geared to helping one release physical and emo-
tional tension with activity such as crying, shout-
ing, on punching pillows. Training sessions, private
or in small groups, last an hour and continue for
eight to 10 weeks. It has been reported that during
the training some people experience an “autogenic
discharge,” a temporary exacerbation of symptoms,
which is considered part of the healing process.
Autogenic training has been tested in several
clinical experiments and is said to be beneficial for
ailments that include anxiety and panic disorder,
hypertension, and other stress-related problems.
Ayurveda Named from the Sanskrit word mean-
ing “knowledge of life,” a set of principles for
healing based on the idea that three main types of
energy form everything in the universe, including
the human body, and as the rudiments of life itself
must be considered in the cycle of growth, main-
tenance, and deterioration. Ayurveda, most com-
monly defined as the practice of ancient Hindu or
Indian medicine, originates with the Vedas, the
earliest Indian literature, dating from ca. 1500 B.C.
In the Vedas are intricately described medical dis-
orders and corresponding treatments, most of
which are herbal but may also include simple sur-
gical procedures. It is said that Vedic physicians
invented prostheses—artificial limbs and eyes. By
ca. 800 B.C., the Brahmans, the highest social
caste, designated for the wisest persons, devel-
oped Ayurvedic practices and surgery, and by A.D.
500, Ayurveda evolved into a scientific system
that included the herbal treatments.
Ayurveda has recently become the subject of
studies conducted by its researchers and practition-
ers and collaboratively by those involved in tradi-
tional Western medicine.
The largest and most authentic resource of
information on Ayurveda in America was estab-
lished as the National Institute of Ayurvedic Med-
icine (NIAM) by the American physician Scott
Gerson, in 1982. Gerson is reported to be the only
physician in the United States who holds degrees
in both traditional Western medicine and
Ayurveda. NIAM is currently conducting research
in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute
in Bethesda, Maryland; the Central Council for
Research in Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine in
New Delhi, India; the Mount Sinai School of Med-
icine in New York; and the Richard and Hinda
Rosenthal Center for Alternative and Complemen-
tary Medicine at Columbia University in New York
City. Projects with the National Cancer Institute
include an evaluation of antitumor effects of Semi-
carpus anacardium (an Ayurvedic phytomedicine,
or plant extract). Initial reports over the last three
years indicate that the growth of certain malig-
nancies is thwarted by semicarpus. Further study
seeks to determine whether semicarpus or other
Ayurvedic medicine has the direct ability to kill
cancer cells.
Asthma, immune diseases, and various diseases
and conditions that affect women are the subjects
of additional studies. A randomized, controlled
cross-over-type study of an herbal-yoga treatment
regimen to treat asthma is under way at the Cen-
tral Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha
Medicine, and Ayurvedic herbal treatments for per-
imenopausal symptoms, premenstrual syndrome,
and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) are
being researched at the Rosenthal Center.
Ayurvedic herbal protocols are also under investi-
gation for the treatment of hypertension, genital
herpes, depression, adult-onset diabetes, obesity,
uterine fibroid tumors, acne, irritable bowel syn-
drome, chronic constipation, and chronic fatigue
syndrome. The effect of aromatherapy and medita-
tion on brain wave patterns is being studied
through the use of electroencephalography (EEG).
In addition, NIAM has nearly completed a four-
year study to evaluate the effects of Panchakarma
Therapies on the human immune system, and
according to the NIAM website, updated 2/12/03,
results are expected to be reported soon. See current
research, http://niam.com/corp-web/current.htm.
Selected reading for additional information
Lad, Dr. Vasant, Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing. Twin
Lakes, Wisc.: Lotus Press, 1984.
Rakel, David, M.D., Intergrative Medicine. New York:W.B.
Saunders, 2003.
Sodhi, V., “Ayurveda: The Science of Life and Mother of
the Healing Arts,” in A Textbook of Natural Medicine,
edited by J. E. Pizzorno and M. T. Murry. John
Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Wash., 1989.
Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha, The Ayurveda Encyclopedia.
Bayville, N.Y.: Ayurveda Holistic Center Press, 1998.
Trivieri, Larry, The American Holistic Medical Association
Guide to Holistic Health. New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 2001.Ayurveda 13