Type | Book |
---|---|
Editor | Vincanne Adams |
Editor | Mona Schrempf |
Editor | Sienna R. Craig |
Series | Epistemologies of Healing |
Place | New York |
Publisher | Berghahn Books |
Date | 2010 |
ISBN | 9781845457587 |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:58:46 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:58:46 AM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Joseph Alter |
Place | Princeton N.J. |
Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Date | 2004 |
ISBN | 9780691118734 |
Short Title | Yoga in modern India |
Library Catalog | Open WorldCat |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Joseph S. Alter |
Publication | The Journal of Asian Studies |
Volume | 55 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 301-322 |
Date | May, 1996 |
ISSN | 00219118 |
Short Title | Gandhi's Body, Gandhi's Truth |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/2943361 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:25:23 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: May, 1996 / Copyright © 1996 Association for Asian Studies |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:41:35 PM |
Joseph S. Alter offers a novel reading of Mahatma Gandhi’s writings on diet, sex, and hygiene. By arguing “that nonviolence was, for him, as much an issue of public health as an issue of politics, morality, and religion,” this reading challenges previous studies that delink Gandhi’s preoccupation with issues of health from his political ideas and agenda as well as works that treat those links together but only in terms of psychological and sociopsychological meta-interpretations. Alter also takes a different line on the Mahtama’s conception of health by contextualizing it within the framework of what he terms “late imperialism,” a framework which enables the author to view his subject’s personal convictions “in the context of colonialism’s impact on subject bodies.” In other words, Gandhi’s personal “experiments with truth,” whether they centered on dietetics, celibacy, hygiene, and nature cure, cannot be separated from his search for truth, or from his belief in nonviolence, or his campaign for sociopolitical reform.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Jyoti Anand |
Abstract | The doctrine of Karma enjoys wide acceptance by all cross-sections of the Hindu population. The doctrine is frequently invoked while seeking explanations for various life crises. This study is an effort to delineate its role in the healing process. A narrative study was conducted on middle-to-late age women who had undergone major life crises. Their narratives threw light on how these women used this doctrine to make sense of their suffering and readapt to the changed reality. The belief in the doctrine facilitated acceptance of and emergence from their tragic life events. It was concluded that more systematic work is required to understand the mental representation of the doctrine and its various tenets, which affect the healing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
Publication | Mental Health, Religion & Culture |
Volume | 12 |
Issue | 8 |
Pages | 817-832 |
Date | December 2009 |
DOI | 10.1080/13674670903020889 |
ISSN | 13674676 |
URL | http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/login.aspx? direct=true&db=pbh&AN=45427285&… |
Accessed | Thursday, December 31, 2009 11:27:24 AM |
Library Catalog | EBSCOhost |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Scott Bamber |
Publication | Asian Folklore Studies |
Volume | 46 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 179-195 |
Date | 1987 |
ISSN | 03852342 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1178583 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 12:08:49 AM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: 1987 / Copyright © 1987 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Ven. Sreemat Swapan Kumar Barua |
Abstract | The author presents a Buddhist understanding of the cognitive process of incoming information, its circulation and its congruent reactions based on the Buddhist spiritual meditative tradition of South and Southeast Asia. He asserts that Buddha can be credited as the first cognitive psychologist who propounded one of the most comprehensive analytic systems of cognitive process with an ultimate aim of achieving an altered psychological state of positive change and equilibrium reaction. Abstract from a paper given at the Epilepsy, Brain and Mind conference in March 2010, in Prague, Czech Republic. |
Publication | Epilepsy & Behavior |
Volume | 17 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 598 |
Date | April 2010 |
DOI | 10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.01.090 |
ISSN | 1525-5050 |
Short Title | 65. Cognitive process |
Accessed | Friday, May 07, 2010 2:59:14 PM |
Library Catalog | ScienceDirect |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:04:35 AM |
Modified | Wednesday, November 30, 2011 7:40:03 PM |
Applies Buddhist philosophy to cognitive processes; positions BUddha as a cognitive psychologist meditation The author presents a Buddhist understanding of the cognitive process of incoming information, its circulation and its congruent reactions based on the Buddhist spiritual meditative tradition of South and Southeast Asia. He asserts that Buddha can be credited as the first cognitive psychologist who propounded one of the most comprehensive analytic systems of cognitive process with an ultimate aim of achieving an altered psychological state of positive change and equilibrium reaction. Abstract from a paper given at the Epilepsy, Brain and Mind conference in March 2010, in Prague, Czech Republic.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Manu Bazzano |
Abstract | The paper explores links between the person-centered approach (PCA) and meditation. It is divided into two parts. The first part begins with a description of the author's own experience of meditation. It is followed by a brief discussion of other approaches which similarly attempt the integration of meditation and psychotherapy: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, transpersonal and psychodynamic models, and by what might constitute an alternative paradigm, one based on phenomenological principles which are central to the PCA. The second part outlines interviews and findings of a small-scale heuristic and phenomenological research (originally part of a dissertation) conducted among person-centered therapists who regularly practice meditation. Meditation is tentatively realized as a way of increasing organismic and phenomenological awareness, of cultivating and refining a way of being, of fostering a re-sacralization of the everyday and a greater appreciation of the existential dilemma of being human. |
Publication | Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies |
Volume | 10 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 116-128 |
Date | 06/2011 |
Journal Abbr | Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies |
DOI | 10.1080/14779757.2011.576560 |
ISSN | 1477-9757 |
Short Title | The Buddha as a fully functioning person |
URL | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14779757.2011.576560 |
Accessed | Thursday, July 14, 2011 5:20:07 PM |
Library Catalog | CrossRef |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:53:56 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:53:56 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | A D Bhatt |
Publication | The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India |
Volume | 49 |
Pages | 558-562 |
Date | May 2001 |
Journal Abbr | J Assoc Physicians India |
ISSN | 0004-5772 |
Short Title | Clinical research on ayurvedic therapeutics |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11361273 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:40:13 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11361273 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:42:23 PM |
Globally there is an increasing interest in alternative routes to health such as ayurveda. There is a need to conduct globally acceptable clinical research in ayurvedic therapeutics (AT). Some of the issues in investigating AT in randomised clinical trials (CT) are: selection of appropriate AT, non-drug and/or drug AT, identification of objective outcomes, devising adequate placebo/positive controls, difficulties of blinding, guarding against bias, duration of trials, number of patients, dose optimisation, etc. There is also a need to establish reasonable safety of this therapy in CT. If AT has to complete with new chemical entities and biotechnology products, clinical research and development of AT should be focussed on unmet medical needs utilising principles and practices of modern CT approaches.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | S Bhobe |
Publication | The Nursing Journal of India |
Volume | 91 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 33, 42 |
Date | Feb 2000 |
Journal Abbr | Nurs J India |
ISSN | 0029-6503 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/15326755 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 12:44:45 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 15326755 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:15:47 AM |
Yoga is a science of Holistic living and not merely a set of Asanas and Pranayama. It is a psycho physical and spiritual science, which aims at the harmonious development of the human body, mind and soul. Yoga is the conscious art of self-discovery. It is a process by which animal man ascends through the stages from normal man to super man and then the divine man. It is an expansion of the narrow constricted egoistic personality to an all-pervasive eternal and blissful state of reality. Yoga is an all round development of personality at physical, mental intellectual, emotional and spiritual level.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Lori A. Brotto |
Author | Lisa Mehak |
Author | Cassandra Kit |
Abstract | Yoga is an ancient practice with Eastern roots that involves both physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayamas). There is also a cognitive component focusing on meditation and concentration, which aids in achieving the goal of union between the self and the spiritual. Although numerous empirical studies have found a beneficial effect of yoga on different aspects of physical and psychological functioning, claims of yoga's beneficial effects on sexuality derive from a rich but nonempirical literature. The goal of this article is to review the philosophy and forms of yoga, to review the nonempirical and (limited) empirical literatures linking yoga with enhanced sexuality, and to propose some future research avenues focusinging on yoga as a treatment for sexual complaints. |
Publication | Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy |
Volume | 35 |
Issue | 5 |
Pages | 378-390 |
Date | October 2009 |
DOI | 10.1080/00926230903065955 |
ISSN | 0092623X |
Short Title | Yoga and Sexual Functioning |
URL | http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/login.aspx? direct=true&db=pbh&AN=44032289&… |
Accessed | Thursday, October 22, 2009 1:11:56 PM |
Library Catalog | EBSCOhost |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:04:55 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:04:55 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | S Chattopadhyay |
Publication | Journal of Postgraduate Medicine |
Volume | 53 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 262 |
Date | 2007 |
Journal Abbr | J Postgrad Med |
DOI | 10.4103/0022-3859.33967 |
ISSN | 0022-3859 |
URL | http://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp? 2007/53/4/262/33967 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:42:55 PM |
Religion, spirituality, health and medicine have common roots in the conceptual framework of relationship amongst human beings, nature and God. Of late, there has been a surge in interest in understanding the interplay of religion, spirituality, health and medicine, both in popular and scientific literature. A number of published empirical studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with better outcomes in physical and mental health. Despite some methodological limitations, these studies do point towards a positive association between religious involvement and better health. When faced with disease, disability and death, many patients would like physicians to address their emotional and spiritual needs, as well. The renewed interest in the interaction of religion and spirituality with health and medicine has significant implications in the Indian context. Although religion is translated as dharma in major Indian languages, dharma and religion are etymologically different and dharma is closer to spirituality than religion as an organized institution. Religion and spirituality play important roles in the lives of millions of Indians and therefore, Indian physicians need to respectfully acknowledge religious issues and address the spiritual needs of their patients. Incorporating religion and spirituality into health and medicine may also go a long way in making the practice of medicine more holistic, ethical and compassionate. It may also offer new opportunities to learn more about Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and have more enriched understanding and collaborative interaction between different systems of medicine. Indian physicians may also find religion and spirituality significant and fulfilling in their own lives.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Arvind Chopra |
Author | Vijay V Doiphode |
Publication | The Medical Clinics of North America |
Volume | 86 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 75-89, vii |
Date | Jan 2002 |
Journal Abbr | Med. Clin. North Am |
ISSN | 0025-7125 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11795092 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:39:34 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11795092 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:16:10 AM |
In the prebiblical Ayurvedic origins, every creation inclusive of a human being is a model of the universe. In this model, the basic matter and the dynamic forces (Dosha) of the nature determine health and disease, and the medicinal value of any substance (plant and mineral). The Ayurvedic practices (chiefly that of diet, life style, and the Panchkarama) aim to maintain the Dosha equilibrium. Despite a holistic approach aimed to cure disease, therapy is customized to the individual's constitution (Prakruti). Numerous Ayurvedic medicines (plant derived in particular) have been tested for their biological (especially immunomodulation) and clinical potential using modern ethnovalidation, and thereby setting an interface with modern medicine. To understand Ayurvedic medicine, it would be necessary to first understand the origin, basic concept and principles of Ayurveda.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Lisa Conboy |
Author | Ingrid Edshteyn |
Author | Hilary Garivaltis |
Publication | TheScientificWorldJournal |
Volume | 9 |
Pages | 272-280 |
Date | 2009 |
Journal Abbr | ScientificWorldJournal |
DOI | 10.1100/tsw.2009.35 |
ISSN | 1537-744X |
Short Title | Ayurveda and Panchakarma |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19412555 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:16:59 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19412555 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:43:34 PM |
Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India, is understudied in western contexts. Using data gathered from an Ayurvedic treatment program, this study examined the role of psychosocial factors in the process of behavior change and the salutogenic process. This observational study examined associations with participation in the 5-day Ayurvedic cleansing retreat program, Panchakarma. Quality of life, psychosocial, and behavior change measurements were measured longitudinally on 20 female participants. Measurements were taken before the start of the program, immediately after the program, and 3 months postprogram. The program did not significantly improve quality of life. Significant improvements were found in self-efficacy towards using Ayurveda to improve health and reported positive health behaviors. In addition, perceived social support and depression showed significant improvements 3 months postprogram after the subjects had returned to their home context. As a program of behavior change, our preliminary results suggest that the complex intervention Panchakarma may be effective in assisting one’s expected and reported adherence to new and healthier behavior patterns.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Harold Coward |
Place | Albany |
Publisher | State University of New York Press |
Date | 2002 |
ISBN | 9780791454992 |
Short Title | Yoga and psychology |
Library Catalog | Open WorldCat |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Vinod D. Deshmukh |
Publisher | Nova Science Publishers |
Date | 2011-04 |
ISBN | 1613242956 |
Short Title | The Astonishing Brain and Holistic Consciousness |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:55:49 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:55:49 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Sukh Dev |
Publication | Environmental Health Perspectives |
Volume | 107 |
Issue | 10 |
Pages | 783-789 |
Date | Oct., 1999 |
ISSN | 00916765 |
Short Title | Ancient-Modern Concordance in Ayurvedic Plants |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/3454574 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:17:05 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Oct., 1999 / Copyright © 1999 The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Yan Y. Dhyansky |
Publication | Artibus Asiae |
Volume | 48 |
Issue | 1/2 |
Pages | 89-108 |
Date | 1987 |
ISSN | 00043648 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/3249853 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:08:48 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: 1987 / Copyright © 1987 Artibus Asiae Publishers |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Assa Doron |
Place | London |
Publisher | Routledge |
Date | 2009 |
ISBN | 9780415556095 |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:02:29 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:02:29 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Steven Engler |
Publication | Numen |
Volume | 50 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 416-463 |
Date | 2003 |
ISSN | 00295973 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/3270507 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:14:54 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: 2003 / Copyright © 2003 BRILL |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:35:48 PM |
This paper evaluates claims that classical Ayurveda was scientific, in a modern western sense, and that the many religious and magical elements found in the texts were all either stale Vedic remnants or later brahminic impositions. It argues (1) that Ayurveda did not manifest standard criteria of “science” (e.g., materialism, empirical observation, experimentation, falsification, quantification, or a developed conception of proof) and (2) that Vedic aspects of the classical texts are too central to be considered inauthentic or marginal. These points suggest that attempting to apply the modern western categories of “science” and “religion” to ancient South Asian medical texts at best obscures more important issues and, at worst, imports inappropriate orientalist assumptions. Having set aside the distraction of “science” vs. “religion” in classical Ayurveda, the paper finds support for claims that brahminic elements were later additions to the texts. It concludes by arguing that this is best explained not in terms of a conceptual tension between religion and science but in terms of social and economic tensions between physicians and brahmins.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Fabrizio Ferrari |
Series | Routledge South Asian Religion Series |
Edition | 1 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Date | 2010-06-15 |
ISBN | 0415561450 |
Short Title | Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:04:35 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:04:35 AM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Gregory P Fields |
Series | SUNY series in religious studies |
Place | Albany |
Publisher | State University of New York |
Date | 2001 |
ISBN | 0791449157 |
Short Title | Religious Therapeutics |
Library Catalog | library.bu.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | R606 .F53 2001 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Religious Therapeutics explores the relationship between psychophysical health and spiritual health and presents a model for interpreting connections between religion and medicine in world traditions. This model emerges from the work’s investigation of health and religiousness in classical Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra--three Hindu traditions noteworthy for the central role they accord the body. Author Gregory P. Fields compares Anglo-European and Indian philosophies of body and health and uses fifteen determinants of health excavated from texts of ancient Hindu medicine to show that health concerns the person, not the body or body/mind alone. This book elucidates multifaceted views of health, and--in the context of spirituality and healing--explores themes such as mental health, meditation, and music.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | David Frawley |
Place | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Publisher | Passage Press |
Date | 1989 |
ISBN | 1878423002 |
Short Title | Ayurvedic Healing |
Library Catalog | library.bu.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | WB 50 JI4 F8a 1989 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
The immensity of Ayurvedic material and the preexisting vitriol for any attempt at studying it are enough of a deterrent for anyone who wishes to make their mark on the academic community. Yet David Frawley has made a valiant effort with Ayurvedic Healing. Frawley’s presentation is solid, coherent, and contributive to the greater knowledge base both in religious studies and medicine. While topics such as astrology and gem therapy are so very difficult to present in the mainstream, these aspects of spiritual healing are simply part of the system; one cannot pick and choose parts when studying a whole. Therefore, even with the shortfalls of Frawley’s work, the underlying integral philosophy and suggestions for a new paradigm of medicine are paramount to progress in the field of spirituality, medicine, and health. In all, it is a very effective introduction to a subject that warrants more scholarly eyes.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | James Funderburk |
Place | Glenview, Ill. |
Publisher | Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science & Philosophy of USA |
Date | 1977 |
ISBN | 089389026X |
Short Title | Science Studies Yoga |
Library Catalog | lms01.harvard.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | RC1220.Y64 F86 1977 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Titus George |
Abstract | Human suffering speaks differently to different lived contexts. In this paper, I have taken a metaphoric representation of suffering, Ishvara, from the lived context of a Hindu immigrant woman to show that suffering is experienced and expressed within one's lived context. Further, a dominant narrative from her world is presented to show that the same lived context can be a resource for spiritual care that could reconstruct her world that has fallen apart with a suffering experience. Having argued that suffering is experienced and expressed within one's lived context, and that lived context could be a resource, in this paper I present that spiritual care is an intervention into the predicaments of human suffering and its mandate is to facilitate certain direction and a meaningful order through which experiences and expectations are rejoined. Finally, I observe that spiritual care is an engagement between the lived context where suffering is experienced and the spiritual experience and orientation of the caregiver. |
Publication | Journal of Religion and Health |
Volume | 49 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 581-590 |
Date | Dec 2010 |
Journal Abbr | J Relig Health |
DOI | 10.1007/s10943-009-9285-3 |
ISSN | 1573-6571 |
Short Title | My Ishvara is dead |
Accessed | Tuesday, January 18, 2011 7:03:37 PM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19787453 |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:58:46 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:58:46 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Gary J Hausman |
Publication | Social History of Medicine: The Journal of the Society for the Social History of Medicine / SSHM |
Volume | 15 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 303-322 |
Date | Aug 2002 |
Journal Abbr | Soc Hist Med |
ISSN | 0951-631X |
Short Title | Making medicine indigenous |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/12638553 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:36:57 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 12638553 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:44:22 PM |
Historical studies of homeopathy in Europe and the USA have focused on practitioners’ attempts to emphasize ‘modern’ and ‘scientific’ approaches. Studies of homeopathy in India have focused on a process of Indianization. Arguing against such unilineal trajectories, this paper situates homeopathy in South India within the context of shifting relations between ‘scientific’ and ‘indigenous’ systems of medicine. Three time periods are considered. From 1924 through 1934, homeopathy was singled out by Government of Madras officials as ‘scientific’, as contrasted with the ‘indigenous’ Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani systems of medicine. From 1947 through 1960, both ‘indigenous’ and ‘scientific’ interpretations of homeopathy were put forward by different factions. An honorary director of homeopathy proposed the Indianization of homeopathy, and its reconciliation with Ayurveda; this view conflicted with the Madras government’s policy of expanding the ‘scientific’ medical curriculum of the Government College of Indigenous Medicine. It was not until the early 1970s that homeopathy was officially recognized in Tamilnadu State. By then, both homeopathy and Ayurveda had become conceptualized as non-Tamil, in contrast with promotion of the Tamil Siddha system of ‘indigenous’ medicine. Thus, constructs of ‘indigenous’ and ‘scientific’ systems of medicine are quite malleable with respect to homeopathy in South India.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Birgit Heyn |
Edition | 1st Quality Paperback Ed |
Publisher | Healing Arts Press |
Date | 1990-04-01 |
ISBN | 0892813334 |
Short Title | Ayurveda |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Constance Holden |
Publication | Science |
Volume | 187 |
Issue | 4182 |
Pages | 1176-1180 |
Date | Mar. 28, 1975 |
Series | New Series |
ISSN | 00368075 |
Short Title | Maharishi International University |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1739479 |
Accessed | Tuesday, October 20, 2009 9:55:41 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: notice_news / Full publication date: Mar. 28, 1975 / Copyright © 1975 American Association for the Advancement of Science |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Janis Faye Hutchinson |
Author | Richard Sharp |
Publication | Genomic Medicine |
Volume | 2 |
Issue | 3-4 |
Pages | 107-111 |
Date | Dec 2008 |
Journal Abbr | Genomic Med |
DOI | 10.1007/s11568-009-9079-4 |
ISSN | 1871-7934 |
Short Title | Karma, reincarnation, and medicine |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19479363 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 1:01:10 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19479363 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:45:16 PM |
Prior to the completion of the Human Genome Project, bioethicists and other academics debated the impact of this new genetic information on medicine, health care, group identification, and peoples’ lives. A major issue is the potential for unintended and intended adverse consequences to groups and individuals. When conducting research in, for instance, American Indian and Alaskan native (AI/AN) populations, political, cultural, religious and historical issues must be considered. Among African Americans, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is a reminder of racism and discrimination in this country. The goal of the current study is to understand reasons for participating, or not, in genetic research such as the HapMap project and other genetic/medical research from the perspective of the Indian American community in Houston, Texas. In this article, we report on a topic central to this discussion among Indian Americans: karma and reincarnation. Both concepts are important beliefs when considering the body and what should happen to it. Karma and reincarnation are also important considerations in participation in medical and genetic research because, according to karma, what is done to the body can affect future existences and the health of future descendants. Such views of genetic and medical research are culturally mediated. Spiritual beliefs about the body, tissue, and fluids and what happens to them when separated from the body can influence ideas about the utility and acceptability of genetic research and thereby affect the recruitment process. Within this community it is understood that genetic and environmental factors contribute to complex diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer; and acknowledgment of the significance of environmental stressors in the production of disease. A commitment to service, i.e. “betterment of humanity,” karmic beliefs, and targeting environmental stressors could be prominent avenues for public health campaigns in this population. This study suggests that minority status does not automatically indicate unwillingness to participate in genetic or medical research. Indian Americans were not skeptical about the potential benefits of biomedical research in comparison to other ethnic minority communities in the United States.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | K. S. Joshi |
Publication | Philosophy East and West |
Volume | 15 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 53-64 |
Date | Jan., 1965 |
ISSN | 00318221 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1397408 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:05:51 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Jan., 1965 / Copyright © 1965 University of Hawai'i Press |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Rajani R Joshi |
Publication | Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.) |
Volume | 10 |
Issue | 5 |
Pages | 879-889 |
Date | Oct 2004 |
Journal Abbr | J Altern Complement Med |
DOI | 10.1089/acm.2004.10.879 |
ISSN | 1075-5535 |
Short Title | A biostatistical approach to ayurveda |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/15650478 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:33:59 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 15650478 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:46:11 PM |
Objective: To compute quantitative estimates of the tridosha--the qualitative characterization that constitutes the core of diagnosis and treatment in Ayurveda--to provide a basis for biostatistical analysis of this ancient Indian science, which is a promising field of alternative medicine. SUBJECTS: The data sources were 280 persons from among the residents and visitors/training students at the Brahmvarchas Research Centre and Shantikuj, Hardwar, India. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY: A quantitative measure of the tridosha level (for vata, pitta, and kapha) is obtained by applying an algorithmic heuristic approach to the exhaustive list of qualitative features/factors that are commonly used by Ayurvedic doctors. A knowledge-based concept of worth coefficients and fuzzy multiattribute decision functions are used here for regression modeling. VALIDATION AND APPLICATIONS: Statistical validation on a large sample shows the accuracy of this study’s estimates with statistical confidence level above 90%. The estimates are also suited for diagnostic and prognostic applications and systematic drug-response analysis of Ayurvedic (herbal and rasayanam) medicines. An application with regard to the former is elucidated, extensions of which might also be of use in investigating the role of nadis in Ayurvedic healing vis-a-vis acupuncture and acupressure techniques. The importance and scope of this novel approach are discussed. Conclusions: This pioneering study shows that the concept of tridosha has a sound empirical basis that could be used for the scientific establishment of Ayurveda in a new light.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Ian Kesarcodi-Watson |
Publication | Philosophy East and West |
Volume | 32 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 77-90 |
Date | Jan., 1982 |
ISSN | 00318221 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1398753 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:10:33 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Jan., 1982 / Copyright © 1982 University of Hawai'i Press |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | V Lad |
Publication | Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine |
Volume | 1 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 57-63 |
Date | Jul 1995 |
Journal Abbr | Altern Ther Health Med |
ISSN | 1078-6791 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/9419799 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:45:22 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 9419799 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:17:23 AM |
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: ayur, which means life, and veda, knowledge. Knowledge arranged systematically with logic becomes science. During the due course of time, Ayurveda became the science of life. It has its root in ancient vedic literature and encompasses our entire life, the body, mind, and spirit.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Jean Langford |
Place | Durham |
Publisher | Duke University Press |
Date | 2002 |
ISBN | 9780822329312 |
Short Title | Fluent bodies |
Library Catalog | Open WorldCat |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Fluent Bodies examines the modernization of the indigenous healing practice, Ayurveda, in India. Combining contemporary ethnography with a study of key historical moments as glimpsed through early-twentieth-century texts, Jean M. Langford argues that as Ayurveda evolved from an eclectic set of healing practices into a sign of Indian national culture, it was reimagined as a healing force not simply for bodily disorders but for colonial and postcolonial ills.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Gerald James Larson |
Publication | Philosophy East and West |
Volume | 37 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 245-259 |
Date | Jul., 1987 |
ISSN | 00318221 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1398518 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:17:35 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Jul., 1987 / Copyright © 1987 University of Hawai'i Press |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Rammurti S Mishra |
Edition | 1987 ed |
Place | New York, N.Y |
Publisher | Harmony Books |
Date | 1987 |
ISBN | 051756422X |
Short Title | Fundamentals of Yoga |
Library Catalog | library.bu.edu.ezproxy.bu.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | B132.Y6 M5 1987 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Dr. Mishra brings a medical reasoning and a guru’s practice to the ancient science of yoga. Concentration and meditation exercises make this an invaluable introduction to yoga.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | L Mishra |
Author | B B Singh |
Author | S Dagenais |
Publication | Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine |
Volume | 7 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 36-42 |
Date | Mar 2001 |
Journal Abbr | Altern Ther Health Med |
ISSN | 1078-6791 |
Short Title | Ayurveda |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11253415 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:41:20 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11253415 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:36:31 PM |
Ayurveda, the science of life, is a comprehensive medical system that has been the traditional system of healthcare in India for more than 5000 years. This medical system was well established around 2500 to 600 BC, when it evolved into 2 schools: the School of Physicians and the School of Surgeons, similar to allopathy. Charak Samhita, Susrut Samhita, and Ashtang Hridaya Samhita are the Senior Triad texts, and Madhav Nidan Samhita, Sarangdhar Samhita, and Bhavprakash Samhita are the Junior Triad texts. Around 600 BC. Ayurveda was branched into internal medicine; pediatrics; psychiatry; surgery; eye, ear, nose, and throat; toxicology; geriatrics; and eugenics/aphrodisiacs. The body is composed of 3 body doshas, 3 mental doshas, 7 dhatus, and malas. The harmony among the body doshas of vata (nervous system), pitta (enzymes), and kapha (mucus) and the gunas, or mental doshas (which are human attributes: satogun [godly], rajas [kingly], and tamas [evil]), constitutes health, and their disharmony constitutes disease. The management of illness requires balancing the doshas back into a harmonious state through lifestyle interventions, spiritual nurturing, and treatment with herbo-mineral formulas based on one’s mental and bodily constitution.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | James Morley |
Publication | Philosophy East and West |
Volume | 51 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 73-82 |
Date | Jan., 2001 |
ISSN | 00318221 |
Short Title | Inspiration and Expiration |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1400036 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:11:17 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Jan., 2001 / Copyright © 2001 University of Hawai'i Press |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:37:30 PM |
An interpretation of the yoga practice of pranayama (breath control) that is influenced by the existential phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty is offered. The approach to yoga is less concerned with comparing his thought to the classical yoga texts than with elucidating the actual experience of breath control through the constructs provided by Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of the lived body. The discussion of yoga can answer certain pedagogical goals but can never finally be severed from doing yoga. Academic discourse centered entirely on the theoretical concepts of yoga philosophies must to some extent remain incomplete. Patañjali’s “Yoga Sutra” is itself a manual of practice. For this reason, the commentary of the scholar-practitioner T. K. V. Desikachar has been chosen as the basis for this study, rather than a more exclusively theoretical commentary. In so doing, yoga will be approached as an experience or phenomenon, not just in the context of a series of academic debates.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | A R Murthy |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 27 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 1-14 |
Date | Jan 1997 |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
Short Title | Dhanwantari |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/12572586 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 1:06:57 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 12572586 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:23:38 AM |
The original conception of Ayurveda in its entirety is essentially linked to Dhanwantari who is considered as God of Hindu Medicine. Dhanwantari is considered a mythical deity born with ambrosia in one hand and Ayurveda on the other at the end of the churning of milk ocean. He reincarnated himself in the Chandra dynasty. He was born to King Dhanwa, learnt Ayurveda from Bharadwaja. His great grandson Divodasa was also known as Dhanwantari, but was specialised only in surgical branch of Ayurveda. Sushruta, is said to have learnt the art of science of surgery from Divodasa Dhanwantara.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | T Naidoo |
Publication | Medicine and Law |
Volume | 7 |
Issue | 6 |
Pages | 643-647 |
Date | 1989 |
Journal Abbr | Med Law |
ISSN | 0723-1393 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/2495404 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 12:47:04 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 2495404 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:23:57 AM |
In the Hindu tradition, ‘health’ means the continued maintenance of the best possible working of the human body under normal, and sometimes even abnormal, environmental conditions. Hindu religious teaching on healthy living and ethical considerations culminate in spiritual objectives if the injunctions contained in the system are followed. Hatha yoga is a system of bodily care that is conducive to such health, which also corrects disease via the regulation of muscular action and in other ways. Other systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda and other traditional systems in Hindu culture, have been devised for the good of humanity. It is, however, the holistic approach to health in Hinduism that calls attention to such causes of ill health as climatic extremes, bacterial attack, nutritional deviance, stress, and other forms of emotional imbalance. A state of good health is within the reach of most persons if they cultivate habits that are conducive to physical and spiritual well-being. The concept of preventive medicine is probably also based on the tenet that the attainment of good health is a religious duty, and corresponding injunctions are found in abundance in Hindu scriptures. It is not the training of students in the medical profession that is most important for health care, but rather their concern for health and their willingness to apply themselves to the observation of the rules they would wish their patients to observe.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | A Narayana |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 25 |
Issue | 1-2 |
Pages | 100-110 |
Date | 1995 |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11618829 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:45:56 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11618829 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:38:32 PM |
A high quality of Medical Knowledge was prevalent in ancient India. The present day Archaeological evidences of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa imparts the high civilization in matters of sanitation and hygiene. An analysis of the material in the Vedas reveals that, all the four Vedas replete the references regarding various aspects of medicine. The Atharva Veda is deemed to be an encyclopaedia for medicine “Interalia”, and Ayurveda (the science of life) is considered as Upa Veda (supplementary subject) of the Atharva Veda. A few glimpses of medical Science as prevalent in the ancient India have been presented here.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Ala Narayana |
Author | G S Lavekar |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 35 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 131-146 |
Date | 2005 Jul-Dec |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/17333669 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:27:55 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 17333669 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:30:46 PM |
The Pali canon consists of three Pitakas (baskets), which replete the Buddhism and is known as Tripitaka, viz, Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma Pitakas. The original phase of Tripitaka (Buddhisim started in 544 B.C. and lastly systematized up to 29 B.C. The Buddhist literature also possesses the esoteric material of Medical Science, which is practiced and conserved in India since centuries. It refers to the fundamentals of medicine, rules of good living, which lay considerable emphasis on the hygiene of body, mind. Internal Medicine, curative medicine including symptoms, methods of diagnosis, theories of causation, materia-medica, therapeutics and treatment and skills of Jivaka. Some famous and popular prescriptions are also dealt with.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Ala Narayana |
Author | Varanasi Subhose |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 35 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 21-32 |
Date | 2005 Jan-Jun |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
Short Title | Standardization of Ayurvĕdic formulations |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/17333659 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:29:26 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 17333659 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:47:08 PM |
Safety and efficacy of a drug mainly depends on the method of preparation. To assess the quality of a finished product, there should be some basic standards as well as methods of preparation. There are several parameters for testing the quality of a chemical drug, which have, are true indicators. So, there is no problem in assessing a synthetic drug’s quality. As far as the preparation used in Ayurvedic system of medicine, a drug formulation or design may not be a problem, because many formulations are well documented in classical texts. But, there is confusion with respect to standards to be followed while preparing a formulation as well as basic parameters to assess the quality of the finished product. In Ayurveda, pañcavidhakasayakalpana are the basic pharmaceutical preparations, from which all the other preparations are developed. A specific method for each and every preparation and some basic standards of finished products are mentioned in Ayurvedic texts to maintain their quality. This information may some times vary from text to text. To overcome this problem Sarangdhara mentioned detailed information about various formulations with respect to their methods of preparation as well as basic standards and are documented in Sarangdhara Samhita.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Suzanne Newcombe |
Abstract | Yoga is now found in urban centres and rural retreats across the world as well as in its historical home in the Indian subcontinent. What is now practiced as yoga across the globe has a long history of transnational intercultural exchange and has been considered by some as an outgrowth of Neo-Hinduism. Although the popularisation of yoga is often cited in theories about 'Easternization' or the 're-enchantment' of the West since the late 20th century, most of these theories make little reference to the growing number of historical, sociological and anthropological studies of modern yoga. This article will consider how the apparent dichotomy between yoga as a physical fitness activity (often termed 'hatha yoga') and/or as a 'spiritual practice' developed historically and discuss recent trends in the research. |
Publication | Religion Compass |
Volume | 3 |
Issue | 6 |
Pages | 986-1002 |
Date | December 2009 |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00171.x |
Short Title | The Development of Modern Yoga |
URL | http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00171.x |
Accessed | Thursday, December 17, 2009 1:09:31 PM |
Library Catalog | Wiley InterScience |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Gananath Obeyesekere |
Publication | Comparative Studies in Society and History |
Volume | 12 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 292-296 |
Date | Jul., 1970 |
ISSN | 00104175 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/178239 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:18:48 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Jul., 1970 / Copyright © 1970 Society for Comparative Studies in Society and History |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | P Pandikumar |
Author | M Chellappandian |
Author | S Mutheeswaran |
Author | S Ignacimuthu |
Abstract | AIM OF THE STUDY The role of ethnobotany in drug discovery is huge but there are criticisms over such studies due to their qualitative nature. The present study is aimed at quantitatively abstracting the medicinal plant knowledge of the healers trained in traditional ways, in Mayiladumparai block of Theni District, Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS The interviews and field observations were carried out in all the 18 village panchayaths from January to June 2010, consisting of 148 field days. The interviews were conducted with 80 traditional healers, after obtaining prior informed consent. Successive free listing was used to interview the informants. The informant consensus factor (F(ic)) was calculated to estimate the use variability of medicinal plants. Fidelity index and Cultural importance index were also calculated to analyze the data. RESULTS This study recorded the ethno-medicinal usage of 142 ethno-species belonging to 62 families that were used to prepare 504 formulations. Jaundice had the highest F(ic) value than all the illness categories studied. Phyllanthus spp. was the highly cited medicinal plant to treat jaundice and had high fidelity index value. This was followed by Senna angustifolia and Terminalia chebula as laxatives. The highly cited medicinal plants in each group with high F(ic) value were Pongamia pinnata (antiseptic), Aerva lanata (antidote and snakebite), Blepharis maderaspatensis (cuts and wounds), Abutilon indicum (hemorrhoids), Ruta graveolens (spiritual medicine), Ocimum tenuiflorum (cough), and Solanum trilobatum (pulmonary ailments). Phyllanthus spp., was the most culturally significant species according to this index, followed by Borassus flebellifer. CONCLUSION The process of drug discovery has become highly expensive and post-approval and post-marketing withdrawal of drugs is continuing. In such scenario, reverse pharmacology is considered an attractive option. The medicinal plants enumerated in this study with high number of citations and high F(ic) values for illness categories might give some useful leads for further biomedical research. |
Publication | Journal of Ethnopharmacology |
Volume | 134 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 354-362 |
Date | Mar 24, 2011 |
Journal Abbr | J Ethnopharmacol |
DOI | 10.1016/j.jep.2010.12.027 |
ISSN | 1872-7573 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193023 |
Accessed | Monday, April 04, 2011 7:48:36 PM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 21193023 |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:56:31 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:56:31 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Kishor Patwardhan |
Author | Sangeeta Gehlot |
Author | Girish Singh |
Author | H C S Rathore |
Publication | Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: eCAM |
Date | Aug 17, 2009 |
Journal Abbr | Evid Based Complement Alternat Med |
DOI | 10.1093/ecam/nep113 |
ISSN | 1741-427X |
Short Title | The Ayurveda Education in India |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19687194 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:11:51 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19687194 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:48:09 PM |
Ayurveda’ is an ancient system of healthcare that is native to India. At present, in India, there are more than 240 colleges that offer a graduate-level degree (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery-BAMS) in Ayurveda. Even though the Central Council of Indian Medicine, the governing body that monitors the matters related to Ayurveda education, has imposed various educational norms and regulations, the standard of education has been a cause of concern in recent years. The mushrooming of substandard Ayurvedic colleges is the most important factor that is being held responsible for this kind of erosion in the standards. The present study is a mailed survey, which was carried out to evaluate the ‘Extent of exposure to basic clinical skills during BAMS course’ as perceived by the sample groups of students and teachers drawn from 32 Ayurvedic educational institutions spread all over India. A methodically validated questionnaire was used as the tool in the study, to which 1022 participants responded. The study indicates that there are some serious flaws in the existing system of the graduate-level Ayurveda education. Since the Ayurvedic graduates play an important role in the primary healthcare delivery system of the country, governing bodies are required to take necessary steps to ensure the adequate exposure of the students to basic clinical skills. Along with the strict implementation of all the regulatory norms during the process of recognition of the colleges, introducing some changes in the policy model may also be required to tackle the situation.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Stephen Phillips |
Place | New York |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Date | 2009 |
ISBN | 9780231144841 |
Short Title | Yoga, karma, and rebirth |
Library Catalog | Open WorldCat |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | S. Prabhakar |
Author | J.S. Chopra |
Abstract | Ayurvedic medicine in neurology S. Prabhakar, J.S. Chopra. Department of Neurology, Postgraduate Inst. of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to India and is considered a form of complementary alternative medicine in West. Ayurveda focuses on exercise, yoga, meditation, massage in addition to medication. There is comprehensive treatment of neurological disorders in Ayurveda. Details will be discussed. Few of the commonly used Ayurvedic medicines are described. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) is creeping herb commonly found throughout India. Its constituents include Alkaloids resembling strychnine in therapeutic action but less toxic. Bacopa extract contains Bacosideand B known since 5000 BC. It is used in Neurology as nerve tonic, for treatment of insanity and epilepsy. It has been mentioned to improve process of learning, restoring memory, enhancing power of speech and imagination. Bacopa was documented to exert antiamnesic effect on diazepam induced anterograde amnesia in mice by the author. Brahmi has anti-oxidant effect, improving activities of defense enzymes. It has anti-stress activity in rat. Bacopa protects against electric shock seizures and chemoconvulsion. Tulsi (Occimum sanctum) called Holy Basil in West is known for its religious / spiritual sanctity. Included in Rigveda – 5000 BC. It is known to protect and reduce stress, enhance stamina, boost immune system and lessen aging factor. It has antibiotic, antioxidant and antiepileptic properties. Guggulipid (Commiphora mukul) is used in stroke to treat hyperlipidaemia. It reduces cholesterol production in liver. Sarapgandha (Rauwolfia sarpantina), Dashmool and Ashwagandha are also used in management of stroke. Ashwagandha is also used in Epilepsy. Mucuna pruriens and Vicia fava beans (English dwarf beans) have long been used in Parkinson’s disease, as natural source of L-dopa |
Publication | Journal of the Neurological Sciences |
Volume | 285 |
Issue | Supplement 1 |
Pages | S51-S52 |
Date | October 2009 |
DOI | 10.1016/S0022-510X(09)70243-6 |
ISSN | 0022-510X |
URL | http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/science/article/B6T06-4XK3X1N-84/2/aa080d0ae3e1bd9d39a2d4b3031a8918 |
Accessed | Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:35:36 PM |
Library Catalog | ScienceDirect |
Date Added | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Modified | Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:05:21 AM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Sanjeev Rastogi |
Publication | Indian Journal of Medical Ethics |
Volume | 6 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 101-102 |
Date | 2009 Apr-Jun |
Journal Abbr | Indian J Med Ethics |
ISSN | 0974-8466 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19517655 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:14:37 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19517655 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Nirmala S. Salgado |
Publication | Ethnology |
Volume | 36 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 213-226 |
Date | Summer, 1997 |
ISSN | 00141828 |
Short Title | Sickness, Healing, and Religious Vocation |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/3773986 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:41:50 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Summer, 1997 / Copyright © 1997 University of Pittsburgh- Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:48:43 PM |
This essay examines alternative religious vocations and choices of cures that are open to women in the Sri Lankan Buddhist context. The focus of the investigation is a Theravada Buddhist hermitage that was studied over an eleven-year period. The article presents case histories of nuns who are representative of the individuals living at the hermitage, and demonstrates how the illnesses they suffer concurrently with their ecstatic trances (interpreted as spirit possession) receive meaning and can be cured within the framework of Buddhist asceticism in Sri Lanka.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Yumi E Satow |
Author | Praveena D Kumar |
Author | Adam Burke |
Author | John F Inciardi |
Publication | Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.) |
Volume | 14 |
Issue | 10 |
Pages | 1249-1253 |
Date | Dec 2008 |
Journal Abbr | J Altern Complement Med |
DOI | 10.1089/acm.2008.0106 |
ISSN | 1557-7708 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19123878 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:12:53 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19123878 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:49:26 PM |
Objective: Despite a growing body of literature on complementary and alternative medicine, there is still limited information on the use of Ayurveda in the United States. Because Ayurveda is one of the world’s major traditional medical systems, knowledge of its use is important. In particular, information on utilization by Asian Indians living in the United States is needed due to increased immigration from India and related regions. Recent reports of heavy metal contamination of some imported Ayurveda products underscore this need. For this reason, an exploratory survey was conducted. Design: A semistructured 21-item questionnaire was administered using face-to-face interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND Setting: The study comprised a convenience sample of 64 Asian Indians living in Northern California. Outcome measures: Main outcome measures included sociodemographic variables, questions on awareness, knowledge and use of Ayurvedic products or services, use of other nutritional/herbal products, and reasons for use. Results: In the sample, 95% of the participants were aware of Ayurveda, 78% had knowledge of Ayurvedic products or treatments, and about 59% had used or were currently using Ayurveda. Only 18% of those using Ayurveda had informed their Western medical doctors. Conclusions: Given its common use in the United States by Asian Indians, its cultural relevance, potential therapeutic value, and possible safety concerns, physician and consumer education along with more empirical research is warranted.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | P. V Sharma |
Contributor | Indian National Science Academy |
Contributor | David E. Pingree Collection (Brown University) |
Place | New Delhi |
Publisher | Indian National Science Academy |
Date | 1992 |
Library Catalog | josiah.brown.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | R605 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | A Singh |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 30 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 41-58 |
Date | 2000 Jan-Jun |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
Short Title | The bias against India in western literature on history of medicine |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/12578015 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:37:53 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 12578015 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:49:59 PM |
The article describes a systematic bias against India in Western literature on history of medicine. While many authors have ignored the contributions of India in development of medicine altogether, the others have relegated India’s role much behind other civilizations. Unnecessary and deliberate controversies on dating and origin of Ayurveda, primacy of Greek vs. Hindu Medicine and the origin of the practice of variolation have been elaborated by Western authors. Some medical historians, like Siegrist, have tried to give India its due place in the history of medicine. Suitable references of Indian authors have also been quoted to give a comparative and balanced picture. The need for settling this controversy has been emphasized.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Varanasi Subhose |
Author | Ala Narayana |
Author | P V V Prasad |
Author | M Mruthyumjaya Rao |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 36 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 97-116 |
Date | 2006 Jul-Dec |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/18175646 |
Accessed | Tuesday, November 03, 2009 1:26:58 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 18175646 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:39:17 PM |
The Puranas are the encyclopedic works of the ancient and medieval Hindu religion, philosophy, history, politics, ethics, sciences etc. There are 18 (Astadasa) puranas, which are, considered as mahapuranas, among which Garudapurana is popular one. The Garudapurana is divided into two parts viz., Purvakhanda and Uttarakhanda. The first part, which is also called Acarakhanda consists of 240 chapters. The greater part of the Purvakhanda occupies the descriptions of Vratas (religious observances), sacred places dedicated to the Surya (sun), Lord Siva and Lord Visnu. It also contains treatises on various aspects like astrology, palmistry, politics, Sankhya, Yoga, anatomy, precious stones and extensive information on vedic medicine i.e., Ayurveda. The Uttarakhanda consists of two khandas viz. Dharmakhanda and Brahmakhanda, which are divided into 42 and 29 chapters, respectively. The Dharmakhanda is also known as the Pretakalpa which contains directions for the performance of obsequies rites. The Pretakalpa portion of the Garudapurana is generally recited during the period of mourning and so its importance is self-evident. It is almost impossible to narrate within such a small framework, the wide range of splendid truths scattered in the pages of this noble puranam. Little information is available from internal evidence to establish its exact period. However, it is supposed to be quite ancient in its origin.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Varanasi Subhose |
Author | Pitta Srinivas |
Author | Ala Narayana |
Publication | Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (Hyderabad) |
Volume | 35 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 83-92 |
Date | 2005 Jul-Dec |
Journal Abbr | Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad |
ISSN | 0304-9558 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/17333665 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:28:26 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 17333665 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:50:36 PM |
Pharmaceutical is one of the allied branches of science, which is closely associated with Medical science. Today pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacognosy are playing important role in treatment for a disease and its prevention. Herbal medicines are being used by about 80% of the world population mostly in the developing countries in the primary health care. There has been an upsurge in demand for the Phyto-pharmaceutical products of Ayurveda in western nations, because of the fact that the synthetic drugs are considered to be unsafe. Due to this many national and multinational pharmaceutical companies are now concentrating on manufacturing of Ayurvedic Phyto-pharmaceutical products. Ayurveda is the Indian traditional system of medicine, which also deals about pharmaceutical science. The Ayurvedic knowledge of the pharmaceutical science is scattered in Ayurvedic classical texts. Saranghadhara Samhita, which is written by Saranghadhara, explain systematically about the information of the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical science and also updated it. Industrialized manufacturing of Ayurvedic dosage forms has brought in new challenges like deviation from basic concepts of medicine preparation. Saranghadhara Samrhita the devout text on pharmaceutics in Ayurveda comes handy to solve such problems, as the methods described are very lucid and easy to follow.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Urmila Thatte |
Author | Supriya Bhalerao |
Publication | Indian Journal of Phamacology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue | Supp. 1 |
Pages | S10-S12 |
Date | 2008-2-1 |
Journal Abbr | Indian J Pharmacol |
URL | http://www.ijp-online.com/article.asp? issn=0253-7613;year=2008;volume=40;issue=7;spage=10;epage=12;aulast=Thatte |
Accessed | Monday, September 07, 2009 2:07:40 AM |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | L E Thomas |
Publication | Social Science & Medicine (1982) |
Volume | 34 |
Issue | 5 |
Pages | 499-505 |
Date | Mar 1992 |
Journal Abbr | Soc Sci Med |
ISSN | 0277-9536 |
Short Title | Identity, ideology and medicine |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/1604356 |
Accessed | Monday, November 09, 2009 12:47:41 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 1604356 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:31:50 PM |
In-depth interviews and participant observation was conducted with 14 Hindu religious renunciates, 70 years or older. Despite having taken vows renouncing concern for physical pain or comfort, respondents differed markedly in their attitudes toward pain and their rationale for utilizing medical treatment. They differed still further in their use of Ayurvedic and allopathic medicine, with the most culturally conservative accepting only Ayurvedic medicine. Rejection of allopathic medicine tended to be associated with a highly systematized religious world-view. The results are discussed in terms of both the ideological conflict between religious world-view and medical usage, and the need for sophisticated distinction of religious world-view if research on the religious factor of health care utilization is to prove fruitful.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Y B Tripathi |
Publication | Indian Journal of Experimental Biology |
Volume | 38 |
Issue | 5 |
Pages | 409-414 |
Date | May 2000 |
Journal Abbr | Indian J. Exp. Biol |
ISSN | 0019-5189 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11272402 |
Accessed | Monday, November 02, 2009 2:40:42 AM |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11272402 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:51:34 PM |
In ayurvedic system of medicine, it is considered that a living system is made of panch-mahabuta, in the form of Vata, pitta and kapha at the physical level and satwa, raja and tama at the mental level. This covers the psychosomatic constitution and commonly known as the Tridosh theory. The imbalance in these body humours is the basic cause of any type of disease manifestation. Till date, several objective parameters have been proposed to monitor the level of these basic humours but none of them is complete. In this exercise, now it is proposed to consider free radical theory of diseases as one of the objective parameters. To be more specific, vata can be monitored in terms of membrane bound signal transduction, pitta as the process of phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation of different proteins (signalling moieties and enzymes) and kapha can be viewed as the degree of gene expression as protein synthesis. This can be correlated with the ojas of the body or total body defence mechanism.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Ian Whicher |
Publication | Philosophy East and West |
Volume | 48 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 272-322 |
Date | Apr., 1998 |
ISSN | 00318221 |
Short Title | Yoga and Freedom |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/1399829 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:07:45 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Apr., 1998 / Copyright © 1998 University of Hawai'i Press |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:39:44 PM |
Rather than follow along the lines of many scholarly interpretations of Patañjali’s “Yoga-Sutra,” which views Yoga as a radical separation or isolation of “spirit” or pure consciousness (purusa) from “matter” (prakrti), this essay suggests that the “Yoga-Sutra” seeks to “unite” or integrate these two principles by correcting a basic misalignment between them. Yoga thus does not advocate the abandonment or condemnation of the world, but supports a stance that enables one to live more fully in the world without being enslaved by worldly identification.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Robin L. Wilson |
Publication | The American Journal of Nursing |
Volume | 76 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 261-263 |
Date | Feb., 1976 |
ISSN | 0002936X |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/3423818 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:05:28 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Feb., 1976 / Copyright © 1976 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Kenneth G Zysk |
Place | New York |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Date | 1991 |
ISBN | 0195059565 |
Short Title | Asceticism and Healing in Ancient India |
Library Catalog | library.bu.edu Library Catalog |
Call Number | R605 .Z87 1991 |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
The rich Indian medical tradition is usually traced back to Sanskrit sources, the earliest of which cannot much antedate the common era. Zysk shows that the Buddhist scriptures some centuries older than this contain abundant information about medical practice, and are our earliest evidence for a rational approach to medicine in India. He argues that Buddhism and the medical tradition were mutually supportive: that Buddhist monks and people associated with them contributed to the development of medicine, while their skills as physical as well as spiritual healers enhanced their reputation and popular support. Drawing on a wide range of textual, archaeological, and secondary sources, Zysk first presents an overview of the history of Indian medicine in its religious context. He then examines primary literature from the Pali Buddhist Canon and from the Sanskrit treatises of Bhela, Caraka, and Susruta. By close comparison of these two bodies of literature Zysk convincingly shows how the theories delineated in the medical classics actually became practice.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Kenneth G. Zysk |
Publication | Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |
Volume | 75 |
Issue | 7 |
Pages | i-311 |
Date | 1985 |
Series | New Series |
ISSN | 00659746 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/20486646 |
Accessed | Sunday, November 08, 2009 11:43:46 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: 1985 / Copyright © 1985 American Philosophical Society |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Kenneth G. Zysk |
Publication | Journal of the American Oriental Society |
Volume | 113 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 198-213 |
Date | Apr. - Jun., 1993 |
ISSN | 00030279 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/603025 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:20:31 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Apr. - Jun., 1993 / Copyright © 1993 American Oriental Society |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:41:03 PM |
The following historical and philological study traces the science of respiration and the doctrine of the bodily winds through ancient Indian religious and technical literature. Basic notions about respiration and bodily winds appear in the literature of the vedic samhitas and brahmanas. By the end of the principal upanisads these early ideas begin to be codified into two separate systems. One, emphasizing a physiology of bodily winds, reaches its traditional formulation in the classical medical literature of Ayurveda, the other, focusing on respiration, attains its classical formulation in Yoga. The two unite later, when Yoga integrates medical theory into its science of respiration. Asceticism is the common thread connecting the various stages in the development of respiration and bodily winds.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Kenneth G. Zysk |
Publication | Journal of the American Oriental Society |
Volume | 106 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 687-705 |
Date | Oct. - Dec., 1986 |
ISSN | 00030279 |
URL | http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/603532 |
Accessed | Monday, October 12, 2009 11:34:24 PM |
Library Catalog | JSTOR |
Extra | ArticleType: primary_article / Full publication date: Oct. - Dec., 1986 / Copyright © 1986 American Oriental Society |
Date Added | Saturday, October 01, 2011 5:02:41 PM |
Modified | Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:40:42 PM |
Ludwig Edelstein’s study of the history of Greek anatomy will be used as a model to examine the evolution of anatomical knowledge in ancient India. The earliest evidence of Indian anatomy is found in the Vedic literature, dating from 1500 B. C. to 200 B. C. It provides a clear picture of the acquisition of anatomical knowledge by means of the sacrifice of animals, principally the horse, and of men; chance observations contributed a comparatively small amount to the body of anatomical knowledge. As a result of these sacrificial rites quite accurate lists of bodily structures of the horse and of man have been recorded and transmitted by means of the traditional religious texts. These catalogues remained the principal sources of anatomy until the first centuries of the Christian era, when we find a codification of Indian medical knowledge in the surgical text, Susruta Saṃhitā. Isolated in a chapter on anatomy, a new approach to the study of the bodily parts is recommended: in order to acquire the most complete understanding of the human body the author prescribes that first-hand observation of the parts should be combined with textual learning and proceeds to detail the correct method to dissect a cadaver. This precept, reflecting a characteristically non-Indian attitude, may well have had its origin in the Alexandrian school of medicine, in particular in the teachings of Herophilus in the first half of the third century B. C. The instruction which added a wholly new dimension to Indian anatomical thought could have been transmitted to India around the time of Alexander. As in the Hellenistic world, scientific dissection was not readily accepted by the Indian medical community and its practice quickly vanished. During the short time it was known and performed in India, some advances seem to have been made in the understanding of the inner parts of the human body, increasing the store-house of anatomical knowledge already possessed by the Indian physicians. A similar technique of dissection is detailed in the twelfth century Salernitan anatomical text, Anatomia magistri Nicolai phisici. This remarkable occurrence poses questions, the answers to which cannot be definitely given until more evidence becomes available. The paper concludes with a critical translation of chapter five on the “enumeration and distinction of the bodily parts” in the book of anatomy of the Susruta Samhita.