Evidence-Based Practice in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Perspectives, Protocols, Problems and Potential in Ayurveda

Description

This book investigates the ways in which the evidence base is influencing complementary and alternative medicine in general and Ayurveda and allied health practices in particular. The latter have traditionally been prevalent in Asia and are now increasingly attracting interest worldwide. The book is divided into four sections, the first of which examines issues related to acquisition and evaluation of the evidence base. Evidence-based approaches to Ayurvedic diagnosis and therapy are then examined, with a special focus on management of cardiovascular and rheumatological diseases, dental care, and rejuvenating treatments. The final section explores further the challenges of applying evidence-based practice in contemporary and alternative medicine and Ayurveda with a focus upon the issues requiring urgent attention in ongoing decade. The same involves encompassing areas such as Ayurvedic pharmaceutics, practice, education and research within an evidence-based perspective. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Fundamentals: Evidence-Based Practice in Complementary and Alternative Medicine—Perspectives, Protocols, Problems, and Potentials....Pages 3-29 Front Matter....Pages 31-31 Transforming Ayurveda: Stepping into the Realm of Evidence-Based Practice....Pages 33-49 Diet and Nutrition Concepts in Ayurveda: Gleaming into Opportunities for Evidence-Based Applications in Health Care....Pages 51-66 Clinical Evidence in the Tradition of Ayurveda....Pages 67-78 Evidence-Based Traditional Persian Medicine....Pages 79-96 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 Prakriti Analysis in Ayurveda: Envisaging the Need of Better Diagnostic Tools....Pages 99-111 Panchakarma : Ayurvedic Detoxification and Allied Therapies—Is There Any Evidence?....Pages 113-137 Gut and Joint Interconnections: A Reappraisal to Ayurvedic Understanding of Joint Diseases....Pages 139-158 Ayurvedic Approach to Cardiovascular Diseases: Delineating the Literary and Clinical Evidences....Pages 159-175 Rasayana Therapy and Rejuvenation....Pages 177-189 Translational Effectiveness in Ayurvedic Medicine: Implications for Oral Biology and Medicine....Pages 191-207 Front Matter....Pages 209-209 Safety Aspects of Ayurvedic Drugs....Pages 211-232 Toward Evidence-Based Practice of Ayurveda: Extrapolating the Challenges in the Current Decade....Pages 233-245 Back Matter....Pages 247-252