A state-of-the-art centre to conduct research on medical benefits of yoga was inaugurated at the AIIMS today as part of the government's emphasis on yoga and traditional systems of medicine.
"This is an initiative in the quest for integration of India's ancient and traditional medical practices with allopathy and to conduct an evidence-based research. The centre will also seek scientific validation of our ancient medicine systems with a focus on Yoga," Union Minister of Health J P Nadda said after inaugurating the centre.
"The national centre at the premier institute of the country shall be dedicated to research, documentation and delivery of holistic healthcare," he said, adding this step shall witness an integrated approach to healthcare, where the focus shifts from "treatment" to "well-being and prevention" of diseases.
The centre will provide a potent platform for integrating the contemporary allopathy with the benefits of traditional knowledge in healthcare such as yoga and Ayurveda.
"The government has placed a significant emphasis on yoga and traditional systems of medicine and the establishment of the integrative centre is a major step forward in the government's efforts to promote yoga as an integrative discipline," Nadda said.
The centre has been designed as a perfect platform for rigorous research to establish the efficacy of traditional methods of healing, which in turn should pave the way for their greater international scientific acceptability, he said.
Noting that such studies were already underway in foreign
universities, Nadda said AIIMS is now attempting to drive this effort in the country through the establishment of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
AIIMS has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), a deemed university, for technical support in yoga and Ayurveda. Ayurveda and yoga specialists will come to the centre to offer their expertise to run joint trial in research.
Speaking at the event, Dr H R Nagendra, Chancellor, of the Bengaluru-based varsity noted that evidence through research has demonstrated that traditional practices of India have been effective in preventing and controlling several diseases.
"The centre shall be the first of its kind in the country combining, research, education and healthcare delivery. This will help to rationally translate the thousands of years old science into a scientific practice that can be used for the well-being of the human kind," he said.
The centre is spread over 4,000-sq-ft on the seventh storey of the 10-storey Convergence block at AIIMS and is divided into gargantuan yoga studio with wooden flooring and an Ayurveda and Naturopathy therapy centre.
"All the departments will be asked to participate in the comparative research. Rehabilitation of patients who have suffered from a stroke or a heart attack will be studied at the centre. Apart from this therapy of patients with respiratory illnesses including asthma will be addressed. Patient's consent will be taken before they are enrolled in the study," said Dr M C Mishra, Director, AIIMS.
The launch of the centre comes just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for making yoga even more popular globally.
