Integrating Ayurveda and Modern Medicine - Part 1
A Wholesome How-To in Healing and Health Science
*This post is part 1 of a 4-part series: You can review Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4!
Originating in India sometime more than 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda is the world’s oldest living whole system of medicine. And for those who practice it, it is more than a system of medicine; it is a way of life that supports harmony of body, mind, and spirit. The principles of Ayurveda are grounded in the core concept that health is a dynamic, living balance between our internal and external environments. This traditional, yet ahead-of-its-time system emphasizes the importance of routine, wholesome nutrition, mindful movement, meditative practice, and nature-based medicine. When practiced authentically, Ayurvedic treatment is custom-tailored to each individual’s unique constitution and health concerns.
Allopathic medicine, commonly referred to as modern medicine or Western medicine, developed in the context of 19th and 20th century industrial and scientific advancement. Allopathy has seen significant advancements over the past century. Though the origins of allopathic medicine reach back as far as ancient Greek medicine (which itself was heavily inspired by Ayurveda), today, it is a modality with a different emphasis. Grounded in empirical research, Western medicine excels in diagnosing and treating acute conditions, preventing and curing a host of infectious diseases, and handling highly acute emergencies. Allopathic medicine leans heavily on synthetic pharmaceuticals, surgical interventions, and numeric evidence-based protocols.
By and large, these systems operate in isolation from one another in the present day. I reflect often on the limitations of this isolation - one of the many consequences of this is that the strengths of these approaches are unable to complement each other. The rise of chronic lifestyle and environmental disease - and frankly, the complexity of human health - call for a more integrative approach, in my view: an approach that blends the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with the scientific rigor of key allopathic tools. This convergence is, ideally, the essence of integrative medicine: the art of holistic, patient-centered care.
Integrative Medicine: Bridging the Gap
Integrative medicine is a holistic approach to healthcare that takes the best of Western medicine and blends it with great emphasis on holistic arts and therapies. Depending on the practitioner, these holistic arts and therapies could include Ayurveda, but may instead or also include acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic care, biofeedback, hypnosis, and more. Integrative medicine blends mind/body, hands-on, supplemental, and herbal therapies (both evidence-based and tradition-based) into our modern framework. The core principles of integrative medicine include:
Patient-Centered Care: Focusing on caring for the whole person, not just the disease or symptoms.
Personalized Care Plans: Tailoring therapies to meet the individual needs and preferences of each patient.
Prevention and Wellness: Emphasizing the importance of preventive measures and healthy lifestyle choices to avoid illness and disease wherever possible.
Collaborative Care: Encouraging cooperation among healthcare providers from different disciplines and with different strengths to ensure comprehensive care. And perhaps more importantly, encouraging the patient’s active involvement in their care, and facilitating patient autonomy and self-advocacy.
Dr. Matt
Becoming board-certified by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) was, therefore, a step I viewed as key in my career as an Ayurvedic Physician, particularly since I am a physician with western credentials practicing in the modern day USA. The integrative medicine education process - which, for me, included a fellowship with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and a rigorous board exam - was very instructive. This process provided me with a lot of practical insights into the way our American healthcare system works now and ways it can work better.
As a board-certified physician, I faithfully maintain the discipline’s commitment to offering personalized treatment that addresses the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. This is also, in part, what drew me to study Ayurveda beginning so many years ago.
Patient-Centered Care
One of the most transformative aspects of integrative medicine - relative to our modern framework - is its focus on treating the whole person. To treat the whole person, it is essential to see beyond the diagnosis and to understand the intricate tapestry of the patient’s life - their emotions, beliefs, experiences, and so much more. By addressing equally to the other essential aspects of care (like diagnoses, care preferences, and so on), avenues open not only to symptom management, but also to promoting true healing.
Personalized Care Plans
Personalized care plans are the very heart of my approach to medicine. As an Ayurvedic Physician, I recognize that each patient is wholly unique. By tailoring therapies to meet each person’s specific medical and lifestyle needs, we create a more effective and meaningful healing experience together, as a cohesive physician-patient team. This sometimes means combining conventional treatments with Ayurvedic practices such as herbal remedies, dietary adjustments, and lifestyle modifications. It often means reducing and/or de-prescribing medications. It also often means offering care options that a strictly allopathic physician team may not have considered.
Prevention and Wellness
Preventive and wellness-focused care are a cornerstone of integrative medicine. This nicely echoes the ancient Ayurvedic principle that it is better, when possible, to prevent disease than to have disease to cure. We are great advocates for prevention at The Buddha’s Medicine. Our care plans emphasize the importance of daily practices that promote long-term health and prevent illness. This includes education on the benefits of a balanced individualized nutrition plan, regular mindful movement, stress management techniques and mind/body care, and adequate sleep, among other key domains. Ayurveda offers a rich tapestry of preventive measures, such as seasonal care, daily routine (dinacharya), and personalized dietary plans that align with one's constitution (sometimes referred to as prakriti or dosha). We integrate these practices with modern preventive strategies, as well as curative care. The goal is to empower patients to take an active role in their health, fostering a lifestyle that supports lasting wellness and vitality.
Collaborative Care
Effective integrative medicine becomes even more effective where there is thoughtful collaboration between a patient and all of their practitioners. Interdisciplinary teamwork ensures that patients receive the most appropriate and effective treatments from all sides. Open communication and mutual respect between practitioners and patients is essential to creating a unified treatment plan that addresses the patient's unique needs.
Ultimately, as we continue to explore and expand the horizons of integrative medicine, there is much to gain from the wisdom of the past as well as the innovations of the present. Through integration, we can foster a brighter, healthier future for all. More to come in Part II - stay tuned for that!
And as always, if you are curious about your constitution & health (or health of a loved one), you can book a cost-free, 15min Consultation, and we’ll discuss!
Professional disclaimer: please do not initiate any herbal or other medicinal interventions without the guidance of a knowledgeable provider.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
