Synergizing Health: IKS and Modern Medicine
Dr. Rahul Laxman Jungari
Assistant Professor
College of Social Work, Kamptee, Dist. Nagpur
Email: rahulnagpur@hotmail.com
Abstract
The Indian Knowledge System (IKS), particularly its health component of Ayurveda, offers profound insights into preventive, personalized, and holistic wellness. Despite its historical depth and continued popular usage, its structured integration into India’s modern primary healthcare infrastructure remains fragmented, representing a critical gap in achieving comprehensive public health goals. This paper examines the necessity and feasibility of integrating Ayurveda and related IKS components (like Yoga and traditional dietetics) into the national primary healthcare delivery system. It employs a qualitative research methodology, drawing upon a comprehensive review of existing health policies, governmental reports (e.g., Ayush reports, NITI Aayog documents), and academic literature concerning both Ayurvedic practice and modern public health challenges. The discussion critically analyzes the major impediments to integration, including issues of standardization, evidence-based validation, regulatory alignment, and institutional resistance from both conventional and traditional medical communities. Furthermore, the paper proposes a pragmatic set of solutions, emphasizing the development of integrated educational curricula, cross-referral systems at the primary health center (PHC) level, and the establishment of robust, evidence-based research protocols to validate IKS therapies. The conclusion asserts that a synergized healthcare model, which leverages the strengths of both IKS and modern medicine, is essential for addressing the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, ultimately offering a cost-effective and culturally resonant solution for improving public health outcomes in contemporary India.
Keywords: Indian Knowledge System (IKS), Ayurveda, Primary Healthcare, Integration, Synergized Medicine, Public Health Policy, Traditional Knowledge.
DOI link – https://doi.org/10.69758/GIMRJ/2601S01V14P065
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