Thiruvananthapuram:
“India is rich in ancient wisdom, and there’s a lot to learn from our own country, before you look towards the West for knowledge.”
These words by medical scientist and former vice-chancellor of Manipal University Dr B M Hegde were not to create confusion in the minds of budding physicians and medical scientists, but to enlighten them on the ethics of modern medicine and to warn them about the ‘murky business behind western science’.
He was delivering a talk as the part of the lecture series organized by Santhigiri Research Foundation, Santhigiri ashram on Monday.
Always a strong critic of ‘monopoly of western medicine’ and a visiting faculty at many universities in the country and abroad, Dr Hegde was candid on how the governments jeopardized the health system to protect the interests of powerful corporations.
“We have all been brainwashed into following western science through false campaigns. Western medical science is all about making money. Now, the Indian wisdom, including the practice of yoga, is being commercialized by the west,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we are inclined to condemn anything that’s Indian, including Ayurveda, Siddha and Yunani. Instead of going for a morning walk in the nature barefoot, which can rejuvenate our body and mind and keep us healthy, we have fallen for jogging shoes being aggressively marketed by the corporate world,” Dr Hegde said, quoting from books from the western world, including ‘Science for Sale’ by David Lewis and ‘Blinded by Science’ by Mathew Silverstone.
“There’s no freedom of health in the US, where it’s mandatory for a child to have 56 vaccines in the first year, when we all know that breast milk is the best vaccine for a child,” he said.
A recipient of both Dr B C Roy award and Padma Bhushan, Dr Hegde was also critical about the ‘wrong priorities’ of various governments and universities while initiating scientific researches. “We come across many science research journals which are of no use to anyone, while there’s a dearth of studies which actually would be useful to mankind,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / July 05th, 2016