Interactive Workshop on Kaya Chikitsa

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Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV)'s efforts, since its inception, have been to promote Ayurveda through promoting the knowledge of teachers, researchers and students to understand it in scientific temper and implement to achieve the health in true spirit of definition given in the texts. RAV is organizing these workshops and seminars to disseminate the understanding and experiences of seniors in tackling various issues related to global health. In his direction, RAV initiated Interactive Workshops between students and teachers, so that both the participating groups get benefited to expand their understanding of the subject.

With the changing times the demands of the society have changed. Development of newer and newer technologies provides better insight and understanding of the human system. For example, a patient who has undergone cholecystectomy approaches to an Ayurvedic expert for his/her portal hypertension or a patient whose both kidneys are functioning partly, or who has renal artery stenosis requires treatment for renal calculi. The enormity of such cases poses inordinate health-related challenges to us. This monster, posing with newer health challenges and problems, is growing larger and larger. Now, the entire Ayurvedic fraternity regularly faces these kinds of demanding situations because of globalization, increased inclination of acceptability, easy accessibility, and individualized patient-care ability of Ayurveda.

We need to take the advantage of this and try to provide a better perspective of this time-tested ancient health system of ours, which is founded on thousands of years of experiences. However, the task appears easy but difficult to implement. Proper understanding of the texts especially the terminology is very essential and vital for the successful implementation of principles. For example, in the above-mentioned first case should we prescribe pittasarak dravya or pittastambhak dravya? In olden days cholecystectomy was never performed. So what is the way that we implement the principles of yakriddalyudar? This requires proper interpretation. Another example for this, which is very much in light at present and also much debated for the future survival of all the living species on the earth, is avian flu and the virus associated with it (H5N1). It appears that it has taken full circle and the history is repeating. The Jataharinis mentioned in Kashyap Samhita come very close to such kind of outbreak of the virus that had taken place thousands of years ago to wipe out much of the local species including humans. If one utilizes the knowledge of genetic evolution and behavior of viruses to interpret the Jataharinis, the story mentioned in the said chapter becomes so much interesting that the subject appears to becoming the topic of medical historical significance and also how the remaining species develop resistance towards the virus in question and what was the way Kashyap and his contemporaries dealt with the situation. Imagination of the situation itself is so much terrifying and we undoubtedly feel proud of having such great heritage, which has successfully dealt in restoring the health of the surviving species and left the evidence written for us to ponder over it.

For this the up-coming generation needs to be equipped with the in-depth knowledge and interpretation of the system to meet tomorrow's health challenges. This is possible only if the teachers understand the subject in terms of contemporary scientific advancements and transmit it to the students, in the language they understand. However, one cannot afford to waste the invaluable time till the teachers are equipped with this understanding. RAV has decided to take care of both the fraternities and bridge the gap between them, equip them with sufficient knowledge to cater to the future demands of the patients by way of interactive workshops. This workshop on Ayurveda is in the series of specialized workshops on individual subjects.

I hope this workshop will also achieve the goals and help the students and teachers get clarification to some of the problems they are facing in day today learning and practice.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India for facilitating conduction of such useful workshops. I also thank all the contributing experts for their enthusiasm, to become partners of this important activity, and pains-taking hard work in preparation of the answers.

I appreciate the staff of RAV for their sincere efforts to make the workshops successful and thank Dr. Sandhya Patel for the meticulous proof-reading work in this book.

**Contents and Sample Pages**