Ayurvedic and Allopathic Medicine and Mental Health (Proceedings of Indo-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine and Mental Health 13 – 17 October, 1996)

General Editor's Preface

In 1977, a major project for a scientific correlation of Ancient Insights and Modern Discoveries (AIMD) was established by the Bhavan. The vision of the project was to bring together the experts, scholars and scientists for an interdisciplinary endeavour in (1) Science and Technology, (2) Life and Health Sciences and (3) the synthesis of Sciences and Human Values. Under the life and Health Sciences Division of the Bhavan's AIMD Project Swami Prakashananda Auyrveda Research Centre has carried out interesting AIMD correlation for research, service and education in Ayurveda and Life Sciences.

A team of viadyas, physicians, super specialists and basic scientists have carried out short and long-term projects in hepatitis, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cancer, women's infections, malaria, and arthritis. The work has globally enhanced the image of Ayurveda, as an evidence based health care system. Recently the senior scientists at Bhavan's SPARC, have been actively involved inn the national and international research programmes, in Ayurveda. They were able to convince the Lord Walton subcommittee of the House of Lords of the British Parliament that Ayurveda has a robust base of professional, organizational and utilitarian activities. As a consequence, several countries are now giving an official status to Ayurveda in their health care.

In the Life and Health Science Division of the AIMD Project, publication / educational, scientific and practice-oriented were considered an essential activity. As a consequence, the Bhavan's Book University had the privilege of so far publishing the following books:

1. Ayurveda and Modern Medicine by Dr. R.D. Lele (1986),
2. Selected Medicinal Plants of India Chemexcil (1992).
3. Holistic Living by Prof. B.M. Hegde (1992),
4. Safe Motherhood by Dr. K. Bhaskar Rao (1995)
5. Hypertension – Assorted Topics by Prof. B. M. Hegde (1995)
6. Gita and Health by Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi (1997)
7. Herbal Cosmetics in Ancient India with a Treatise in Plants Cosmetics by P. V. Bole & Kunda B. Patkar (1997).
8. Culture, Philosophy and Mental Health by Dr. A. Venkoba Rao (1997).
9. High Blood Pressure by Dr. Ashok B. Vaidya and Dr. Meenu Bhatt (1998).
10. Guggul Ani Guggulkalp by Vaidya Vasudha Vijay Apte (1998)
11. Neem in Ayurveda by Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi (1998)
12. Ayurveda for You by Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi (1998)
13. Health is Wealth by K. Balan (1999)
14. In Search of Mind by Dr. V. R. Deshpande and Ms. Sulbha Ghatate,
15. Neem aur Ayurveda (Hindi) by Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi (2000)
16. The Mind: Turbulent and Tranquil by Dr. A. Venkoba Rao (2000)
17. Ayurvedic Pharmacology and Therapeutic uses of Medicinal Plants (Dhravyagunavignyan) Dr. Vaidya V.M. Gogte (2000)
18. Garbhdaran: Nisanthan Honekeliye Marg Darshan
by Dr. Aniruddh Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani (2000)
19. Kaayakalp (Hindi) by Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi (2002),
20. Yoga Aur Sammohan-Ekatva Ki Raah by Shri O. K. Shridharan (2002),
21. Ayurvedic and Allopathic Medicine and Mental health Edited
by Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, Linda Brady, Ashok D. B.
Vaidya, George V. Coelho, Nityanand and Stephen H. Koslow (2002).
22. Wisdom of the Human Body by Prof. B. M. Hegde (2000)
23. Hundred years of happy and healthy life through Ayurveda and Yoga
(Jeevet Sharad Shatam) by Dr. S.P. Kinjawadekar (2002).

In the year 1998, a pioneering conference on Mental Health in Ayurveda and Allopathy was organized at Bangalore. The National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, USA and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Banglore invited some of the best minds for a dialogue. The Bhavan, was approached by the organizers and the Zandu Foundation for Health Care, to publish the Proceedings of that sysposium. The editors have done a remarkable job of creating a supurb monograph. The Bhavan deems it an honour to publish the volume under its AIMD series of publications.

It is appropriate that this volume is being dedicated to two pioneers. Who had actively participated in the symposium but are no longer with us viz, Late Dr. Krishnakant M. Parikh of Zandu Pharmaceuticals and Dr. George E. Coelho of N.I.H. Their spirits will inspire the readership and we hope that this volume will provide a novel AIMD bridge for pragmatic services, advanced education and targeted research in the fields of psychiatry, Ayurveda and Neurosciences.

We hope this book Ayurvedic and Allopathic Medicine and Mental Health will be a worthy addition to our Ayurveda Sastra Series and will be warmly received by our esteemed readers in India and abroad.