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Can the incurable illnesses be cured, as claimed by some?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerNo. Only thing that can be done is trying to control the condition and make the patient live longer than expected. We can only improve the quality of life. We can't cure them fully. We know certain practitioners say they can cure diabetes, cancer, hypertension, arthritis etc. There is only one form of cancer that can be fully cured, if detected early which is known as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Of course, with the advancement of medicine many illnesses can be detected and be cured almost 100%. But what happens is when these people come from the rural areas for treatment the cancer has already spread seriously. Many of these cancers claimed to be cured are not exactly cancer. Cancer can be just tumours which are not malignant. If someone can cure cancer it is best if he or she select a cancer patient in the Maharagama Cancer Hospital and prove to the world that it can be cured. They won't take such steps. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerNo it is a big lie. Only option is we can control the illness. Many people, especially those who are claiming to be ayurvedic practitioners say they can completely cure diseases like cancer, arthritis, asthma, paralysis, cataract in the eye etc. It is nothing but a lie! Of course our treatments are long lasting since we give medicine to the root cause of the illness and not to the symptoms like in Western medicine. But all these magical treatments are part of the play to earn money. Scratch the money out of the poor man's pocket. Even for the cataract in the eye the teachings only say to remove the cornea. If not, why do they persist?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerFrom what I know of ayurveda the 'veda mahaththaya' gives a good physiotherapy by applying oil, balm and heat therapy. And they spend more time to interact with the patient. So the patient feels much better. The problem with the doctors of western medicine is they have a large number of patients per day and do not have enough time to attend to a patient. All these doctors don't lie but this physiotherapy part of ayurveda is what we lack in western medication. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerPresence of false 'doctors' and lack of standard quality in the medicines. In ayurveda one can register as a doctor, even without the proper qualifications - it is just a matter of paying a small bribe or getting an influential person in to the scene. There is no quality in the medicine. As a result the field is infested with unqualified practitioners. There is no standard. So the people can easily get mislead. l Is today's medical field satisfactory?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerYes I can say it is very satisfying. The knowledge and the technology are very much advanced. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerWell it is not. Of course the salaries of the present ayurvedic doctors have gone up considerably. But the knowledge of the present generation - the technology - is quite low compared especially to what you get in India. Most importantly an ayurvedic doctor must know Sanskrit as it is the main language the teachings are written. It was not taught enough and I heard recently that the students are protesting to stop that subject. This is a very sad state of affaire! l How is it compared to the past?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerVery much advanced. During the time I entered the medical profession I remember patients very often died pneumonia. But now the medical field and facilities are so much advanced it can cure many diseases and make people live longer. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerThose days the profession was passed on from generation to generation. So the younger generation had the exposure from early childhood. They get a very good practical and theoretical knowledge. But with the colonial invasions the indigenous medicine started to decline and that is one of the major reasons we do not have a competent generation of teachers. So, today some of the ayurvedic practitioners first it difficult to identify herbal plants, they do not know Sanskrit and no quality in the medicine that is made in the country. Lack of knowledge and forest destruction could be the main causes for the shortage of medicine. l Do you think developments of the field reach people?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerOf course as a country we also enjoy the benefits of the advancement in the global medical field without much delay. Many doctors get specialized training abroad. Yet people seem to be not much aware of these latest developments. The world is focusing more on preventative treatment than the curative. I don't see that people know about them. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerNo it doesn't. If we compare ourselves with India, where the ayurveda originated, we are lagging far behind. Ayurveda is the treatment that suits the nature of our bodies. So as I believe this, the best medication for Sri Lankans. But we must maintain a quality standard in the field. l According to present day requirements which areas need more concern?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerWe need to popularize routine health check-ups. In developed countries, as people have the medical insurance they go for routine check ups. Hence, many illnesses can be detected at early stages. We don't have that system here and it is very expensive to do routine check ups. Not like 50 years ago the level of infectious diseases has decreased but chronic non-communicable diseases have gone up - i.e. cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure. So it is important because many people, especially in the cities, are facing health issues like obesity, hypertension which can lead to these non communicable illnesses. Even children have become victims to obesity. And people need proper guidance in nutrition. So we need more nutritionists. Though not much needed we haven't done cardiac transplantation and we have not been able to perform liver transplantation. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerFirst and foremost, quality standards to the medicine. And if we are to promote this therapy among people the medicine must be easy to use in the hectic life styles of the people. They don't have time to boil a pot of 'kasaya'. So the 'kasaya' can be made available ready-made. In India almost all the 'kasayas', 'anupanas' etc. are readily available in the shops, both in the Government and the private sector. Some are made using the state-of-the art technology and that one just can't say they are ayurvedic products!. Comparatively we are still at a very primitive stage! We do not have enough knowledgeable professionals to perform surgeries. We do have a few who were trained in University of Benaris, India. But that is not enough. We need more technical support as well.
l What is the contribution the Government could have in the present context?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerAuthorities must encourage and make facilities for the people to practice healthy life styles - i.e. regular exercising, proper nutrition etc. They also must create an encouraging environment for the people to carry out routine health check ups, especially in rural areas. Since our population is aging we need to emphasise on the treatments for geriatric problems. In hospitals we find most of the patients are elderly people. The Government must pay serious attention in providing geriatricians to the health sector. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerThe most renowned ancient scholar in ayurveda, Sushrutha has stated in his teachings that ayurveda traditions decline due to the negligence of the King. So the Government has a high responsibility to promote this sector. Aiming this, the Department for Ayurvedic Medicine was set up. In my over three decade old period of service I should say. I highly value the services rendered to the Ayurveda field by the present speaker of the Parliament, W.J.M. Lokubandara, the then Minister for Ayurveda and indigenous medicine. The Government must take action to educate the ayurveda doctors and ensure a quality standard for the medicine that is prepared by them. l In today's hectic world are people leading proper life styles?Dr. D.P. Athukorale - Cardiac specialist/ Veteran medical practitionerNot at all. People should in fact change their lifestyles. Their food habits need to change in to less meat and low fat diets. Consuming so much of meat and high fat diets are main cause for high levels of cholesterol and cancers. A good vegetarian diet can give all the nutrients we need, except cholesterol. Our liver produces cholesterol enough for our bodies. Dr. T. Karunaratne - Rtd. Asst. Commissioner, Ayurvedic Dept/Veteran ayurvedic medical practitionerToday's lifestyles cannot be said to be all correct. People eat the wrong kind of food, no exercises etc. So in this context sometimes the ayurvedic medicine won't answer. Surely people have to adopt correct life styles. |
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