HAUPTMENÜ

DOC-CHECK LOGIN

International Congress of Ayurveda

Relief from exploding health costs

Roermond, Netherlands (April 11, 2015) – The International Congress of Ayurveda, the biggest ever in Europe, brought together 400 participants from 40 countries, including medical doctors, health-administration professionals and three top-ranking representatives of the Indian government. The Congress ended on April 12th in Roermond, Holland after two days of discussing ways in which Ayurveda, the world’s most ancient medical system, can turn back the exploding costs of healthcare through natural treatments and disease prevention.

Professor Subhash Ranade, leading Ayurvedic expert and co-organizer of the Congress, summed up its conclusions: “No health system can recognize as early as Ayurveda when the balance of the body is in danger. On this basis we can intervene consultatively and therapeutically, long before difficult-to-treat symptoms appear.”

Main organizer of the Congress was the International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation, with the collaboration of the All India Ayurvedic Congress, the largest Ayurveda organisation worldwide (350,000 members, founded 1907), and with the young International Academy of Ayurveda from Pune, India (founded 1996).

WHO on lifestyle diseases: “Silent, secret killers”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) calls modern lifestyle diseases “silent, secret killers” with 38 million fatalities in 2012 alone. The worldwide economic losses are in the trillions. Prof. Ranade: “Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, atherosclerosis, asthma, some kinds of cancer, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic renal failure, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and obesity are actually lifestyle diseases.”

Dr. med. Ulrich Bauhofer, leading German Ayurvedic doctor and book author, said during his talk: “Modern lifestyle diseases are strangling our healthcare system. Let’s position nature instead – before machines and pills are getting unaffordable. The success of Ayurveda is remarkable and cost-cutting.”

Dr. Karin Pirc, medical director of an Ayurvedic clinic in Bad Ems, Germany: “The results of the scientific research on Ayurveda are so promising that we can’t afford to ignore them any longer.”

Rethinking process

Several developments show that this rethinking is going on: In 1996 the Hufeland Society, a German umbrella organisation for naturopathy, evaluated the preventive approach of Ayurveda very positively, not only because of its cost-efficiency, but also because of its scientific character.

Some months ago the Indian government established a Ministry for Yoga and Ayurveda. They even suggest the adoption of yoga and meditation as part of teacher training. Last year the German government adopted a draft of a new prevention law. “This is a step in the right direction”, said Dr. Bauhofer. “Prevention must become the new guiding principle of our healthcare policy. Worldwide.”

Links

• Website of the Congress: www.internationalayurvedacongress.com
• Website of All India Ayurveda Congress: www.Ayurvediccongress.com  
• Website of the International Academy of Ayurveda: www.ayurved-int.com
• Database: 13,500 scientific papers on Ayurveda: http://ayushportal.nic.in
• Index: 7,200 special publications on Ayurveda: www.dharaonline.org/Forms/Home.aspx
• WHO: Economic effects of lifestyle diseases: www.dw.de/who-millionen-tote-j%C3%A4hrlichdurch-zivilisationskrankheiten/a-18200694
• WELTonline: India gets a Ministry for Aurveda and Yoga:
• www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article134199125/Indien-bekommt-jetzt-einen-Yoga-Minister.html
• NEWS NATIONonline: Indian government suggests adoption of yoga and meditation as part of
• teacher training: www.newsnation.in/article/74393-ugc-failed-deliver-waste-good-moneymanpower-hrd-panel.html
• PHARMA-ZEITUNG: Naturopathy is getting more and more friends: www.pharmazeitung.de/naturheilkunde-findet-immer-mehr-freunde.5378.php
• APOTHEKEN-UMSCHAU: Ayurveda: The Science of Life: www.apothekenumschau.de/Alternative-Medizin/Ayurveda-Die-Wissenschaft-vom-Leben-216473.html
• Hufelandgesellschaft: Ayurveda as part of the service catalogue (PDF):
• www.hufelandgesellschaft.de/fileadmin/inhalte/dokumente/Inhaltsverzeichnis_LVZ_6_Auflage.pdf
• Website of Dr. med. Ulrich Bauhofer: www.drbauhofer.de
• Website of Dr. med. Wolfgang Schachinger: www.ayurveda-arzt.at

International Ayurveda Congress, April 10 – 14, 2015, Roermond, The Netherlands (tB).