Work by Dr Deepa Acharya

International journal of yoga therapy, 2008

To bring out the full healing potential of Yoga, what we need is not just Yoga therapists applying the tools of Yoga according to the guidelines of Western medical doctors. What we need in the long run are Yogic doctors who can diagnose and treat disease according to the Yogic medical system of Ayurveda. This article explores the separation of Yoga therapy and Ayurveda in the West and how they may be brought together.

International Journal of Research in Ayurveda & Pharmacy, 2016

The Indigenous philosophical schools mainly the six theistic doctrines have illuminated the development of the Indian sciences through their logical and pragmatic approach. The two convergent sciences of Yoga and the holistic system of medicine, Ayurveda have made an indelible mark in the field of health as both the systems have a lot common to share and enrich the goal of the attainment of the health. The School of Yoga emphasizes upon the independent sphere of mind and ultimate nature of the mental phenomenon along with the ways to arrest the mental states. The fact that the contemporary sciences have approved of the science of mind termed as Psychology postulated in detail probably for the first time in Yoga philosophy fully utilized in the Ayurveda underline the significance of Yoga in the faculty of medicine. This paper brings to light the approach of Yoga especially in its conceptual and practical exposition of Mind (Psychology) and establish the link between Yoga, Psychology and the Ayurveda medicine.

Invitation for International Conference on Ayurveda, Yoga, Medical Astrology, Panchkarma, Naturopathy and Vedic Life Sciences

International Journal of Research (IJR) , 2014

Yoga is the spiritual science for holistic development of physical, mental and spiritual aspect of living being. Ayurveda believes an interrelationship between psyche and body and thus if psyche is effected leads to an adverse effect on body and vice versa. Ayurveda is a science of living being which has its broad aim of living healthy life and curing of ailments. The instability of inner psyche (manas) is controlled through yoga. Bhagwat geeta emphasizes yoga as the state of sama sthiti or equilibrium in actions. Acharya Patanjali’s yoga darshan has an impact on Ayurveda and later hatha yoga pradeepika and gheranda samhita’s various yogasana, kriya, mudra, bandha and pranayama were used as a part of treatment. The yogic concept of health and disease enables us to understand that the cause of physical disorder is result of higher levels of psyche (manas).Ayurveda believes that pragya paradh is root cause to diseases and thus pragya shodhan is very important. Ayurveda emphasis yoga and is a way to achieve atma gyana through pragya shodhana. Ayurveda has given definition of yoga, powers of yogi, scope of yoga, its implication in attainment to highest stage of moksha. Ayurveda and yogic methods can be applied for preventive, promotive and rehabilitatory health of human being.

International journal of science and consciousness , 2018

Here we are to explore the basic idea about Yoga and Ayurveda, Ayurveda is an ancient medicine system of the Indian subcontinent. It is said to have originated in India about 5000 years back. The word Ayurveda is a conjugation of two Sanskrit words ‘ayus’, meaning 'life' and ‘veda’, meaning 'science', thus ayurveda literally means the 'science of life'. Unlike other medicinal systems, Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living than treatment of diseases. The main concept of Ayurveda is that it personalizes the healing process in which we include history of Ayurveda, concepts of Doshas, Dhatu, Mala and fires of physical body which gives us a hand to understand the notion of body, with different types of fire in oneself and how can one handle this and make equilibrium in the same. Along with this concept of health and sickness according to Ayurveda and what kind of treatments Ayurveda offers. The treatment of disease can broadly be classified as Purification techniques, Palliative treatment, Diet therapy, Avoidance of disease, Psychotherapy & Immunomodulators. Along with this the postulation of Yoga will be discuss later in this session Although the tradition of yoga is also 5,000 years old, it is mainly attributed to the Sage Patanjali as the father of yoga, who transcribed the book, The Yoga Sutra, over 2,000 years ago. This sacred Sanskrit text is a compilation of 196 aphorisms in four chapters which outlines the Eight Limbs of Yoga offering wisdom and guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. The origin of yoga itself precedes the Yoga Sutra and is attributed to Lord Shiva as the adi yogi (first yogi) and Parvati, his wife, as the first student. The union of Shiva (consciousness and wisdom) and Parvati (creative energy shakti) symbolizes the completion of the whole through the fusion of the male and the female energies. It is also symbolic of the balance that the practice of yoga creates within us. To this day, The Yoga Sutra and The Bhagavad Gita, another sacred Hindu scripture gives us deep insight on yoga, are capable of transforming one’s personality, and are sources of inspiration to countless self-help books published around the world. Keywords: Veda, Ayurveda, Ayush, Therapeutic Techniques.

Ayurveda has the distinction of being the "oldest medical system known to man and the oldest and most comprehensive spiritual teachings in the world". Ayurveda is based on the principle of maintaining a balance between the interrelated relationships within the body and mind. It helps the patient to understand the benefits of knowing their body and mind and to live in intimate relationship with nature. Ayurvedic literature has remedies for age-related diseases like memory loss, osteoporosis, diabetic wounds, etc. for which no efficient medicine is available in modern therapy. Even though Ayurveda has a sound literature background, ironically its share in the global medicinal market is very less (0.5%). In order to promote Ayurveda in the international market, ayurvedic drugs should be available in standardized form, which is the minimum requirement for introducing a product in the Western market. Ayurvedic formulations should be standardized on the basis of active principle or major compound(s) along with fingerprints. There as great scope for India to achieve global leadership of traditional medicinal market through export of quality products from Ayurvedic medicinal system. This article gives an overview of Indian traditional medicinal system-Ayurveda. It also highlights the principle of ayurvedic therapy, current status of Ayurveda, the challenges faced by Ayurveda in the modern world and the need of science based research to overcome its drawbacks. According to Caraka -"The Science of life shall never attain finality. Therefore humility and relentless industry should characterize your endeavor and your approach to knowledge. The entire world consists of teachers for the wise and enemies for the fools. Therefore, knowledge, conducive to health, longevity, fame and excellence, coming from even an unknown source, should be received, assimilated and utilized with earnestness".

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011

The First International Congress on Ayurveda was held in Milan, Italy in March 2009 and it has been the first scientific event of this kind in western world. This groundbreaking international congress was devoted to human being as the product of interactions between Awareness, Environment and Health, subjects that the West tends to consider separate and independent, but that are believed deeply connected in Ayurveda, whose interdependence defines “The Meaning of Life”. The Congress established a bridge between indian and western philosophy, scientific and biomedical thinking in order to expand knowledge and healthcare. Main attention and address of the invited speakers was on the concept of “relationships” that, connecting living beings with environment, shape Nature itself. This concept is central in Ayurveda but is also common to other western scientific disciplines such as quantum physics and epigenetics that, in the four Sessions of the Congress, were represented by eminent expe...

International Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018

Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest medical systems pioneering the ways of healthcare; originated in ancient India and evolved over more than 5000 years. A health system with strong philosophical foundations and eternal practical knowledge is the basis of its survival from the time immemorial. The aim of Ayurveda is to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit. It is a health system with strong philosophical foundations. Ayurveda is believed to help in preventing illness as well as promote wellness. Being holistic in nature, people from all over the world are now attracted towards this ancient system of medicine. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted in the United States reveal that approximately 38% of American adults are following complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Ayurveda is one among it.1

Ayurveda is one of several traditional medical systems that originate from the Indian subcontinent. It is now represented as the indigenous Indian medical tradition par excellence. As is the case with other Indian medical systems, the origins ofĀyurveda long predate the formation of an Indian nation and are not necessarily set within its geographical boundaries. "Indian" in the context of the history of medicine therefore often denotes quite a large area within South Asia. A second great tradition of medicine, called Siddha, developed in the south of India. It is less well known outside of India, but of similar antiquity and authority toĀyurveda. Other medical systems, originating from countries outside the Indian subcontinent, have been integrated into its cultures and now form part of its medical traditions. The earliest, and perhaps most important of these systems to be imported and acculturated isŪnānī medicine. Much later, but equally significant additions were Homeopathy and Naturopathy. A different development has taken place in the case of Yoga. Here, an indigenous knowledge system has been re-interpreted as the focus has shifted from the philosophical tradition to the health-related aspects of postural and meditative Yoga practice. The developments within the old traditions with their long and varied histories, the addition of new traditions to the established ones, their interrelations and the interweaving of medical thought with a changing religious, political and cultural climate, all form a rich and complicated pattern of medical and social history. The developments starting in the early twentieth century towards the modernization and professionalisation of medicine have brought these and other medical systems into a common frame of health policy and legislation, as health has become the responsibility of the government. Thus, the more recent history of traditional Indian medicine is shaped by health politics. At the same time, the sphere of its influence has widened, asĀyurveda and other traditional medical systems have come to the attention of an international public, taking a position beside other complementary and alternative therapies.

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2013