Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya, MPH, MD, PhD - USA, India
Abstract of the presentation
Strategies for TCIM Harmonization - bridging modern politics of medicine with ancient systems of wellness, health, vidya and kindness
Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya, MPH, MD (Family Medicine), PhD (Pharmacology, Ayurveda)
Clin Asst Professor of Medicine, Cornell Medical College; Director, DINacharya Institute; Fulbright Scholar in Medical Sciences; Director, Center for Ayurveda Studies-IndicA; Medical Director, LiveYourBestLife HealthTech
When we discuss strategies to harmonize TCIM into society, we must first observe our belief systems, as they determine our values. Our belief in institutional power as more valid than individual power will determine how we shape TCIM policies.
Our belief in evidence as the basis for a medicine's validity requires us to help more people understand foundational tenets created by Sackett and epidemiology colleagues about EBM (Evidence-Based Medicine), which state that good evidence is a combination of individual clinical expertise, a patient's values and expectations, and the best available clinical evidence in the published literature, all to improve patient outcomes.
To harmonize, examine evidence showing that modern medicine with its medical errors, misdiagnosis, and pharmaceutical side effects are the third leading cause of death in the USA; that only 18% of the recommendations in primary care practice are actually strongly evidence-based, that large data studies tend to produce false results and are subject to misinterpretation and separation from real-world medicine.
How we can develop better models for evidence and for BS (belief systems) for good medicine?
1) Bring healing of the non-physical body back into the definition of medicine, as it exists in many ancient medical traditions.
2) Create metrics to assess health and wellness in the conventional medical setting, emphasizing well-being.
3) Compare health and medicine by examining wellness vs. illness, subtle energy changes vs. physical biochemical changes, and parameters important to the well-person vs. sick person conversation.
4) Acknowledge the emerging evidence in various modern sciences validating ancient wisdom traditions principles in ayurveda, biotronics, homeopathy and herbal medicines.
5) Reexamine the toxic effects of modern living, especially the processes of food production, safe water, electricity and non-ionizing radiation.
6) Utilize the efficiency in today's tools to create models of whole health systems.
Curriculum vitae
Clinical Assistant Professor at Cornell Medical College, Fulbright Specialist in Global Public Health specializing in Integrative Medicine.
Bhaswati Bhattacharya dividing her time between Manhattan and Benaras. Since 2002, she serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She has recently completed a PhD in Ayurvedic chemistry, pharmaceutics, and pharmacology (Rasa Shastra & Bhaisajya Kalpana) from Banaras Hindu University, focusing on polyherbal formulations for diabetes. She was recently awarded as a Fulbright Specialist 2018-2022 in Global Public Health specializing in Integrative Medicine.
She is a Harvard-trained physician-educator, working for 20 years to bridge indigenous medical systems with mainstream biomedicine. Her formal training includes a B.A. (University of Pennsylvania) in liberal arts focusing on neuroscience, a M.A. (Columbia University) in Pharmacology with 5 years of PhD work in neural development, an M.P.H. (Harvard University) in International Health, a M.D. (Rush University of Chicago) doctorate in medicine, formal residency training in urban family medicine (Columbia University) and in preventive medicine (Mount Sinai, NY), a course in integrative nutrition at Teachers College-Columbia University and a PhD (Banaras Hindu University) in Ayurvedic chemistry, pharmaceutics, and pharmacology (Rasa Shastra & Bhaisajya Kalpana), specializing in the scientific basis for polyherbal and metallo-mineral formulations.
She also has formal training in holistic health counseling, yoga, Ayurveda, energywork, mindbody medicine, homeopathy, and aromatherapy. Bhaswati’s holistic training comes through numerous formal courses and apprenticeship format still practiced by traditional healers in Tibet, India, China, Nepal, Brazil, Nigeria, El Salvador, and South Africa. During her 2013-2014 Fulbright award, she studied herbomineral formulations called 2013-2014 Fulbright award, she studied herbomineral formulations called bhasmas and their use in improving vitality, known as Ojas in Sanskrit.
She has delivered speeches internationally, including a talk on World AIDS Day at the United Nations for amFAR, retreats and workshops focusing on medicinal plants, and technical lectures on herbal medicines around the world. Selected in the list of 2014 Top 50 Thinkers of India by MTC Global, she is known for her well-informed views on public health, biodiversity, Ayurveda and topics related to indigenous medical systems. She has consulted on projects for several beauty and cosmetics companies, including Emami/Zandu, TulsiRose, L’Oreal, Reebok and Unilever. A documentary film on her work, Healers: Journey into Ayurveda is shown on The Discovery Channel. Her first book Everyday Ayurveda is a national bestseller published by Penguin Random House in 2015.
Please note that some of the texts also include machine-generated translations.
