Medical Systems with a Holistic Approach Proceedings of a Seminar-cum-Workshop Organised by Max Mueller Bhavan (Goethe-Institute), New Delhi (December 10-15, 1990) An Old and Rare Book

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Holistic medicine and health care as a whole is relatively a recent trend and it deals with physical, mental and spiritual health of the people. Through this method we can improve the medical and health care of the people, young and old, men and women, rich and poor. The technique used to achieve the above goal would be the ancient and modern methods of medical sciences and also western and eastern tradition and culture. For instance, if a patient gets a chest pain, the practitioner of holistic medicine would certainly get some tests done such as X-Ray, E.C.G. etc. and then make a therapeutic approach which may include meditation or relaxation techniques to reduce stress and also to lower his blood pressure.

Further, holistic approach to medical and health care will have to be planned depending upon the cultural background, the family tradition and the community interest. For example in some cultures, one will have to provide the treatment through indigenous medical practitioners, whereas others may like to have the services of modern medical experts along with availability of laboratory and radiological services. All these services ultimately should lead to the promotion of positive health, no matter what method and type of health care that has been adopted to a given person.

Thus it should be the responsibility of each individual for promoting his or her own health and to develop full confidence that he will promote his health to the best of his ability. This can be achieved by many ways, but these days one can adopt various non-medical measures such as yogic practices, meditation, biofeedback, autogenous training etc. to acquire good health.

Each person has aspiration for living a long, healthy, wealthy, dutiful and honourable life. Among them health is the most fundamental, as it forms the basis for the achievement of the other goals. "Dharmartha kamamokshanam arogyam moolamuttamam

Medical Science is not only the science to cure the disease, it is a science of life. It deals with the causes, clinical features, and therapeutics of both healthy as well as diseased persons.

World Health Organization (WHO), with its primary responsibility to maintain the international health, put a target to provide a healthy life for all citizens of the world by A.D. 2000. Later on, it was realized that this goal cannot be achieved only by allopathic system of medicine hence they looked for the alternative systems of medicine, the traditional medicine of different regions of the world.

Traditional medicine is usually considered to be related to the ancient culture-bound health practices, but WHO defines it as the "sum total of all knowledge and practice, whether applicable or not, used in diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physical, mental or social imbalance and relying exclusively on practical experiences and observations from traditional practitioners". It has intrinsic utility and is being practised in various forms for thousands of years. It has gained the confidence of people.

Keeping in view the world-wide increasing interest in the alternative ways of health-care, Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, an Indo- German Cultural Centre, organized a seminar-cum-workshop on "Medical Systems with a Holistic Approach" from December 10 to December 15, 1990 at New Delhi, with the aim to focus on the holistic approaches of the six systems of traditional medicine: Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homoeopathy, Tibetan, and Chinese.

This effort has outlined the holistic concepts and highlighted the similarities and differences in these system. The deliberations have laid the foundation of a new system of medicine known as Holistic Medicine which might be more acceptable and not restricted to geographical boundaries.

We are aware that opposed to the holistic medicine is analytical medicine, which developed with the growth of modern sciences. Thus, ail the progress of the modern medicine is based on the scientific developments and the observations and the discoveries, made earlier than the scientific age are the part of holistic approach including holistic medicine. Therefore, all the prior systems of medicine, collectively known as "Traditional system of medicine" by W.H.O., are likely to have holistic approach and these can be collectively called "holistic systems of medicine".

Among the traditional systems of medicine Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan system of medicine have strong hold not only in their respective countries but throughout the world. Homoeopathic system of medicine was developed in the scientific age by Dr. Hahnemann in the eighteenth century who himself was a modern medical doctor. Thus, it appears to be antithesis of modern medicine. Hence, just like other traditional systems of medicine, it contains strong holistic approach.

If we look to the antiquity, Ayurveda and Chinese systems of medicine appear to be the oldest and these have developed almost like contemporary systems. Of course several ideas and views are common among them. It is an established fact that Vedas are the first record of the knowledge in the world and a lot of source materials of Ayurveda are deeply rooted in the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. Thus, Ayurveda appears to be anterior to all systems of traditional medicine. The beginning of Ayurveda is logically established to be sequential to the beginning of life itself. A major description lies in the Atharvaveda which is one of the four Vedas. Later on Ayurveda was developed as an independent branch of knowledge and was qualified as upaveda.

Philosophically, the creation of the universe is attributed to Brahma. Among the six systems in Indian philosophy the approach of Adwait Darshana (monism) is supposed to be supreme. Literally, it indicates the existence of a singular matter/energy which has proliferated in plurality.