141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

281106
Concept of tonics in ayurveda and their unique place in today's healthcare


Monday, November 4, 2013

Pratibha Shah, Masters degree in Ayurveda, MPH, Integrative Medicine and Primary Care, Zanjabee, Woburn, MA
Basmaa Ali, Doctor of Medicine (MD), Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Woburn, MA
Human body is its own Master healer. Ancient healing systems like Ayurveda, recognized and utilized this fact in disease prevention as well as its management. Foods, herbs and herb formulations that augment this self-healing capacity of the body are called ‘Tonics'. Traditional use of tonics like ginseng, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), for wellness as well as recovery from illness, are well documented.

Most modern drugs are based on an anti-action – antibiotics, antifungal, antiseptic and so on. There is little or no recognition of the critical role the body itself plays in its own recovery. Therefore there is no class of modern drugs congruent with the concept of tonics.

In a country with exponentially increasing burden of chronic illness, it is important to utilize all measures to prevent and combat diseases of lifestyle. The authors will talk about the use of general and system-specific tonics, with emphasis on Aurvedic tonics. They will also discuss the advantages of tonics and the potential for their inclusion in the current primary healthcare.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Define tonics Describe different categories of tonics in Ayurveda Outline the important potential role for tonics in current primary healthcare

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Pratibha Shah holds a Post Graduate degree in Ayurveda from the prestigious National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, India. She has been practicing Ayurveda for more than 20 yrs and conducts and speaks at Ayurvedic events all year round. With the aim of providing a wider platform for benefits from Ayurvedic principles of healing, she has recently completed Masters in Public Health, International Health, from Boston University School of Public Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3078.0: Alternative and Complementary Health Practices Special Topics: Poster Session