Ayurveda in US medical school curriculum

WASHINGTON: American medical schools will for the first time teach students the goodness of Ayurveda with visiting Indian specialists offering a 12-hour crash course programme on the medical system based on herbs.

Schools in the United States are offering the course taught by Dr Palep under the aegis of Complementary Alternative Medicine and include topics like Ayurveda philosophy, anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, clinical exam and treatments.

It also teaches Yoga, meditation and panchkarma therapy (process of detoxification and rejuvenation).

The project was initiated by Maryland-based urologist Dr Navin Shah who has been working for the cause for the last four years.

"Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted me to propagate Ayurveda in the US. I told him that the best way to go about is through medical schools," Dr Shah said adding the final enabling action came after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who acted on a request to send two experts.

While Dr Palep will do the course work in some 12 medical schools in Baltimore (Maryland), Philadelphia, New Jersey and in Boston, the other expert Dr T Nesari's
programme has been centered around the Connecticut area during their six-week US trip.

The first of the series of the Ayurveda course has been conducted at Howard University Medical School Washington DC over the weekend, Shah said. It dwelt on the benefits of Ayurveda treatment either by itself or in conjunction with modern medicine based on the documented scientific evidence.