• “Language of the senses and the scientific theory of Ayurveda: Understanding Ayurveda in its own terms”
  December 9, 2011
  Speaker : Indudharan Menon   Visiting Scholar, NCBS
  Friday, December 9, 2011
  at 4:00 p.m.
  in the Ground Floor Lecture Hall (LH1)

Abstract
The objective of this talk is to contribute to a better understanding of traditional Ayurveda’s universe of discourse and its theories regarding health and disease. The talk will focus on Ayurveda’s use of the language of the senses to construct a theory of disease and pharmacology. Ayurveda’s explanation of the functioning of the complex system that is the human body will also be elaborated. Some of the concepts in Ayurveda that can be relevant to modern life sciences and medicine such as the influence of emotional states, food, environment and biorhythms on disease, convalescence and well being will be discussed. Since the last century significant modifications have taken place in Ayurveda’s methodology, medicines and educational system. Traditional physicians think that Ayurveda's classical frames of reference are being neglected and its practices reduced to simplified versions. So issues related to modern Ayurvedic practice and scientific standards will be touched upon.