Ayurveda & Alzheimers

Zee News - Alzheimer's cure in Ayurveda!

London, Nov 05: A team of British and Indian scientists have been testing the 5,000 year-old traditional healing medicine Ayurveda in the search for a cure for Alzheimer's disease, and researchers have already announced that Ayurveda can be as effective as prescription drugs in boosting the mental agility of patients.

Ayurvedic medicine uses a variety of everyday herbs and spices, such as aloe vera, basil, garlic, ginger and turmeric, as well as yoga exercises, and this mix has proved to be beneficial to many people in the treatment of both physical and psychological problems.

The researchers studied five of the plants used in the production of Ayurvedic medicine, but, as one of the British members of the team, Professor of Pharmacognosy at King's College London, Peter Houghton, pointed out: "The work is still at the lab stage and nothing has been tested on humans as yet. No clinical studies have been done and just because we get interesting results from the lab doesn't mean people will be cured."

Nevertheless, the scientists, including experts from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, have found that the five plants they concentrated on helped prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitters in the brain, so improving the memory and concentration of people suffering from Alzheimer's.

The next stage is for the scientists to identify the chemical compounds in the plants. Once they have achieved that aim, and it is an aim that, sadly, could take years, then it should be possible to develop effective drugs incorporating those chemical compounds.

If those innovative drugs can be developed, then, at last, there will be real hope of a lasting cure for a disease that afflicts an ever-growing number of people across the world.

Until that happens, the usual therapies, as well as a selection of existing drugs, will continue to be used in the treatment of the disease to try and stimulate the patient. These range from simply encouraging people to reminisce about their past in order to reduce their depression, to art therapy and music therapy.

Meanwhile, the team of British and Indian scientists will continue with their quest, possibly, along with a cure for cancer, the holy grail of medical research.

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Herbal couture

Herbal couture Chandan' saris, `Indigo' shirts, `Khus khus' purdahs — Thiruvalluvar Handlooms unfolds a vibrant herbal couture at its Thumpodu outlet in downtown Thiruvananthapuram. The seeds of this herbal couture — `ayur vastra' — revolution were sown more than a decade ago, when a few youngsters got together to root out the exploitation of weavers in the nearby handloom hub of Balaramapuram.

The Handloom Weavers Development Society was formed soon after and among its members were a few from the Kuzhivila family. One of their forefathers, C.R. Ayyappan Vaidyar, was the court physician to Sree Moolam Tirunal of the erstwhile princely State of Travancore. He was a weaver too and provided the royal family clothes dyed in herbs.

"The family tradition was dying and we wanted to revive it. Moreover, herbs seemed a bright alternative to synthetic dyes," says K. Rajan, chief technician at the society's dyeing unit. "With the little knowledge I had of this tradition, we experimented a lot. We initially displayed the clothes at exhibitions and it caught the fancy of quite a few." The clientele kept growing and about nine years ago, the Thumpodu shop was opened. The society got a boost three years ago, when a Rs 19-lakh Japanese grant came almost like a windfall. It set up its own dye house and bought a few machines.

Organic process

"The entire process is organic. The cloth is bleached with cow's urine, which has high medicinal value. The dyeing gum too is herbal. It does not pollute like synthetic dye. And the waste is used as bio manure and to generate bio gas."

Roots, flowers, leaves, seeds and bark of around 200 herbs go into the making of the dyes. The material worked on is mostly cotton and silk; there are a few sample pieces in wool and jute as well.

Health benefits

"The clothes sell not just because of the `green' label. Herbal clothes have proven good for the body. Indigo is good for the skin, khus khus helps fight asthma and so on," says Satheesh, a society member. The medicinal quality will last longer, if natural oil soaps are used for washing, he adds.

Last year, the State Coir Department conducted a six-month clinical trial at Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram. Four rooms were set aside for treating rheumatism, allergy, hypertension, diabetes, psoriasis and other skin ailments. The clothes, bed linen and mattresses for patients were dyed in herbs and the walls, ceiling and floor lined with medicated coir.

"We treated around 40 people. And the response was remarkably good, especially in cases of arthritis and skin ailments," says Dr Vishwanathan, former head of the Drug Research Department of the college.

"It was all herbs in the air — clothes, linen and wall lining. It effected a rejuvenation of sorts. In the last 7-8 years, my sugar levels had never fallen so low. And now, it does not shoot to dangerous levels as before. Of course, I am on ayurveda medicines as follow-up," says G.V. Das, who was part of the clinical trial.

Growing demand

Herbal mattresses, especially those filled with khus khus, are priced Rs 2,000 each and have become popular."Khus Khus keeps the body really cool. There is a lot of demand from Ayurveda hospitals and heritage resorts," says Satheesh.

`Chandan' and `khus khus' saris with thin `zari' border are moving really well. "It feels great to wear the essence of herbs. It breathes in positive vibes," says Jayashree, a bank employee.

Herbal reams from Thumpodu are reaching foreign shores as well, although the society is not into direct exports. "There is a lot of demand from Italy, Germany, France, the US and Gulf. They mainly buy dress material, bed linen and furnishing," says Rajan. The society members feel that the khus khus purdahs will be a big hit in Saudi Arabia. Decking up houseboat interiors with medicated coir is next on their agenda.

"So much effort has gone into making ayur vastra that we want to preserve our rights," says Dr Ravi, who was advisor to the Government in charge of sustainable development and offered all help for this experiment.

A scientific validation study is under way at the Regional Research Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram.

Once it is over, the society's patent dreams may just go green.

The Rising Nepal

Ayurvedic Treatment An Alternative Therapy
By Uttam Maharjan
Ayurvedic medicine is an alternative therapy. It is claimed to be a traditional medicine of India. The word Ayurveda derives from Sanskrit. Ayur means life and veda means knowledge or science.
Ayurvedic treatment dates from 5,000 BC. Deepak Chopra, an internal medical practitioner and endocrinologist from India, has made a great contribution by propagating the marvels of Ayurveda abroad.

Supporters of Ayurvedic medicine purport that the therapeutic system has its origin in ancient times. Like other traditional medicines, much of it had already been lost. However, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi rediscovered it in the early 1980s. Its origin is attributed to the four Vedas. As per the Vedas, most diseases attack people owing to the demons, devils and the influence of the stars and planets.

Ayurvedic principles

The basic theory of Ayurveda is that the physical functions of the human body are regulated by three irreducible physiological principles called doshas, whose Sanskritic terms are vata, pitta, and kapha. These terms are used to classify patients by body types, which are determined by proportions of these doshas.
These doshas are believed to regulate mind-body harmony. Diseases are considered to arise due to imbalance in the doshas. Ayurvedic treatment is believed to restore harmony to the mind-body system. Vata (air) allegedly regulates all movements in the mind and body and must be kept in balance. Too much vata leads to anxiety, insomnia, cramps and constipation. It controls blood flow, elimination of waste, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind.

It also controls the other two principles pitta and kapha. Pitta (fire) is alleged to control all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls digestion, sensory perceptions and discrimination between right and wrong. It must be kept in balance, too. Too much pitta can lead to anger, criticism, ulcers, rashes and thinning of the hair.

Kapha (water) joins together the elements in the body, providing the material for physical constitution. It maintains body resistance, lubricates the joints, provides moisture to the skin, helps to heal wounds, fills the spaces in the body, gives biological vigour and stability, supports memory retention, gives energy to the heart and lungs and maintains immunity. It is responsible for emotions of attachment, greed and envy. It is also expressed in tendencies toward calmness, forgiveness and love. Too much kapha leads to lethargy and weight gain as well as congestion and allergies.

Ayurveda is the oldest healing system in the world in vogue. It is considered the first holistic system of healthcare based on lifestyles, diets and herbs. Under this system, patients take responsibility for their care. It may be noted that the taste of a herb can determine its action: cleansing, balancing or rejuvenating. Generally, bitter herbs act as cleansing agents, whereas sweet herbs act as nourishing agents.

The mechanism of Ayurveda is based on the belief that bodily imbalances must be rectified before they grow into diseases. It is similar to modern preventive medicine as it applies several processes to maintaining good health. They are detoxification and cleansing; increasing the effectiveness of the immune system; coping with stress with the help of adaptogenic herbs; and protecting the body with antioxidants and restoratives.
When imbalances occur, it is imperative to rectify them. Rectification is done by using immuno-modulators that not only prevent inflammation but also boost the body�s natural defence system. Immuno-modulators form a basic constituent of biomedicine (herbal medicine) that supports the body�s immune system to deal with allergies. It may be noted that suppression of the immune response may result in further recurring symptoms.

The concept of detoxification is based on the fact that many ailments and diseases are a product of impurities not being properly eliminated by the body system. Toxins are created in the body system through eating in excess of one�s ability to digest and assimilate nutrients. Lack of digestion tends to overload the liver and emunctory system. The body reacts to undigested food like any other toxin. In Ayurvedic treatment, herbs that facilitate digestion and proper assimilation are used to nourish the body.

Free radicals present in the environment are cytotoxic, inducing degenerative diseases. Antioxidants reduce the effects of such free radicals. The Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia lists some of the most powerful antioxidant herbs, like the Indian gooseberry, that are used to fight degenerative diseases.

Adaptogenic herbs are used to cope with environmental and psychological stress by acting as a biological response modifier. Adaptogens found in herbs like the Indian snakeroot facilitate adrenal functions by supporting the endocrine system. They can energise all major systems and regulate their functions.

Allopathy

Ayurvedic texts include sections on anti-aging. The rasayanas are believed to be restoratives that rejuvenate the cells, thus, helping reverse aging by toning up all the functions of the body and helping the body work effectively and optimally. Traditional medicine would use herbal tonics as a part of a daily health regimen. It would encapsulate all the concepts of detoxification, antioxidants, immuno-modulation and adaptogenicity and focus on development of a specific lifestyle targeted at proper diets and exercise.

The importance of Ayurvedic medicine cannot be over-emphasised in the present-day world. Allopathy is not the be-all in the medical field. What should be kept in mind is that alternative therapies like Ayurveda must be given due recognition for the betterment of human health.

Ayurveda gets gene tech advantage

Ayurveda gets gene tech advantage What happens when a millennia-old medical system meets cutting-edge technology? You get Genoma Ayurveda — which, in layman’s terms, amounts to deciphering the principles of the ancient Indian system of medicine using gene-mapping technology.

Georges St Laurent Jr, founder-director of Celera Genomics and a key participant in the Human Genome Project, is in India these days to sell this embryonic idea. “We are trying to integrate the empirical foundations of ayurveda with the scientific principles of genetics. It will help us specifically pinpoint the ingredient that is responsible for the cure, besides building new potential drug libraries for chronic diseases,” he says.

St Laurent’s team has already held talks with Union minister for science and technology Kapil Sibal, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, besides IIT, Delhi.

And keeping them company are the Kanwars of Apollo Tyres, who have recently forayed into the healthcare business. In their proposed 10-year plan, the Kanwars have envisaged a R&D institution for alternative systems of medicine.

In a proposal to the government, St Laurent has suggested the formation of a nodal agency that will licence out plants for research by pharma companies against royalty. “This will help protect IPRs and prevent controversies like those on neem. Besides, the royalty can be used to give everyone access to such treatment,” he says.

Recognising Ayurveda

Article in The Hindu pointing out that foreigners are still experiencing major problems recognising genuine ayurveda from resort massages or straight quackery and this is undermining its acceptance within medical tourism

more at The Hindu here

Ayurveda drug offers hope for osteo-arthritis

Ayurveda drug offers hope for osteo-arthritis

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Pune, January 31: Decks have been cleared and ethical approvals taken for the final phase of the multi-centric trial to test an ayurvedic drug formulation for the treatment of osteo-arthritis (OA). This unique trial is sponsored by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)s ambitious New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) project.

This purely herbal ayurvedic drug formulation, which does not use metals, is being tested at four places— Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD) Pune, KEM Hospital and Swami Prakash Anand Ayurved Research Centre at Mumbai, Nizamuddin Institute for Medical Sciences (NIMS) Hyderabad and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

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‘‘The CSIR had launched the project that aimed at supporting innovation-centred scientific and technological developments as a vehicle to attain for the country a global leadership position at least in some selected niche areas,’’ says Dr Bhushan Patwardhan, Director, School of Health Sciences, University of Pune and one of the project coordinators.

Ayurveda is one such niche area that needs to be developed in the modern context of evidence based medicinal system, says Dr Arvind Chopra, Director of CRD and one of the principal investigators of the multi-centric trial. The CSIR has allocated Rs 3.5 crore for NMITLI’s ayurveda project.

Wide-ranging and widespread national consultations, followed by stringent and rigorous system of screening, expert evaluation and assessment has identified herbal-based preparations for degenerative metabolic disorders as one of the NMITLI projects. A detailed project on ‘arthritis’ was evolved involving several national institutions and pharma industries.

The project was launched in 2002. A total of 450 patients will be screened. At Pune, some 30 patients with painful knee j"

Elephant experts, mahouts to be honoured .:. NewKerala - India's Top Online Newspaper

Elephant experts, mahouts to be honoured .:. NewKerala - India's Top Online Newspaper: "Elephant experts, mahouts to be honoured
Kochi: Five leading elephant experts and 100 mahouts in Kerala will be honoured for the first time - and the latter will also get free insurance.

Balakrishna Shenoy, vice president of Elephant Care, an NGO, told IANS: 'The function is unique because this is being jointly organised by the Kerala forest department, the Elephant Owners Welfare Association and us.'

The event will take place Saturday.

'For the first time we are giving free insurance cover of Rs.100,000 to 100 mahouts,' Shenoy said.

The experts who will he honoured are Radhakrishna Kaimal, K.C. Panicker, Muraleedharan Nair, Jacob V. Cheeran and Vaidyan Maheswaran Namboodiripadu. All of them will get the title 'Palakappya'.

Palakappya is an ancient sage who wrote the ayurveda text known as 'Hasthi Ayurveda', which literally translates into Ayurveda of Elephants.

Four of the experts are leading veterinarians specialising in elephant care, while Namboodiripadu is an ayurveda expert in treating elephants.

Elephant Care is collating information for a survey of captive elephants in Kerala. Kerala reportedly has more than 700 captive elephants. "