There is a typical arrogance generated in some academic institutions who believe their way is the best way, they are always right and their way is the only way. This blinkered vision often applies to the world of medicine. It is through this limited ideology and approach that we the people of the world miss out on the potential to develop, expand and share knowledge for the benefit of mankind and our Universe as a whole.
I raise this issue because I am totally disappointed with the recent BBC 2 TV programme called Professor Regan's Medicine Cabinet. No doubt a distinguished scholar, Professor Regan applied a typically narrow-minded opinionated perspective on the power of herbal medicine and homeopathy. Her view was further entrenched by so-called experts the programme makers had chosen to support Professor Regan's restricted outlook.
The scientific dependence on empirical evidence can often be taken to such an extreme it becomes detrimental to the potential for new discoveries, ideas and the welfare of humanity. (When you have studied a small area in great depth it is easy to understand why you might think you know a lot because you do. Even with this weight of knowledge you do not know it all.)
To dismiss homeopathy outright is insulting to all the hundreds of thousands of people it has helped. To say it is nothing but placebo because its efficacy can not be measured by today's technology and evidence based research is total nonsense.
I remember meeting a very clever Astrophysicist from London University whose research showed that water has a "memory" and was working on the mathematical model to illustrate the finite extent of this memory.
I was slightly relieved that Professor Regan did acknowledge the power of some herbal medicines.
Ayurvedic Practitioner Sebastian Pole explains the problem of evidence based medicine elegantly in his book "Ayurvedic Medicine - The Principles of Traditional Practice: "...Evidence based medicine requires ethically dubious double blind trials and animal experiments with a heavy dependence on single active ingredients, synthesised medicines, separate chemical pathways and a reductionist methodology that has lost the holistic view. "
Herbal medicine, in particular often uses the whole plant or part of a plant as it is found in nature. This is because the whole plant contains a complex mix of active ingredients which work together in a particular way which is beneficial. Simply by isolating one component does not give you the whole picture of how this plant might work within your body. It is the sum of the ingredients that is perhaps more important than the individual constituents - the big picture.
Based on Professor Regan's outlook, why should we bother eating fresh foods when we can get all the scientifically proved active ingredients - we might as well rely on synthetically produced or isolated compounds altogether!
For hundreds of years all cultures across the world have learnt to use native plants for healing. It is easy to forget many of our modern medicines come from these traditions and practices and many new and exciting drugs are emerging from Nature.
Ayurveda has got a wealth of knowledge to share and boasts a growing pharmacopoeia of well over 100,000 herbs. The drug companies have tried to patent many formulas - even Turmeric - the cooking spice which has numerous positive health benefits. Thankfully a lot of this traditional knowledge and formulas can not be patented and will remain available to all.
Ayurveda has it all. It really is a complete system of healing based on science, surgery, medicine, and so much more. It is constantly evolving and growing. Ayurveda looks at the whole picture. It is all encompassing - all embracing. It welcomes all discoveries and advances in science, philosophy and understanding - Ayurveda is all about the knowledge of life itself.