866.4
Transformation and Restructuring of Complimentary and Alternative Medicines in India: An Historical Perspective
This paper attempts to examine and discuss the questions related to the transformation and restructuring of complimentary and alternative medicines (hereafter CAM) in India during the era of globalization. Following have been the main research questions: (i) how to locate the entire question of CAM in an historical perspective in India?; (ii) what has been the scenario of CAM in its heydays in India?; (iii) how the allopathic system of medicine made its headway in the Indian society?; (iv) how both the systems of medicine namely CAM and allopathic medicine exist parallel to each other and (v) what has been the response of the patients to both the systems of medicines?. The current scenario of medical-systems and its operationalization in the Indian society has posed some questions which are very complex in nature. The stratified nature of society has compelled to go for the limited available choices. In India the system of AYUSH has now got the support of GOI and it is challenging the mainstream system of medicine. The main conclusions of this study are like the following: (i) in order to understand the system of medicine in India it seems necessary to opt for an historical perspective; (ii) patients from high-,middle-, and lower- classess have given importance to CAM; (iii) the notion of belief-system has been found useful to understand systems of medicine in India; (iv) the future trend of CAM systems in india seems as bright and (v) there seems to be an immense potential for research in the area of CAM in India.