Lack of facilities for higher studies forces Siddha graduates in Kerala to opt for non-medical courses

Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
Friday, May 20, 2016, 08:00 Hrs  [IST] 

Lack of facilities for higher studies for Siddha graduates in Kerala is  forcing the students who have completed the course, BSMS, to opt for non-medical courses and find placement in areas other than medical for their livelihood.

Many of the graduates in Siddha are now doing MBA, LLB and other industry related diploma courses, and getting into industrial jobs/business activities, says Dr. Arun Baby, president of All Kerala Siddha Doctors Forum (AKSDF).

“A large number of BSMS graduates are now engaged in various business activities. Some others are doing UG/PG programmes in non-medical subjects like MBA, LLB or Diploma courses on technical side. They do not want to practice the system here. No support is getting them from the government side or from any private sector,” he added.

According to AKSDF, the major hurdle for their higher study, MD Siddha, is absence of an institution, either in the public sector or private sector. The only one college conducting Siddha degree course is the Santhigiri Siddha Medical College at the state capital. It has no PG programme.

Although the Siddha graduates want to take admission in the government institutions in Tamil Nadu, the hub of Siddha, language becomes a stumbling block. The syllabus and the medium of instruction are in Tamil language. Besides, for getting admission there, the Kerala graduate has to register his/her degree with the Tamil Nadu medical council. It is a difficult process and after wards, the difficulty will become severe when he/she wants to come back to the home state. Two government colleges and a few private institutions conduct PG programme in Siddha there.

Dr. Arun said as per the latest information, the number of Siddha graduates in Kerala is over 600, but none of them is doing PG programme in the subject. Only those who did their UG course in Tamil Nadu, they might be doing their PG in the colleges there. But, number of such students is very less. Job opportunity for Siddha doctors in Kerala is a major problem.

While pointing out the issues faced by the BSMS graduates in Kerala today, the president of AKSDF said very few Siddha graduates are working on clinical side as the chances for them are less. Unless the government encourages by providing job opportunities, they cannot establish as a medical practitioner under the Ayush systems in Kerala. Government should take up programmes and projects for setting up more Siddha hospitals, dispensaries, drug manufacturing units and subsequently to appoint the Siddha graduates as medical officers, drug inspectors and in other capacities the health department requires.

The state has only one government siddha hospital which is located at Vallakkadavu in Thiruvananthapuram. In addition to that, there are eight dispensaries.

For Ayurveda system, Kerala has 127 hospitals, 815 dispensaries, 20 sub-centres and three medical colleges under government, 14 medical colleges under private sector and two self-financing medical colleges.

Read More

Dont burst the pimple prevent it the siddha

Dont burst the pimple prevent it the siddha

Read More

Pediatric Liver Diseases and its Management by Herbals: A Traditional Siddha Medicine
Dr.Senthilvel,MD(S)
Ministry of AYush, New Delhi.

View Abstract
http://ijpcs.net/article/148

Read More

THE SIDDHA PHARMACOPOEIA OF INDIA PART ONE CD

The Siddha Pharmacopoeia of India,
Part I, volume II
CD-ROM Installable with advanced search options.
User friendly
Advanced search options
Need not to carry the physical hard copy of the book all the time
No need of any Special softwares
Single herbs –preparations & Formulations
Cost Effective
It can be operated with existing computers
Easily executable for the people those who are unfamiliar with computer operations.
Error free data management
Easy Retrieval of data
Search by any Action
Search by any Diseases
Search by any full monograph
Search by any Formulations
Search by any Tamil name, bot. name, English name and diacritical names
LRDD publication - Available for sale at SCRI

Read More

Phytochemical Standardization of Serankottai nei (a Siddha drug from milk extract of Semecarpus Anacardium nuts)
by
Dr.Senthilvel,MD(S)
Ministry of AYush, New Delhi.

View Abstract

Read More

SIDDHA -Nano Medicine

It is believed that the practitioners of Siddha, the ancient Indian system of medicine, utilized the basic tenets of nanotechnology in preparing medicines for the treatment of various diseases. The Siddha preparation 'Bhasma' (Parpam), which is widely recommended for the treatment of a variety of chronic ailments, is an ash obtained from some metallic compounds through incineration. When the 'bhasma' particles were analysed recently through latest instruments, they fell in the range of nanoparticles. Revealing these facts at a UGC-sponsored seminar organized by Patna University chemistry department Sanjay Kumar, Rakesh Kumar Singh and others of Aryabhatta Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, and Sweety Supriya and Manoranjan Kar of IIT Patna said 'Abhraka Bhasma', a derivative of mica, is an ancient nanomedicine. It is widely used in cases of pernicious and sickle cell anaemia, Bells Palsy, hepatic dysfunction, leukaemia, cystic fibrosis and cervical dysplasia and it is known for its penetrative and spreading property in the whole body and various micro tissues."We have synthesized 'Abhraka Bhasma' through X-ray diffractometer, vibrating sample magnetometer, scanning electron microscopy and Photoluminescence spectrometer and found that it is in nanocrystalline form and may be considered as a nanomedicine," they said. They further observed that the 'bhasma' cannot only be used as a very good nanomedicine but is also applied for various technological innovations for its magnetic and luminescence properties. This preparation is natural and eco-friendly as well as cost-effective, they added.

Read More

Siddha Medicine Bhavana Panjankula Thilam

Study on Teratogenic Effects of Siddha Medicine Bhavana Panjankula Thailam, Castor oil, Ricin Using Chick Embryo as a Model System | D. Parthiban1, K. Kumaresn. K2, N. Arun3* | Asian Pharma Press
http://www.asianpharmaonline.org/viewarticles.php?j=2231-5691&vol=5&issue=2&ab=ab138

Read More

Role of tastes in treatment modalities of Siddha Science

T.K. Bhavishya Haniya1, J. Lavanya1, R. Rasiga1, V.S. Nandini1, C. Samuel Justin raj1, G.Vibinshiya1, M.R. Sama Anjum1, S. Merish2, Thomas M. Walter3.

1Second Year BSMS, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai.Tamil Nadu, India.samuel16jan@gmail.com
2CRRI, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India.merish@siddhawalter.org
3Asst. Professor, Dept. of Gunapadam, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai.walter@siddhawalter.org

ABSTRACT
Each and every system of medicine has its own exclusive specialities. Selection of drugs based on the chemical composition and action is the common entity followed all over the world. An important method of selection of drugs based on the tastes, characteristics, effects and ultimate taste has been followed in India’s holistic indigenous medical science called Siddha science. According to Siddha science, all the things in the universe both inside and outside the body are made up of five basic elements namely space, air, fire, water and soil in balanced proportion. The basic motto of Siddha science is, “Food itself is medicine and medicine itself is food”. The six tastes of food materials are also composed of these basic elements. Intake of all these six tastes at right proportion in our diet maintains the physiological homeostasis in our body. Excessive intake of a particular taste or avoiding some other taste leads to alteration. Such an alteration in this balanced proportion leads to ailments. Giving a drug that balances this alteration is the treatment method of Siddha science. Hence most of the drugs in Siddha science are the ingredients of our food we take in our regular diet. This paper deals with this advanced and excellent method of treatment. This paper includes various topics – nature of the body, humours of the body, assessing the patient, diagnosis, the six tastes ofthe drugs, nature of drugs and selection of drugs.

Keywords
Siddha Treatment modalities, Taste in siddha, Non-Invasive Siddha diagnostics.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301293767_Role_of_tastes_in_treatment_modalities_of_siddha_science

Read More

Treat excess bleeding the old Siddha Way

Treat Excess Bleeding the Old Siddha Way

By Sheela Rani Chunkath

Published: 30th April 2016 10:00 PM

Oldenlandia Umbellata

There is a very effective drug, which Siddha Vaidyars use to great advantage. It is not part of the traditional Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia. It is Imbural— the drug is prepared from a single herb and is effective in preventing bleeding. It is especially useful in menorrhagia, where women experience excessive bleeding during the menstrual cycle.

Imbural, the scientific name of which is Oldenlandia Umbellata, belongs to the family Rubiaceae. It is a herb, which has great styptic action and can stop all kinds of bleeding. In English, it is called dye-root or chaya-root and is used in dying as a mordant. It belongs to the same family as another popular Ayurvedic herb called manjishta, from which a red dye is extracted.

Oldenlandia Umbellata (I do love the sound of the name) is a herb with small white flowers and is found quite commonly all over India; mostly in the drier tracts. The herb has many uses and is used to treat cold, cough, vomiting of blood, rakta pitta conditions and also as an antibacterial agent. A decoction of the leaves and bark is prescribed for tuberculosis and asthma. The decoction is also used to wash poisonous bites. It has been used in many villages for the treatment of snake bites.

However, Imbural remains a very effective treatment for excessive bleeding during menstruation and is far superior to many allopathic treatments, which rely on hormones to control or regulate the flow. This allopathic approach has many  unintended side effects.

However, along with Asokadivati, menstrual problems can be tackled very well with our traditional medical systems. Unfortunately, most patients visit allopathic physicians before they decide to try something more effective, like our traditional systems of medicines. Most health problems can be solved easily if they are dealt with in the initial stages. 

Siddha, Ayurveda and Unani have a wonderful range of drugs to tackle many of the menstrual problems. From Ashokarishtam and Sathavari Lehyam in the ayurvedic pharmacopeia, to Kungilya Parpam and Padikara Parpam in Siddha, to Qurs-e-Marwareed and Qurs-e-Gulnar in Unani, we have many time-tested and effective remedies.

Our acharyas were quite sensitive to using a particular herb for a particular health condition. They had their theories on what constituted good instruments of knowledge. And it had to be Pratyaksha (direct perception), Anumana (inference) and Yukti (logical application). So, it was not as if these herbs were picked up at random and used. The usage of herbs was monitored and it was empirically evaluated. I find this more reassuring than medicines prescribed by pharmaceutical companies, which have to recoup the crores of rupees they have invested in research and development. These pharma companies often encourage prescription of such drugs for those who may not even need it. The anti-cholesterol drugs, in my view, fall in this category, where even the healthy are led to believe that they have a major health issue and are prescribed drugs with doubtful beneficial value. There are many studies which show that cholesterol levels and heart attacks are not very well correlated. Yet, how successfully has the fear of cholesterol been marketed to help sell anti-cholesterol drugs. My grievance is that in the bargain they have also vilified ghee, one of the most valuable agents of good health.

The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.

Read More