Allopathy and AYUSH – The Systems of Medicine in India

Shatakshi Roy, Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE

Introduction

A common misconception in the world of medicine is that ayurvedic health care is based on non-scientific sources and thus cannot be trusted. Ayurveda was one of the first, if not the first approach to treat ailments reigning as the sole method to cure patients for a very long time. On the other hand, mainstream medicine, backed by cutting-edge scientific studies and trials conducted by established MNCs has advanced rapidly over the years with many discoveries like vaccination strategies against deadly diseases and sterilization processes. But long thought to be a “sure cure” for various diseases, the 6 ancient Indian systems of medicine (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) actually paved the way and originated several crucially important principles that are followed to this day.

Allopathy

The modern medical system is almost 100 years old and its laws and principles follow a thorough research and study into the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of cells, tissues, organs and their biochemical relationships with each other in the body. This system is very multi-disciplinary, using theories from various fields of science like chemistry, physics and engineering in the form of biochemistry, biophysics, and bioengineering among many others. Use of the latest techniques and devices for the diagnosis and treatment, allopathy involves the use of drugs, vaccines, surgical procedures, transplants and other invasive and non-invasive techniques. The system focuses more on the treatment/cure side of things, rather than on the prevention of the disease. This approach has proven to be highly effective in treating conditions that take extreme forms of complexity, like cancer, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and others.

The 6 Indian Systems of Medicine

Ayurveda

This traditional system of medicine originating from India is known as Ayurveda, which in Sanskrit translates to ‘knowledge of life, is almost 5000 years old. 

Unlike other forms of medicine, Ayurveda evolved considering the treatment of the philosophical mind of the person (mental well-being), and not just on the physiological effects. This form of treatment pays great importance towards improving the state of mind and reasoning alongside the medicinal application. It works on the concept of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. And imbalances between these 3 doshas results in various forms of illnesses.

The treatment method majorly involves the use of herbal preparations, physiotherapy and personalized diets. Ayurveda also explains that nature most of the time already has answers to the ailments humans manifest, and by studying nature, we can replicate and design effective procedures.

Unani

Unani (pronounced Yunani) medicine, literally translating to “greek” medicine, was introduced into India by the Arabs and Persians. It soon got rooted into the country as an indigenous system of medicine. It aims at treating the ailments by targeting the person’s body, mind and soul together and not just at the specific region of treatment, using principles of harmony and restoring the balance between the person’s physical, mental and spiritual sides, approach of which is somewhat similar to what is seen in case for Ayurveda. The seven components in Unani that are to be kept in balance are:

1. Elements (arkan), like earth, water, fire and air are the elements that make up a person’s body, like all other creations of the universe. 
2. Temperaments (mizaj) like hot, cold, moist and dry are also considered. A stable combination of these four temperaments is believed to make up a person’s health, similar to all other entities in the universe. Any change in any or multiple of these temperaments of a person will cause them discomfort.
3. Bodily humours (akhlat) like the blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, decided based on their colour. Unani medicine explains that every person has their unique humoral constitution, which when in balance will confirm health. Other terminologies considered in Unani are- “aaza” organs and organ systems, “arwah” or the vital spirit, “quwa” or powers, and “afaal“ or functions.

Siddha

Siddha originated in ancient peninsular India, especially among the Tamilian demography. The word “Siddha” translates to an ‘established truth’. The fundamental principles of Siddha include –

1. Five elements-

Siddha preaches that man and everything else in the universe is made up of five elements. Earth, water, fire, air and sky in different and unique proportions.

2. Three forces –

Similar to Ayurveda, the physiological function explained by Siddha is characterised by Vatham, Pitham and Kapam. And like Unani, the balance between these 3 forces will deem the cell and individual as healthy.

3. Seven fundamental tissues-

Lymph, blood, muscle, adipose tissue, bones, marrow and reproductive tissue are considered as the seven pillars of every living body. Which again pertains to the concept of the 3 forces. Siddha treatments aim to restore the balance between the 3 forces.

Yoga

Yoga derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’, which translates to ‘unite’, involves practices to form a union between the consciousness of an individual with the conscience of the universe, connecting them to themselves and nature.
Consisting of values like self-realization and a state of liberation, the system of medicine aims towards a spiritual evolution for the person practising yoga.

Naturopathy

The treatment of diseases without the use of drugs and non-invasive techniques is known as naturopathy. The treatment procedures target the 4 crucial aspects namely physical, mental, moral and spiritual aspects of the person. Some of their most relevant findings and beliefs include

1. The primary cause of diseases are not always bacteria, which instead grow around the dead and aberrant matter in the site of infection.
2. The acute forms of diseases are generally ways for the body to heal itself, contrary to chronic diseases or conditions that arise as a result of wrong treatment methods in treating the acute stages.
3. More often than not, the body by itself has enough capacity to regain its health, thus proving nature as the biggest healer.
4. Naturopathy aims to treat the disease by targeting the body as a single unit instead of being particular to the site of infection or disease.
5. Naturopathy strongly believes drugs or complex artificial chemical compounds, are not the correct way to treat any disease. Especially when a more non-invasive option of healthy and organic foods exists.
6. The act of doing spiritual prayers according to the person’s faith is believed to largely enhance the process of natural recovery.

Homoeopathy

Considered to have been introduced in Punjab, India in 1839 by John Martin Honigberger (royal physician of Maharaja Ranjit Singhji). He then brought homoeopathy to Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) in 1855, which was then the capital of British India. Soon, the famous event where an allopathic doctor, Mr Mahendra Lal Sircar, converted his system of medicine from allopathy to homoeopathy becoming the first Indian homoeopathic doctor went on to issue the world’s first Asian homoeopathic journal. The word has Greek origins, literally translating to “similar suffering”, meaning that homoeopathy treats diseases with substances that produce a similar effect to what is produced by the original causative agent, but in a much milder form. Currently, mixed researches are portraying both against and for how effective homoeopathy actually is in effectively treating various diseases and is often socially considered somewhat inferior to allopathy.

Modern Medicine vs the Older Indian Systems of Medicine

The ayurvedic system of medicine focuses on treating a disease or an infection by treating the individual as a whole instead of targeting the affected body part. This method of treatment serves as a holistic approach, which contrary to allopathic treatments, takes into consideration the spiritual and social health of the person.

The traditional Indian systems of medicine also use herbal preparations and natural products, physiotherapy and diet, popularised by Ayurveda, that proves to be very cost-effective and safe in consumption. The techniques used in treatment and diagnosis are non-invasive, contrary to allopathic treatments that can be very expensive and may not always show an effect. Such invasive drugs can also induce antibiotic resistance to the drug which then leads to the need for the development of more drugs.

Ayurveda can start the treatment faster than allopathy by observing for any imbalance in the harmony between the forces of a person, as seen in systems like Unani and Siddhi, thus being able to diagnose a disease without having to wait for any modern medicine techniques like tests. This also helps in the treatment or rather prevention of acute disease to develop into a chronic disease for example allergies, arthritis etc, which is one of the drawbacks of mainstream medicine and its lack of treatment for chronic diseases.

The major drawback of allopathy is that there is no treatment for the spiritual health of a person. While on the other hand there is evidence of how allopathy can prove to be better than Ayurveda in some areas. The technology involved in diagnosis and treatment in mainstream medicine is highly advanced and is further proved using other highly advanced technologies, thus creating a thorough and researched product or process to be used. This need is not met by the ayurvedic system of medicine which lacks sufficient evidence behind the action of treatments.

Another area where allopathy is better than Ayurveda is that it can target the cause of the disease and study its initiation and progress in the body. This helps in pinpointing the causative organism and thus choosing specific therapeutics. This is not seen in systems like Unani and siddhi which contain a lot of information that can be vague. Additionally, some metals like mercury are being used in the Indian system of medicine which without prior knowledge can be harmful and needs to be handled with caution if used.

One of the main advantages of mainstream medicine is its use in emergencies, with several methods of treatment available, the medicine can be targeted to the site of requirement instantaneously and can generate the desired effect. Unlike Ayurveda where the treatment is slow.

Another one of the disadvantages of the Indian system of medicine is the availability of the substances which perform as therapeutics. These ingredients like stones and minerals can be rare and are less unavailable, making the treatment less effective in the modern-day.

Conclusion

Both systems of medicine are acknowledged and well-received globally. Although they are distinct in their methodologies and approaches, sometimes certain things turn out to be contradictory to their principles and beliefs. And people are free to choose which ever works better for them without any societal backlash. But otherwise, most ideas regarding the diagnosis and treatment of disease are fundamentally often the same. The current mainstream techniques can be thought of as the development and innovation of the age-old traditional therapeutics that have been followed, thus suggesting that both the allopathic and ayurvedic approach to medicine can be followed to this day.

Also read: Microbes inside you are modifying your Genome

Sources

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