With the support and suggestions from the Ministry of Ayush, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare should think of forming a separate Central Council for Research in Integrative Medicine (CCRIM) on the lines of CCRA, CCRS and CCRU working under the Ayush ministry since there is larger scope for integrative medicines and therapies in future years, experts in ancient and modern systems of medicine have opined.

Even though integration of the two systems are termed as ‘crosspathy’ by critics of medical sciences, a comprehensive pharmacovigilance system can easily help solve the intricacies of any adverse drug reactions or drug-drug interactions. It has been already proven in India that siddha therapies could be integrated with Allopathy for treating cancer and other chronic diseases.

Dr. Arul Amuthan, team leader at the Center for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR) at Manipal University in Karnataka, while talking to Pharmabiz said, in many states in the country integration of medicines and therapies has been already started. Yoga and naturopathy are included along with allopathic treatment and it forms integrative therapy, while Ayush medicines are used simultaneously with modern drugs becomes integrative medicines. The physicians of both the systems have to encourage this interaction of ancient and modern medicines and therapies and they should report the good and bad effects of the efficacy side.

He said this after attending a workshop on ‘Management of Dermatological Disorders and Cancer - moving towards an Integrative Approach (Siddha & Modern system) at the Manipal University organized by the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) for the first time in Karnataka.

He pointed out that, in Tamil Nadu, before MBBS and BSMS courses were introduced; there existed certain courses which had advocated the scope of integrative medicines. Graduate College of Integrative Medicine (GCIM), Licentiate in Integrative Medicine (LIM) and Bachelor of Indian Medicine (BIM) were the previous medical degrees before the emergence of modern and siddha graduate courses, and all of them supported integrative approach. So, Tamil Nadu has a tradition of integrative therapy and the same mind-set is still among the physicians of both the systems, he said.

Further, he said the health schemes of Tamil Nadu government includes certain treatments in Siddha medicines like Amma Magapperu Sanjivi (Treatment for Pregnant Women) and supply of Nilavembu Kashaayam (a Siddha drug for viral fever), which show that integrative approach in treatment for diseases is possible everywhere. He claimed that these two schemes of the Tamil Nadu government were more than enough to highlight Siddha system to be integrated with Allopathy.

For the development of this area, the government of India should frame a central policy with legal validity for cross prescription. Exclusive guidelines with good clinical practice (GCP) for integrative medicine and research have to be made. Integration of different medical systems will pave way for better healthcare of the people, he said while quoting various aspects of the discussion held in the workshop.