ayurveda deal with surgery (Śalya-cikitsā, Śālākya-tantra), the contemporary Ayurvedic theory tends to emphasise that building a healthy metabolic system, attaining good digestion and proper excretion leads to vitality. Ayurveda also focuses on exercise, yoga, and meditation. Concepts of Dinacharya (a principle relying on the concept of natural cycles and daily routines) are followed in Ayurveda; Dinacharya stresses the importance of natural cycles (waking, sleeping, working, meditation etc.) for a healthy life. Hygiene is also a central practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Hygienic living included regular bathing, cleansing of teeth, skin care, and eye washing. NATURAL MEDICAL SUBSTANCES USED: Ayurveda stresses the use of plant-based medicines and treatments. Hundreds of plant- based medicines are employed, including cardamom and cinnamon. Some animal products may also be used, such as milk, bones, and gallstones. In addition, fats are used both for consumption and for external use. Minerals, including sulphur, arsenic, lead, copper sulfate and gold are also consumed as prescribed. This practice of adding minerals to herbal medicine is known as Rasa Shashtra. In some cases, alcohol was used as a narcotic for patients undergoing operation. The advent of Islam introduced opium as a narcotic. Both oil and tar were used to stop bleeding. Traumatic bleeding was said to be stopped by four different methods: ligation of the blood vessel; cauterisation by heat; using different herbal or animal preparations locally which could facilitate clotting; and different medical preparations which could constrict the bleeding or oozing vessels. Various oils could be used in a number of ways, including regular consumption as a part of food, anointing, smearing, head massage and application to affected areas. TEXTS AND COMPILATIONS: 1. ATHARVAVEDA This sacred text of Hinduism, dating from the Early Iron Age, is the first Indian text dealing with medicine, like the medicine of the Ancient Near East based on concepts of the exorcism of demons and magic. The Atharvaveda also contained prescriptions of herbs for various ailments. The use of herbs to treat ailments would later form a large part of Ayurveda. 2. CHARAKASAMHITA According to the collection of Charaka, the Charakasamhitā, health and disease are not predetermined and life may be prolonged by human effort. 3. SUSRUSAMHITHA The corpus of Suśruta, the Suśrutasamhitā defines the purpose of medicine as to cure the diseases of the sick, protect the healthy, and to prolong life. The Suśrutasamhitā is notable for describing procedures on various forms of surgery, including rhinoplasty, the repair of torn ear lobes, perineal lithotomy, cataract surgery, and several other excisions and other surgical procedures. Most remarkable is Sushruta's liking for scientific classification: His medical treatise consisted of 184 chapters, 1,120 conditions are listed, including injuries and illnesses relating to aging and mental illness. INDIAN PHYSICIANS OF THE PAST: 1. Charaka - Born in 300 BC - Principal contributor to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda - He is referred to as the Father of Medicine. - According to Charaka's translations health and disease are not predetermined and life may be prolonged by human effort and attention to lifestyle. - Charaka was the first physician to present the concept of digestion, metabolism and immunity. According to his translations of the Vedas, a body functions because it contains three “doshas”, namely movement, transformation and lubrication, and stability. These “doshas” are also sometimes called humours, namely, bile, phlegm and wind. These “doshas” are produced when “dhatus” (the blood, flesh and marrow) act upon the food ingested. - Charaka had studied the anatomy of the human body. He claimed that the heart was connected to the entire body through 13 main channels. Aside from these channels, there were countless others of differing sizes which supplied nutrients to various tissues. He also claimed that any obstruction in the main channels led to a deformity in the body. 2. Madhava - Madhava (or Madhava-kara) was a 7th century Indian physician who wrote the Rug- vinischaya, also known as the Nidāna, which soon became an influence on the folk of his native land. - In his book, he listed diseases along with their causes, symptoms, and complications. He had also included a chapter on smallpox (masūrikā). 3. Nagarjuna - Nagarjuna was widely considered as one of the most important Buddhist philosophers after the historical Buddha. - Along with his disciple Aryadeva, he is credited with the founding of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism. 4. Sushruta - Numerous contributions were made by Sushruta to the field of surgery. He had done surgical demonstrations of techniques of making incisions, probing, extraction of foreign bodies, alkali and thermal cauterization, tooth extraction, excisions, trocars for draining abscess draining hydrocele and ascetic fluid. - Classified details of the six types of dislocations, twelve varieties of fractures and classification of the bones and their reaction to the injuries. - Classification of eye diseases with their signs, symptoms, prognosis, medical/surgical interventions and cataract surgery. - First to deal with embryology and sequential development of the structures of the foetus. - Dissection and study of anatomy of human body. - Introduced wine to dull the pain of surgical incisions. Modern day medicine has very much slowed down the widespread use of traditional Indian medicine in Asia, however, there are still those who practice certain treatments as they are involved in homeotherapy and such. REFERENCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/introduction.htm http://www.academia.edu/834957/Traditional_Indian_Systems_of_Healing_and_M edicine_Ayurveda http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Sushruta.html http://ispub.com/IJPS/4/2/8232