National Ayurvedic Medical Association on what Ayurveda can offer the nation

Statement by NAMA Regarding Health Care Reform

Date: June 10, 2009 To: White House Office of Health Reform, White House Domestic Advisor, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senate Healthcare Commission: Cc: President Barack Obama Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff Michelle Obama, First Lady Senate Hearing Witnesses: Mehmet Oz, MD; Mark Hyman, MD; Dean Ornish, MD and Andrew Weil, MD From: National Ayurvedic Medical Association, Board of Directors Re: Healthcare Reform The National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) has closely followed the discussions that have and are occurring at the White House and in the Senate regarding the creation of solutions to the nation's health care crisis. We are hopeful that these talks will open new pathways for supporting health in our country. We agree with President Obama that getting health care costs under control is necessary to a healthy economy. We are pleased to hear Senators Harkin and Mikulski speak about giving people alternatives they want, ending discrimination of practitioners of alternative health care, improving outcomes and reducing health care costs. By acknowledging and bringing into the equation alternative, integrative and complementary health care as a key part of health care reform, we believe effective change can happen. It is heartening to hear highly respected and knowledgeable health care practitioners like Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Andrew Weil place insightful and proven options on the table for review. Their voices should be heard and considered as they have all expressed that it is not a matter of how to give more people access to a failing system, but rather creating a new system that allows for optimum health throughout one's lifetime. As all those focused on healthcare reform come together to work to resolve the multitude of problems our country faces, our wish is to support and contribute to those efforts as much as possible. From this point of view, we would like to make you aware of Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga. Ayurveda addresses the total scope of human health. With age old wisdom, Ayurveda, literally the science or knowledge of life, has within its realm all of the practices that can help people bring their lives into balance. Your commissions and hearings have determined that there is great value in focusing on preventative care. Ayurveda has a dynamic and successful approach to guiding people to make sustainable changes in their lives. It is this ability that can keep healthy people healthy and assist those out of balance and experiencing disease to improve their health in body, mind, and spirit. Focusing on lifestyle, including nutrition, healthy activities and connections, Ayurveda brings a paradigm that is full and focused on optimal health. There is a growing population of practitioners of Ayurveda in the U.S. as well as throughout the world. More than a single therapeutic model, Ayurveda has been, and is being used to bring physical and mental health to individuals and communities. In 2000, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association was established to represent the Ayurvedic profession in The United States of America. Its mission is to preserve, protect, improve and promote the philosophy, knowledge, science and practice of Ayurveda for the benefit of humanity. We are a small but growing community and have confidence that what Ayurveda can offer will continue to become more acknowledged and accepted throughout the country. Our commitment to health is absolute. Our Board and committee members are all volunteers giving generous amounts of time, energy, and resources to bring this important science to the American people. Being able to fund a paid staff to work full time in this effort is our goal. Our effectiveness will be increased with the opportunity to become a recognized part of the solution that these committees are developing. We applaud the efforts of Drs. Oz, Hyman, Ornish, Weil and others in taking steps to work from the "ground level" to establish practices, organizations, and programs to begin the paradigm shift required to effect real change. It is our desire to be involved in this necessary and reasoned movement toward health. As Senator Kennedy wrote in his statement of February 26, 2009, "By preventing diseases before they start and adopting a broader approach to medicine, we will actually reduce costs in the long run, and we will extend and improve the quality of life as we do it." On behalf of the Board of Directors and Members of NAMA, we would be pleased to be included in these discussions and offer the valuable insights and principles Ayurveda provides. Respectfully submitted, On behalf of the Board of Directors, National Ayurvedic Medical Association