Need more research into traditional cures
Treatment of cancer by traditional Indian systems of medicine is one of the biggest challenges Ayush doctors face. It is essential to prove that the system works and is not just a one-off success.
As the number of cancer patients grows, particularly head, neck, cervical and breast cancers, it is important for researchers to prove the efficacy of the system with supporting documentation instead of faith, which is all patients have to go on now.
Dr T.S. Rao, senior oncologist at IndoAmerican Cancer Centre, says, “We have an integrated system for the treatment of cancer. Hence we use a mix of modern medicine and therapeutic methods to treat cancer. But patients come with very bad stage of cancer and after a few years we find that they have sought alternative treatment and have become completely cancer-free. What are these treatments and how they have worked on the human body is important to understand.”
Oncologists agree that some of their patients have sprung a surprise on them when they have resorted to alternative medicines, but understanding or decoding the other systems and how they work requires proper, researched clinical results, before they can be declared effective alternative methods of treatment.
With cancer being a priority due to the large numbers of those afflicted and the huge cost of chemotherapy, there is a great deal of interest in alternative systems but these must be properly researched and treatment modules worked out. for animal studies but seem to be reluctant to give permission for human trials.
A senior Ayurvedic doctor in the city said, “We are losing out on the opportunity to prove to the international community that Ayush treatment is fact based. For this reason, there has to be proper documentation, clinical trials, sample studies and repeat studies giving the same results. These processes are important. Only then can the efficacy of traditional medicines be proved to the world. But there are glitches.”
The thinking seems to be that human trials will be time-consuming and will have to be done in phases and it will take another decade before formal presentations can be made. The government provides grants for public and private research organisations and they are open to all the Ayush fields.
Dr Mallu Prasad, an Ayurvedic doctor, says there is a conducive atmosphere for Ayurveda, but “we need to present proper proposals and work out the right documentation procedures. Human clinical trials have been a bone of contention here even for modern medicine and that’s why most human clinical trials are done abroad. But for alternative medicine, we have to find a proper, legalised way to carry out the trials in India. The major concern is the health of the people and that has to be given priority during trials."