| 张曦娜 新加坡联合早报 2007-8-5 19:30:14 | |||||
| 印度医学界多年来一直致力于研究古印度阿育吠陀的草本知识，并以现代科学的方法研制出安全、有效的天然草本保健品。这些产品也与印度文化一同逐渐风行世界各地。 | |||||
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治疗也保健
密特拉医生说：“阿育吠陀医学有两大功能，它不单是一门治病的知识，同时还是一种教导人们如何生活，如何保持健康的学问。人们身体状况正常，健康没出现问题时，阿育吠陀医学可作为保健养生的知识，生病了则可用以治疗疾病。” 由于印度政府对于阿育吠陀医学相当重视，因此在印度的卫生保健事业上，阿育吠陀医学一直发挥着重要的作用。在当今的印度，要成为一名具有执业资格的阿育吠陀医学的医生都需要经过多年的专业培训。
酒店提供阿育吠陀服务
密特拉医生说，近年来阿育吠陀传到欧美，影响力不小，尤其是在美国颇为盛行，一些名人如麦当娜、好莱坞影星黛米摩尔（Demi Moore）等都将阿育吠陀视为养生保健的方式。 阿育吠陀目前已逐渐演变成一种治疗方法，称为Ayurvedic medicine，被欧美人士视为现代医学的一种替代（alternative）疗法，一些患上慢性病的人在治疗长期病痛时，并不选择看西医，而选择像阿育吠陀这样的替代医疗方式来调养身体。 在目前的印度，还有不少高级度假酒店提供西方人全套的阿育吠陀疗程。若上网搜寻“Ayurveda”，可看到各种营利或非营利的相关机构的网址。
发展成时髦生活方式
目前也有一些著名的护肤品品牌推出Ayurveda产品系列 ，号称以阿育吠陀医学的原理开创护肤品。同时，Ayurveda在欧美并已悄悄发展成一种“生活方式”，在一些时髦城市悄然兴起。 此外，阿育吠陀医学的草本自然疗法近来常被一些号称回归自然的Spa中心采用，发展出以草药按摩的阿育吠陀按摩（Ayurvedic Massage），甚至连一些纤体中心与瘦身产品也声称取法阿育吠陀医学的治疗原理。
密特拉医生说，阿育吠陀讲求的是整体医疗，它的医疗宗旨是全方位的。阿育吠陀疗法将身、心、灵视为一个整体，它教导人们与自然界和谐共存，从而达到肉体、心灵和情绪上的健康。
阿育吠陀的功能也即改变人们对生活与生命的态度，以改正身体不平衡的状态。 阿育吠陀的原理是：造成人们生病的原因是由于体内三大生命能量（称为“doshas”）失去平衡造成的。人体中的三大能量分别是瓦塔（Vata）、皮塔（Pitta）和卡法（Kapha）。 阿育吠陀医学认为，自然界和人体由以太、空气、火、水、土五种元素构成。人体内的三大能量也是由这五种元素构成：以太和空气结合形成瓦塔（Vata），火和水结合形成皮塔（Pitta），水和土结合形成卡法（Kapha）；一旦这三大生命能量太多或是不足够都会使到人们生病。 阿育吠陀认为，身体的不平衡是由于不适当的饮食习惯和不正确的生活方式，以及外伤、病毒等因素引起的。在这些因素中，有些因素是自己无法控制的，但是，生活方式和饮食却是自己可以控制的。 阿育吠陀医生在诊疗时，会以询问的方式，先了解病患的饮食习惯、对压力的感受、睡眠模式等；再从观察中来做出结论，包括观察舌头、眼睛、皮肤和行为举止，听患者的声音，一旦被医生诊断出体内不平衡，那么他们会建议病人改变生活模式和饮食习惯，以及使用草药或按摩。
天然草药是自古以来人类用来医疗各种疾病的主要材料，在中国，很早以前就有由战国及秦汉医药学家搜集整理成书的《神农本草》，而作为古文明发源地之一的印度，也是世界上最早使用药草植物的国家之一，阿育吠陀和中国药草学有异曲同工之妙，不但都强调追求身心和精神上的健康来达到预防疾病的目的，同时也都广泛的应用草本植物。 当前些年SARS在新加坡肆虐之际，市井中辗转相传，一些印度传统草药和香料如郁金（Turmeric，又称姜黄）、罗勒（Sweet Basil，又称九层塔）、印度楝树（Neem Tree）具有杀菌、治疗发烧和咳嗽的功能，小印度一些香料店的传统草药也因而在那段时间销量增加。 阿育吠陀医学认为，当身体的平衡受到扰乱时，将食物和草药正确地配合起来使用，可使身体达到适当的平衡。 事实上，为了改善体质，延长寿命，自上世纪90年代以来，服用由天然草药制成的保健品已成为许多现代人的新时尚。 在谈到草本的药物时，密特拉医生说，印度医学界多年来一直致力于参考、研究古印度阿育吠陀的草本知识，并以现代科学的方法研制出安全、有效的天然草本保健品，这些产品具有治疗及保健功用，不仅在印度本土广为使用，有一些也已渐渐在各地风行。 Additional News: Ayurveda getting popular among West Asians The West Asian countries have large populations of Indian origin, who have a decisive role in shaping the market trend there, which is not the case with Western countries. More over, unlike Western countries, the Indians in West Asia are able to retain their basic traits of Indian culture and life style. These unique aspects have made it more feasible for Ayurvedic medicines and therapies to operate in West Asian markets. But the situation has changed in the recent past. Market reports collected by the industry from franchisee treatment centres in some of the countries shows that the number of natives taking Ayurvedic therapies under the care of qualified and registered Ayurvedic physicians is on the increase in the past four years of their operation. The Indian Ayurveda pharmaceutical players are slowly expanding their presence in the West Asian market by incorporating appropriate changes in the living and treatment environment as well as in the details of treatment modality, to ensure the efficacy of treatment and comfort of the patient. The Ayurvedic procedures, even though written with the ancient Indian population as the focus, has retained its essential capabilities by withstanding the pressures of changing times in the past several centuries, proving its ability to meet the health needs of universal man, reasons an Ayurvedic expert from the industry. Some of these nations have started looking at the possibility of according approval for the use of selected herbal medicaments, if approached formally with all the necessary documents and scientific data. There are two operating methods. A qualified Ayurvedic physician can register himself with the Medical Council of the Country. The applicant should have to pass an examination conducted by the Council. A registered physician can run a clinic where medicines can be dispensed and therapies provided to the patients and can import and stock necessary medicines for the purpose, both for internal and external administration. Entrepreneurs can run the Ayurveda pharmacies after obtaining permission from local authorities and according to policy, the medicines being imported for stocking and selling should be registered (site registration) with the Health Ministry in the concerned nation. According to the law, detailed information should be submitted to the Ministry in Standard Formats pertaining to the Manufacturer's drug manufacturing license, GMP certificate, ingredient details, dosage factor, material safety data sheet, etc., for each product. The growing presence of Ayurveda system of medicine in these countries also have an influence the operations of the firm in India, maintains reports from Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, one of the major Ayurveda treatment and drug manufacturing firm in India. According to the company reports, out of about 3500 patients coming to Kottakkal in a year, for treatment from its hospital, about 40 per cent are from abroad. Out of this about 30 per cent is from West Asian countries. Each of them normally has to stay in the hospital as an in-patient for a period of 21 or 28 days. The sources from the company inform that the number of patients from West Asia is on a rise. Speaking about the current trends and future of Ayurveda industry in the strictly regulated West Asian countries, Dr T S Muraleedharan, Chief of R&D, Arya Vaidya Sala said, "If the protagonists of Ayurveda want to receive global recognition for Ayurvedic medicines and therapies and also if patients in every nation of the world should have access to Ayurvedic medicines and therapies, then there is no alternative but for them to acquire competitiveness. This will involve revitalisation in every aspect of Ayurvedic operations, keeping the essence of its science and practice pristine and unadulterated." |
