yurvedic Medicine, or Ayurveda, is a medical system that originated in India and has evolved over thousands of years. Ayurvedic practices predate written records and were passed on by word-of-mouth. Today Ayurveda is considered a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with the aim of integrating and balancing the body, mind and spirit as a means of preventing illness and promoting wellness.
While historical and anecdotal information about CAM and Ayurvedic medicine is abundant, there is also a growing body of Western research about various CAM practices. But it is important to thoroughly discuss and coordinate Ayurvedic practices with your traditional healthcare provider—especially so for pregnant or nursing women and before using with it children. Your primary care physician should act as “head coach” as you integrate traditional and CAM products and procedures into your health care regime. As a physician, I wouldn’t want my patients to be replacing proven healthcare methods, with unproven ones. That said, there is some interesting research being conducted on CAM practices and procedures in the U.S.
CAM Research Programs
The National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has added four new Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CERCs) for a total of eleven U.S. centers. Researchers across a variety of disciplines apply cutting-edge technology to CAM projects.
Wisconsin Center for the Neuroscience and Psychophysiology of Meditation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Dr. Richard J. Davidson, PhD and his team will examine the impact of two forms of meditation on the body and the brain:
1. loving-kindness/compassion meditation and mindfulness meditation
2. focusing on the regulation of emotion and on emotional reactivity
University of California, San Francisco
Frederick M. Hecht, MD will lead a team to study a program combining mindfulness meditation, mindful eating (the practice of awareness and attentiveness in the present moment while eating), and a diet and exercise program, for use in obesity and metabolic syndromes.
Montana State University, Bozeman
Principal Investigator Mark A. Jutila, PhD will lead studies about biologically based CAM therapies and their effects on immune system function in infectious and inflammatory diseases.
- One project focuses on effects of botanical extracts on white blood cells, using models of infection and inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Researchers are using apple polyphenols concentrated in apple skins, and yamoa, which comes from the bark of an African gum tree in their studies.
- A second project examines two compounds in licorice root—glycyrrhizin and 18-glyrrhetinic acid—for their potential antiviral effects in models of influenza and stomach virus.
- A third project will focus on bacterial products to see how they treat autoimmune diseases, like arthritis, which may also help build understanding of probiotics' action.
Center for Herbal Research, University of Chicago
Principal Investigator, Chun-Su Yuan, MD, PhD and his colleagues will examine the anti-tumor effects of different preparations of the herbs American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). They seek data on how these herbs act upon cellular and molecular pathways of the mechanisms of cancer inhibition.
Current Research Results
Ginko Biloba Study
Some of the latest research has failed to show the benefits of various CAM practices. The dietary supplement Ginkgo Biloba, one of the top 10 natural products used by Americans, was found to be ineffective in reducing the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older people, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The trial known as the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study, at four clinical sites over the course of 8 years with 3,069 participants, is the largest clinical trial ever to evaluate ginkgo's effect on dementia.
The GEM study did not find significant adverse effects from ginkgo. Other data from this study will analyze ginkgo's possible effects on cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression and other age-related conditions.
Vitamin E and Selenium Study
An initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) involving 35,000 men, shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer. Sub-studies from this SELECT data will evaluate the effects of selenium and vitamin E on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the development of Alzheimer's disease, and the development of macular degeneration and cataracts.
Ayurvedic Products and Supplements
Ayurvedic medicine involves using products such as spices, herbs, vitamins, proteins, minerals, and metals (e.g., mercury, lead, iron, zinc). Some preparations combine herbs with minerals and metals. These products are commonly sold on the Internet or in stores and are represented as "Indian" or "South Asian." Ayurvedic products for drug uses or as dietary supplements are generally not reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Concerns About Heavy Metals
A study published in the August 27, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), demonstrated that one-fifth of U.S.-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic products bought on the Internet contained detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic.
