A Global Health Celebrity in the Family

I've been updating mostly on my other blog since I'm in India this summer, but this piece of news really belongs here. My cousin, Kavitha Narra (who I still remember in diapers), just returned from a visit to Germany for 2007's G8 summit. As you all know, the G8 summit is an annual meeting of the 8 most powerful countries in the world. They have instituted a (new?) feature of the G8 called the J8, wherein young representatives from each G8 country apply (via the United Nations) to participate in the history-making conference. Among other activities, J8 leaders sit with presidents from these 8 superpowers and discuss global issues like health care, the environment, peace and conflict, and other relevant topics.

Kavitha was not only a part of J8, she was the US team leader. She handpicked teammates and teachers, all from The Harker School in Saratoga, CA, to form the J8 team that represented the US this year. She spoke to world leaders along with her teammates, urging them to set small, measurable, achievable goals and calling out politicians who make empty promises just to borrow goodwill. Makes sense, no? She's fifteen.

Now, Kavitha's in Hyderabad, India, learning about female empowerment through business enterprise with ALEAP. She's visiting a lot of sites with her friend and J8 teammate, Rachel.

As you know, political and social apathy among the younger generation has been a definite concern in the past few decades. Some say that US youth haven't been motivated to contribute actively to better their country since the 1960s. I think that creating the J8, and encouraging motivated teenagers like Kavitha, not only shows that youth are starting to play a more active role; it also indicates how important it is for the future of global public welfare to engage these bright young voices.

All about Ayush

This week has been all about Ayush, the alternative system of medicine in India. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s much more widely accepted by the general public than its equivalent in the U.S., and it’s even recognized by the official government of India. Because of its cultural, historical, social and health care importance, I’m glad we got the chance to learn about it.

Ayush stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. We didn’t go into much detail about unani, siddha and homeopathic cures; most of our time was spent learning about ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy. But these are all drugless therapies, so some version of hot/cold manipulation, physiotherapy, and herbal treatment is probably incorporated into each one of these. Meditation and breathing exercises also have healing properties in this system.

The basic principles of Ayush are that the body has five great elements: earth, water, air, ether (space), and fire. Health is defined as the harmonious vibrations of all the elements and forces composing the human entity.

The body is said to heal itself if it is given proper scope, or nourishment. We are what we eat. An acute disease is considered to be the healing and cleansing effort of nature, while a chronic disease is the suppression of an acute disease with drugs. There is also something called the unity of disease, which is the accumulation of foreign matter or toxins inside our system. Unity of cure is defined as the elimination of accumulated toxins from the body.

Interestingly, bacteria and germs are considered secondary causes of disease, which I agree with…they are not primary causes. This is an important distinction. Sanitation, improper diet, and other causes that will be discussed below are delineated as causes of disease.

The stomach is the origin of disease, and so it is to be treated first. 99% of diseases, according to our lecturer, Dr. Nair, start in the stomach.

And the last tenet is that the cause of all diseases is one, and their treatment is also one. Dr. Nair did not specify what that one cause was, but I think it’s meant to get patients thinking holistically instead of treating each specific ailment as it comes.

On to the causes of disease. Diseases are defined as violations of nature’s laws. This seems to mean that humans cause disease by going against nature. The causes are: a) ignorance; b) indulgence; c) indifference (high ego). Dr. Nair forgot one that I think is vitally important, and that is d) poverty. It is interesting that she did not include that. Poverty is lack of access to nutritious food, clean water, etc…before many people get the chance to be ignorant, indulgent or indifferent, they are simply poor.

Obviously, modern medicine could have a field day with some of these descriptions, but the traditional system in India is simply a theory. On its side are centuries of experience, so it can’t be easily dismissed.

There are many treatments that Ayush offers for various ailments. They are best for chronic conditions such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes, asthma, migraines, sinusitis, and depression. They do massage therapy, hydrotherapy, mud treatments, nutritional counseling (and fasting), chromotherapy (color therapy), yoga, acupressure, magnetotheraphy, electrotherapy, aromatherapy and acupuncture (the last two are widely practiced but are not officially Ayush, because they aren’t traditional Indian healing methods).

A few words on ayurveda (this is basic info that can be gotten anywhere): ayurveda is literally the science of life. Veda is science, and ayur means life. There are three main aims to it: 1) the prevention of disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle; 2) the cure of ailments through treatments, medicine and surgery (yes, surgery!); and 3) rejuvenation. The two major works of literature composing ayurvedic thought are the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita. The first is a book on general medicine, and the second is on surgery. These were written by ancient physicians as early as the 7th century, though ayurveda was undoubtedly practiced even earlier. Ayurvedic medicine has a large scope; it was shocking to hear that it includes surgery. It also has branches in ophthalmology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), pediatrics, botany, and more. I’m fascinated to learn more about it.

Another highlight of our week at Bapu was the dance lesson we got yesterday. It was just Linda and I who wanted an Odissi lesson, but in the end, several others came to watch the guruji teach us the history, culture and movements of Odissi dance. I was deemed (by myself first, and more definitively by Dr. Nair) to have both the interest and physique, but not the talent and grace, for traditional dance. I hope it’s not true, but I suspect this ordinance holds true for other types of dance, too. I guess I should stick to athletics.

Oh yes, and there has been a change in travel plans! Tomorrow is our last day of CFHI fun…we are traveling to the village of Mewat, which I’m really looking forward to. If you remember, we postponed this trip a few weeks due to Gujjar uprisings. After tomorrow, Emma goes home and Sejal and I are planning a trip to Dehradun, a hill station in the Himalayas. Then we are (theoretically, God willing) off to Mumbai, where we will stash our bags at an Aunty’s house and go on to explore Goa. Let’s see how it all works out though, God only knows!

Until Mid-July....

...check out my Delhi blog, because that's where I'll be! I've been in Delhi for a month, but now it's time to pick up and travel around India some more. Mini-trips to the Himalayas, Bollywood and Goa are in the works (of course, God willing!). I came to India through an NGO called CFHI, to learn about HIV and public health challenges in this country of one billion people. Check it out!