Ayurveda is one of the most ancient medical systems where the concept of specialization originated - be it in surgery, internal medicine or psychiatry; they all evolved in Ayurveda before anywhere else in the world. This system, also called the mother of medicine, focuses not only on eliminating the disease but on providing a holistic cure of the patient, propounding his total well-being. It considers the human body as a miniature cosmos and yearns to help strike a balance between the various forces, both outside and within the body. This book attempts to break the myth that Ayurveda at best is a supplementary or an alternate medicine and avers that it indeed is the ultimate in medicine.

The knowledge of Ayurveda is compared to an ocean. Just as the ocean allows rivers and streams to flow into it and enriches itself, similarly, Ayurveda welcomes all other sources of medicine to enrich and enlarge its own scope. Sophisticated and specialized scientific and technical methods can be easily and smoothly integrated into the basic principles of Ayurveda. Just as the ocean does not lose its individuality when it assimilates, similarly, the intrinsic quality of Ayurvedic aphorism (sutras) is not siturbd in any way when modern methods are added; on the contrary, the Ayurvedic system of medicine gets strengthened by this fusion of ideas.

About the Author:

Dr. S.C. Sharma is a senior Ayurveda practitioner who has devoted over four decades in practicing, researching and studying this science. He has held senior positions in various government organizations - Deputy Adviser, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; senior Ayurveda expert, CSIR; member, Scientific Advisory Committee, Gujarat Ayurveda University and secretary-cum-registrar, CCIM, New Delhi. His articles and research papers have been published in renowned journals and magazines. Currently, he is a consultant to leading organizations.

CONTENTS