Efficacy and side effects of Ayurvedic therapy

Ayurveda is an Indian traditional medicine system that has been passed down for more than 5,000 years. With standardized operation and symptomatic intervention, Ayurveda can indeed help improve sub-clinical conditions such as metabolic disorders, chronic fatigue, and emotional disorders, and can also be used as an auxiliary means to coordinate the rehabilitation of chronic diseases. However, if it is not symptomatic, operated improperly, or uses substandard related products, it may also cause side effects such as liver and kidney damage, allergies, and aggravation of existing conditions. At present, the evidence-based support for most of its therapies from the global academic community is still insufficient, and it is never recommended to replace the standardized treatment of mainstream medicine.

My first real contact with Ayurveda was at a healing camp in Dali in 2019. The camp manager at the time, Amei, was a Sichuan girl who had systematically studied Ayurveda for 8 years in Kerala, India. I accompanied a friend who had suffered from insomnia and seborrheic dermatitis for almost 3 years to go to her for treatment, and only then did I have a concrete understanding of this system that I had only seen in health posts before. My friend has a typical Vata constitution - according to the core theory of Ayurveda, people are born with three energy tendencies: Vata (wind), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water). Energy imbalances will cause various discomforts - She is already thin, and she stays up late all year long to catch up on plans. The Vata energy is in a mess, and she wakes up at 3 a.m. Her scalp is covered with yellow scabs, and even after applying hormone ointments for almost half a year, she keeps coming back.

The plan given by Amei is actually not complicated. First, replace all her iced American meals with warm milk with turmeric, peppercorns and a small amount of ghee. All three meals must be warm and easy to digest, and no raw or cold food is allowed at all. Full body massage with medicated oil twice a week, using a sesame oil base oil with Centella asiatica and holy basil. She should also apply warm medicated oil on her feet for 10 minutes before going to bed every day. To be honest, I thought this thing was probably an IQ tax, but after the 28-day conditioning cycle, she was able to sleep until dawn, and the inflammation in her scalp was reduced by 70%. Even the dermatologist she went for a review asked her what adjustments she had made recently.

Of course, this does not mean that Ayurveda is omnipotent. Traditional Ayurvedic doctors in India have always advocated that it is a complete independent medical system that can cover the entire process from prevention to treatment, and can even intervene in chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. However, in the field of global evidence-based medicine, only turmeric extract is anti-inflammatory, oil pulling method improves periodontal flora, and medicated oil massage relieves pain. There is relatively sufficient research support in a few directions such as relieving muscle strain. For example, Panchakarma purification therapy (including five purification methods such as vomiting, purging, and bloodletting), which is the core of the Ayurveda system, currently has only a small sample of clinical data to support its improvement effect on intestinal disorders and chronic allergies, and has not yet been verified in large-scale clinical trials. Many public health scholars in Europe and the United States have even made it clear that some operations of Panchakarma carry risks of infection and electrolyte imbalance, and it is not recommended for ordinary people to try it casually.

Speaking of risks, I also met a girl born in 1995 at the camp. She read Xiaohongshu and saw that others said that oil pulling can whiten skin and remove moisture. She rinsed vigorously with cold-pressed coconut oil for 15 minutes every morning. After rinsing for half a month, she developed temporomandibular joint problems and it hurt when she opened her mouth. She came to Amei for treatment. Amei said at the time that the oil pulling method was originally meant for people with Kapha constitution and prone to sticky mouth. It should take up to 3 minutes each time. She has a Pitta constitution with poor temporomandibular joints. She had to rinse vigorously every day for so long, so it was strange that there would be no problems.

The more serious risk actually comes from Ayurvedic products sold through informal channels. In the past two years, I have seen case reports in medical journals. Someone bought Ayurvedic oral pills online that were said to be able to "detoxify and nourish the skin." After taking them for less than a month, he developed acute liver damage. When he was sent to the hospital for examination, it was found that the levels of lead and mercury in the pills exceeded the legal limit by dozens of times. In fact, researchers with different stances also have differences on this point: Supporters of traditional Ayurveda believe that such problems are caused by unqualified processing of medicinal materials and production by informal manufacturers. The traditional mineral medicine processing technology "Rasha Technique" can originally reduce the activity of heavy metals to a safe range and is compliant and available; but modern toxicology research does show that even if Ayurvedic mineral medicines are prepared regularly, there is still a risk of accumulation of heavy metals when taken for a long time, and it should be completely banned for people with liver and kidney dysfunction.

I have a pitta body type and am prone to getting angry and getting acne. I have tried coconut oil-based cooling medicated oil massage and linen wrap cooling therapy with Mei before. Every time I do it, my irritability will disappear a lot. After doing it for a week, the dry mouth and bitterness in the mouth when I wake up in the morning are gone. But I have never dared to take oral Ayurvedic medicines, and I have never stopped taking regular medicines for allergic rhinitis - Amei herself said that she has been doing Ayurvedic treatment for 12 years and never asks clients to stop taking medicines prescribed by the attending doctor. Ayurveda has always been a helper to fill the gap, not a magic medicine that can cure all diseases.

Nowadays, the evaluation of Ayurveda on the Internet is extremely polarized. It is either promoted as a miraculous therapy that can cure cancer, or it is dismissed as pure pseudoscience. In fact, both are a bit extreme. It is essentially the same as traditional empirical medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine and Tibetan medicine. The core is personalized lifestyle intervention based on individual physical differences. The useful experience can be used, but the premise is that you have to find a practitioner with formal qualifications and really knowledgeable. Don't just try it blindly after seeing a post, let alone use it to replace formal medical treatment. After all, no matter what kind of treatment, safety always comes first.