Dr Janardhana V Hebbar, is an Ayurvedic practitioner and an active expert on CureJoy’s esteemed Experts panel. He has authored many books on Ayurveda and also co-authored books on Ayurvedic mineralogy.
One of the brightest, young Ayurvedic practitioners of our time, Dr. Hebbar believes in spreading awareness of the ancient science of Ayurveda, through social media, and his engaging and informative blogs. We caught up with Dr. Hebbar in between his consulting sessions, and came out enriched with more insights into this mystical and profound science.
Q: Ayurveda has been around for a very long time. What factors contributed for its earlier ignorance and its current worldwide acceptance?
Ayurveda flourished in India around 2500 years ago. It maintained its fame till 18th century. But in later decades, due to continuous foreign invasions, lack of infrastructure for research and scientific experiments, it (kind of) lost its lustre. Now, thanks to the information age and technological advances, Ayurveda is being accepted worldwide. Much of Ayurveda’s success in recent decades is contributed to the establishment of systemic Ayurvedic education systems in India and abroad. This has helped generate trained Ayurveda professionals with scientific reasoning and thinking. These professionals re-visited the ancient truths of Ayurveda, and have started implementing those truths in treatment, using ancient techniques as well as modern diagnostic tools.
Q: Ayurveda is looked at as an “alternative” medical science today. Do you feel the proliferation of Allopathy has resulted in Ayurveda not getting its rightful due?
I think, we, the Ayurvedic professionals, should not worry much about the ‘alternative’ tag. All that we have to concentrate is, – ‘How can we take the science to the next level? How can we take Ayurveda to more and more people? How to make people understand ancient Sanskrit Ayurvedic verses in simple English language? How can we incorporate best of other medical sciences into the Ayurvedic system of healing?’
The problem with Ayurveda is not related with proliferation of Allopathy. Success of a medical science is judged by how it is useful to large masses. If Allopathy has flourished, it is only because more and more people enjoyed its benefits.
Many people see the topic of Ayurveda Vs Allopathy similar to Apple Vs Samsung war. It is actually not. Flourishing of one science does not necessarily destroy the other. It is more like soccer and cricket. There are people who prefer one to the other. Both the sciences can flourish and can help in the common goal of improving the health of all.
In fact, it is the right time to think how both the sciences (Ayurveda and Allopathy) can collaborate with each other to come up with comprehensive treatment solutions.
Q: Is Ayurveda focused on treatment or prevention? Can Ayurveda be imbibed as an integral part of everyday life?
Ayurveda gives due importance to both the aspects. It aims towards:
- Treating the disease of diseased.
- Preventing the disease by advising healthy lifestyle.
- Rejuvenation and aphrodisiac therapy to improve the quality of life.
- Holistic therapy to attend to mental and spiritual aspects of health.
Ayurveda can be (and should be) imbibed as integral part of everyday life. In fact, many of the important lifestyle advices such as:
- Waking up early in the morning,
- Wrong food combinations and how to get over them,
- Importance of drinking water while taking food, rather than before / after,
- Importance of day sleep during summer, in children and aged people,
- Importance of proper sleep at night,
- Importance of spiritual practices and positive attitude,
- Importance of oil pulling, regular oil massage etc., were introduced to the world, for the first time, by Ayurveda.
Q. Is there any correlation between Yoga and Ayurveda and can these two sciences coexist in treating diseases or imbalances?
The purpose of Yoga and Ayurveda is one and the same – to attain Salvation (Moksha). Yoga advices controlling mind, and taking mind to the supreme levels, as the means to attain Moksha. Ayurveda advices having good health, following the path of righteousness (Dharma), and using longevity for good deeds and spiritual practices, to attain Moksha.
From a medical point of view, today, Ayurveda and Yoga form a perfect blend for patients to follow. Yoga and Ayurveda cross each other’s paths in many ways.
For example: Yoga helps in strong control over mind, which is very essential to follow strict diet regimens that Ayurveda advices in many diseases (such as diabetes, asthma etc). And Ayurveda explains the importance of Satvic diet (ghee, rice etc), which helps in better control of mind, which is very helpful in Yoga practices.
Combining Yoga and Ayurvedic treatments are immensely helpful in treating diseases.
For example, Pranayama coupled with selected Ayurvedic medicines, are very useful in treating premature ejaculation, depression, Asthma, Rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Both the sciences have the same philosophy and principles when it comes to Brahmacharya (celibacy), Righteous lifestyle, Satvic thinking, etc.
Q: Are there specific diseases or medical conditions, like surgery, where Ayurvedic treatment is limited?
Every medical science has many areas where its efficacy is limited. It is true for Allopathy, Yoga, Naturopathy, Reiki, Homoeopathy, Chinese medicine and also for Ayurveda.
A few examples of diseases where Ayurvedic treatment options are limited are –
Advanced stages of cancer, advanced stages of infection, structural deformities which can only be treated with surgery, etc.
Q: Ayurveda is seeing a kind of a resurgence of sorts. What would you like to tell our readers that will help them understand why Ayurveda could be the medical science of the future?
- There is no better medical science than Ayurveda, which strongly believes in natural ways of healing ailments.
- There are many diseases where Ayurveda holds biggest hopes, when compared to other medical sciences – like rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disorders, lifestyle disorders like diabetes, stress, obesity and so on.
- Compared to other medical sciences, the side effects observed with Ayurvedic medicines are very minimal (There are a few exceptions to this statement).
- If you are looking beyond curing a disease, if you are seeking a holistic approach towards your health, considering spiritual, mental and social aspects, along with physical aspects, welcome to Ayurveda!
