Wellness And Medical Therapy Are Converging Globally
The chronic disorders now bigger problem than infectious diseases
Infectious diseases like malaria, HIV, dengue caused millions of deaths in the 1900’s. But this century, chronic disorders or Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are by far the bigger threat. World Health Organization (WHO) points out India’s chronic disease burden already exceeds infectious diseases. By 2020, NCDs like Diabetes, Heart Disease will account for three-fourths of all deaths worldwide.
Drugs & Surgeries falling short for chronic disorders
Infectious diseases were well-tackled by drugs, vaccines & surgeries. And diets, Yoga, exercise were featured for “wellness” magazines, not serious medical journals. But managing chronic disorders with drugs leads to high lifetime cost, many side effects and often encourages more disorders. For example, PCOD (PolyCystic Ovarian Disorder) affects 1 in 4 urban young women in India. It leads to irregular cycles, obesity, infertility, acne, hirsutism and often is a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes, cardiac disorders and increases the risk of ovarian, breast cancers. Standard hormonal medications lead to further problems like weight gain and can worsen the infertility problem. Many gynaecologists now advise patients to go off meds and try diet/ yoga/exercise instead.
Diets & Yoga are replacing Drugs & Surgeries as the new medical therapy
“Uchit aahar, uchit vihar, uchit aushad”, Ayurveda’s ancient good health principle seems written for the 21st century! Scientists are re-discovering how appropriate food (uchit aahar) and appropriate rest + exercise (uchit vihar) need to come before aushad (medicines)!
For example, Dr Yoshinori Ohsumi, won the 2016 Nobel prize for medicine, for demonstrating how fasting regenerates the immune system, reverses some effects of ageing, boosts hormonal balance and much more. Even allopathic doctors are finally recommending different types of diets + exercise or Yoga, instead of drugs, to manage NCDs like Diabetes, PCOD, High BP.
Clinical Yoga Therapy (CYT) as New Medicine
Yoga used to be a ‘feel-good’ regime dominating Wellness media. Now, Yoga has firmly crossed over into medical research and disease management. Leading clinical yoga researchers outside India include Harvard Medical College and Mayo Clinic in the U.S., England’s Cambridge University Hospital, China’s Beijing Hospital and many more.
‘Yoga as Medicine’ in the hands of qualified Yoga therapists in the U.S., is treating arthritis, diabetes, cardiac ailments, clinical depression, hypertension and much more. Even in India, the Clinical Establishments Act of 2010 legally recognized Yoga as an effective system of medical treatment, separate from Allopathy and Ayurveda systems.
At KarmaSpark, our own experience has been very encouraging. PCOD has traditionally been considered ‘incurable’, and women suffer silently for many years. Our CYT programs are reversing PCOD in just 2 to 3 months, which is shockingly fast. Our new best-friends are modern diagnostic tools like x-rays, hormone tests! This help identifies specific problem areas and target therapy for faster effect. This also meant shattering a few myths along the way, like the “weight loss reverses PCOD” myth. Research published by Lady Hardinge Hospital’s gynaecologists showed that 40% of women with PCOD are of normal weight. So we don’t focus on weight-loss. We focus on reversing the PCOD, and as hormones balance out, weight loss follows.
It’s the money, too!
Traditional healthcare systems are a sinking cost burden for governments. The U.S. spends $ 2.3 trillion annually on chronic disease – bigger than the entire Indian economy! Wellness programs when upgraded to medical programs, help reverse many chronic disorders with large cost savings, a very high safety profile and positive patient experience. That’s why 175 U.N. members voted to have an International Day of Yoga, emphasized on the global threat of NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.
People are changing too
People’s attitudes are changing to embrace this convergence of Wellness and Medical Therapy. And a new ecosystem is shaping up to cater to them. Every government hospital has a mandatory Ayurveda & Yoga offering now.
Cure.fit, a leading fitness chain positions itself on total health management and not just being a “work out place”. LeanScience, another medical-wellness startup, offers to reverse obesity, diabetes through scientific diet management with the help of modern diagnostic reports.
At KarmaSpark too, we focus mainly on Clinical Yoga Therapy (CYT).
New-India, led by millennials, have realized that just Wellness does not cure illness- it takes a scientific approach under-qualified practitioners to unleash the power of holistic healing. Here’s to a healthy future for India!
