Observations in outcomes research on integrative medicine

Dr. G. Geetha Krishnan

Integrating Ayurveda in a modern medical therapeutic setting is beneficial, as evident from the outcomes data of seven years of integrative medicine practice and research at Medanta - the Medicity hospital, a large tertiary medical care facility in India. Integrative medicine followed here involves judicious inclusion of Ayurveda (medicine, procedures, life conduct, diet, Yoga and Panchakarma) to support the unmet clinical care need of a patient in tertiary care allopathic hospital. Thus, integrative medicine in its greater magnitude is a decision-making process, of deciding when, where, which, how and what to be brought together from different systems of medicine for the benefit of the patient.

There are few diseases which have excellent or better clinical outcomes, when Ayurveda is used as the primary intervention, such as early osteoarthritis, low back pain, migraine, melasma, GERD, constipation, IBS, insomnia, etc to name a few. There are others when Ayurveda addition (to allopatic intervention) could bring incremental benefit to the patient, such as early atherosclerosis, brain stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cancer care, post-surgical neuralgia, certain resistant viral infections, brain injury related minimally conscious states, vascular complications of diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes etc to name a few other. This presentation aims to highlight clinical areas worthwhile to be considered by medical providers, which Medanta data confirms to be useful to patients, when administered in an integrated fashion.