Ayurvedic Research Views -- By Prof.Dr.R.R.Deshpande on 31-10-13

About Ayurvedic Research –

By Prof.Dr.R.R.Deshpande

Uploaded on 31-10-13

Teachers Should not be forced to undertake Research Activity of his own

Recently ,I have attended one day workshop on Scientific writing for Research on 22 Oct 13 .Also I am hearing that MUHS is making compulsion on teachers to undertake Research Activities & publish their Research Papers in peer review Journals .Otherwise Teachers will not be eligible for BOS ,Academic boards,Examinership etc etc .During discussion with Teachers & Masters in Research Activities ,I am getting different impressions from different people .

Research masters that means Teachers ,who are fond of Research ,strong liking for Research ,they try to learn about Research Actvities,Scientific writing,publish their papers .These people then become masters of Research ,as compare to Normal Teachers ,who are mainly interested in Self Learning,Teaching,guiding students for better success,doing University work like taking Exams,paper checking,syllabus forming,writing books for students & lay people ,Clinical Teachers are all time engaged in examing & treating patients successfully,keeping record of patients in the hospitals neately,All teachers are also organizing various seminars ,Guest Lectures,Maintaining Dead stock of depts.,Maintenance & new purchase of Instruments,models,charts,Facing different visits of CCIM,AYUSH,MUHS etc,nearly intermittently but for the whole year. Also now in these recent years many teachers are guiding Post Graduate students in their research work,taking PG lectures & discussing various topics of the syllabus .Teachers are doing all these things as per their duties & Interest .In addition those who are interested & time ,they are undertaking small Research projects .This is all ok .

But the problem starts ,when Each Teacher is asked to undertake Research or publish ,without his own interest & mainly without considering Time restraint ,that the Teacher has .

Another problem ,which is more serious that Research Masters ( Research minded Teachers) feel that they are only survivors of Ayurveda .They feel & talk that without Research ,Ayurveda can not progress nevertheless Boat of Ayurveda will sink ,if Ayurvedic college Teachers ,will not do Research or Publish their Research papers.How egoistic this opinion is ?? These thoughts totally wrong .One of the expert says that see ,whether without Petrol can car move ? So research is like petrol .This statement is totally wrong .To drive a car there are so many things are required like Engine in good condition,Accelerator,Breaks,Handle & mainly good driver .In short what I want to say is that ,it is OK ,that Research is one of the important factor in Ayurveda progress & sustenance ,but Research is NOT ONLY THE THING.

We must try to look this matter of Ayurveda progress in a holistic manner.

1) We must try to get Rajashraya or Govertment support to Ayurveda.Ayurveda should get a place in National Health Policies 2) From School level Ayurveda should be introduced to children .Like we have chapters on Invention of Pencillin ,TB bacteria ,Vitamin deficiency diseases,Proteins,Carbohydrates etc .But school going children & even adults do not know about Charak,Sushruta,Ayurvedic Rules of eating,concept of Vata,Pitta & Kapha.

3) Haphazard Research topics of MD students.There is no Data Base of Ayurvedic past researches for Review ( I would like to mention that myself ,Prof.Dr.R.R.Deshpande first time introduced his brain child to MUHS of Ayurvedic Research Data Base (ARDB) .With 1  lakh funding Ayurveda college ,Nigdi ,completed it’s first phase .Data base is or was available on web site – www.ayurvedresearch.in .) But unfortunately then this work got stuck up due to technical reason.If there previous Data Base is not available ,there will be duplication of work & wastage of Time,Money & Energy.

4) In spite of haphazard research ,retrospective Research will be more useful .Successful stories should be collected from renowned practioners & their success stories can be converted into Scientific mode by undertaking Research on their experiences.

5) For Progress of Ayurveda – Teachers,Practioners,Consulting Physicians,Researchers,Stake holders,Technical experts all are needed & everybody is important .So there must be Team work for the progress of science.

6) We must also understand ,even without any Research & scientific paper writing in the fashion that we are enforcing today ,Ayurveda is existing from time Immortal   ( Please do not give me example of Scientific conferences held at the base of Himalaya etc – that everybody knows about research attitude at Samhita period – that can be compared with Teachers discussions amongst themselves or Teacher’s discussion with students ) .Ayurveda is existing & will exist because of it’s – Fundamental principles,Successful treatments,Ayurvea literature Scientific as well as Popular Literature,Ayurveda propogation in Europe,Post graduation Research studies.

7) Post Graduate students have full time Job to think & do Research Activities .Ayurvedic Teachers,yes ,can do something in Research with these Post Graduate students just by guiding them,but not as a separate responsibility

8) We must understand that Research is a full time Activity .Research Activities comes through Curiosity,Clinical Experinences,Doubts & some time as a accidental finding also.

9) Also note that Researcher,Teacher,Practioner,writer everybody has different set of mind ,different life goals,different Life frame work .This is similar to Ayurvedic Prakruti or Biotype concept .Ayurvedic people also can be classified as Teacher Prakruti,Researcher Prakruti,Physician Prakruti,Writer prakruti etc.Physical & Mental Health can be maintained ,if everybody keeps his or her life style as per our prakruti,mentioned as above.

10) How Team work will be more beneficial ,with concern to Research ? – For example in Pune ,when Dr.Jagdish Hiremath ,well-known cardiologist,is doing research Activity ,he has a Team of people of Clinical Research .He just continue his expertise in examining & treating Heart patients & provides his data of observations to his Team to analyse & conclude & guide them for publishing it .Similarly Ayurvedic Physicians will do their job of examination & treating patients .Then group of Research worker ,Technical person make hand in hand with these physicians ,collect data,analyse it,draw conclusions & publish it ,mentioning name of Physician

.11) Tragedy in the sector of Ayurvedic Research – There are National Institutes like CCRAS OR ICMR .They have Team of people ,employed for only doing research as a full time job with good salary .But do we really think that Common Medical Practioner or Ayurveda Teachers or Ayurveda Students from nook & corner of India are getting benefitted by Researches done in these Institutes ?? Whether we get Medicines coming out of Research at the Medical shop near to my clinic ? Whether all publications of CCRAS or ICMR are available at my near Medical Book store ?? Why this can not happen ?? So is this not a big gap in Research Activity & it’s benefit to Ayurved community ??

12) Similarly another Big Gap – There are lot of Successful Ayurveda Vaidyas at nook & corner of India .But as these vaidyas are very busy in their practice & also not interested in ABC of Research – Successful treatments can not get published in Scientific Journals & get recognition Internationally & also can not be benefitted to other practioners,Teachers or students .

Supporting to my article ,I have shared also one PPT show of the same kind .Please enter this link & you will see it

http://www.slideshare.net/rajendra9a/basic-original-thoughts-about-research-by-profdrrrdeshpande

To sum up ,Ayurvedic Research is one of the Good Activity for Scientific progress.But Research is NOT ONLY THE THING ,for Ayurved’s Progress.Ayurvedic College Teachers should not be forced to do Research Activities ( Another than as a Guide to PG student)

Please write me your feed back by commenting on this article,take print out of it ,give publicity to it at your place ,continue discussing contents of this article,mail me on mailme.drrrdeshpande@rediffmail.com or phone me – 922 68 10 630

Kindly note my personal web site – www.ayurvedicfriend.com is under renovation .Open again in couple of months

Thanks.Have a nice Life !! Prof.Dr.R.R.Deshpande