My month long flirtation with Ayurvedic medicine is
coming to an end. I completed a pared
down version of a parchakarma, or cleansing.
I consider my approach a western adaptation of the real thing. With the guidance of the Ayurvedic doctor, I
focused on dietary changes, herbal supplements, and a day spa treatment. The more adventurous parchakarmas might
include bleeding by leeches, purgatives, and enemas. While the path I took may have lacked the
excitement of a good bleeding, it still had its moments. The shirodhara, which involved the slow
sustained pouring of warm oil over my forehead, was soothing and unlike any of
my prior experiences. I feared my
enjoyment of shirodhara would be offset by a raging crop of acne pustules in my
scalp the following week, but fortunately, I was spared this embarrassment.
Is Ayurveda worth the time and money? Yes and no. Perhaps if my dosha (life-force) had been more
out of balance, I would have been more aware of the results. Aside from the utter relaxation I experienced
during my day spa experience, I am unable to appreciate any objective changes
in my overall well-being. I appear to
have survived the daily herbal ingestions despite the real possibility of heavy
metal poisoning. I will not miss my
twice daily doses of the powdered herbs which look and taste like cremation
remains - dearly departed “old aunt Louise” I like to joke. The dietary recommendations which include
increased intake of fruit and veggies, avoiding processed foods, and limiting
caffeine, all make sense for one’s overall health.
While my personal anecdotes are fine, you may be
wondering if there is any proof that Ayurveda is beneficial. To answer this question, I hit the books
(really, the computer because who really uses books for research any
longer?). I found research that shows certain
Ayurvedic herbs can effectively lower both short and long term blood sugars in
diabetics. The use of Diabecon not only
lowered blood sugars, but correspondingly led to increases in circulating insulin. Another study compared Ayurvedic medicine to
methotrexate, a commonly accepted therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis. This was a small study, only
43 patients, but it was double-blinded and placebo-controlled (two critical
components for a well done clinical study), and it showed equivalent benefit
for the patients (J Clin Rheumatology, 2011).
In other work, varieties of the herb boswellia, otherwise known as
frankincense, were found to produce a resin with anti-inflammatory effects in
the lab. Preliminary clinical trial
results suggest it my benefit those with osteoarthritis (classic old age
arthritis). Despite these positive
findings, the majority of research has been inconclusive, and definitive proof
that Ayurveda is beneficial has remained elusive. Proponents of Ayurveda will point out that a
main tenet of Ayurveda is that it focuses on the individual with highly
tailored regimens based on one’s particular needs. Thus, the gold standard of double-blinded,
placebo-controlled experimentation runs contrary to Ayurvedic principles and
might not give accurate results.
Although this argument may have some merit, I find that for a discipline
practiced by a majority of the Indian population for thousands of years, the
proof is not convincing.
In contrast to the lack of proof of benefit, the
potential risk in taking Ayurvedic medicines derived from Indian sources is
very real. An analysis of Ayurvedic
medicines published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2008
found 21% of Ayurvedic medications contained dangerous levels of lead, mercury,
and/or arsenic. A more recent report
from the Center for Disease Control in 2012 described six cases of lead
poisoning in pregnant women in New York City due to ingestion of Ayurvedic
medications originating in India. They found lead concentrations as high as
2.4% of the total medication as well as mercury and arsenic. Needless to say, lead exposure is bad for
both mother and baby. Fetal lead
exposure increases the risk for low birth weight, reduced intelligence, and
behavioral problems. Furtonutley, muy
inteluct wus knot hut.
To sum it up - Ayurveda definitely promotes many
beneficial habits - improved diet, massage, yoga, and relaxation – but, keep an
eye on those herbs. I will try to
continue the diet, perhaps repeat the day spa, and do some more yoga, but I
will leave the herbal ashes for the diehards (no pun intended).
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