Yoga and allopathy: Striking the fine balance

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At a time when the Indian Medical Association is at loggerheads with yoga guru Ramdev over his comments on allopathy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on National Doctors Day while lauding the medical fraternity for their supreme sacrifice, urged doctors to take yoga to the global platform through evidence-based studies. PM Narendra Modi said that yoga remains a ray of hope when the whole world is combating the coronavirus disease pandemic and when doctors study Yoga, the entire world takes it more seriously. He asked the doctors if the IMA can take these studies forward in mission mode and if these studies can be published in international journals.

While it is truly necessary to give Yoga, India’s gift to the world, its due and to protect and promote India’s 5,000-year-old Indian body of knowledge, there is no reason why recent remarks from the poster boy of modern Indian yoga, Baba Ramdev should not be condemned, who stirred a controversy claiming he didn’t need Covid-19 vaccine since he had dual protection of yoga and Ayurveda and he has now been pulled up by the Supreme Court for promoting vaccine hesitancy.

Yoga and allopathy are not contenders but complement each other. A superiority debate between the two will only be counter-productive to people’s interest especially at a time when we are dealing with the unprecedented pandemic. On the other hand, promotion of Ayurveda should be based on science and not politics. Evidence-based Ayurvedic philosophy, practices, and treatments will only enrich modern medicine further.

While holistic medicine is being seen as the future of universal healthcare, the two systems should coexist and, if needed, collaborate. One may take over where the other’s scope ends, but what’s more important is that twain should meet to create a fine balance.