Siddha medicine

Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India. The Indian Medical Association regards Siddha medicine degrees as "fake" and Siddha therapies as quackery, posing a danger to national health due to absence of training in science-based medicine. Identifying fake medical practitioners without qualifications, the Supreme Court of India stated in 2018 that "unqualified, untrained quacks are posing a great risk to the entire society and playing with the lives of people without having the requisite training and education in the science from approved institutions".

History

Siddha is an ancient Indian traditional treatment system which evolved in South India, chiefly in Tamil Nadu. According to ancient literature of Siddha, it is said that the system of this medicine originated from Hindu God Shiva who taught it to his consort Parvati. Parvati then passed it on to Nandi and Nandi taught about it to nine Devtas. Though the origin of this system is considered to be divine, Siddhar Agasthyar is considered as the founding father of this medical system. There are 18 prominent siddhars who are the main contributors to this system of medicine. The original texts and treatise for siddha are written in Tamil language. ==Concept of disease and cause==

Concept of disease and cause

Siddha views disease as a condition caused when the normal equilibrium of the three humors (collectively called mukkuttram) – vaadham (airy), pittham (fiery) and kapam (watery) – is disturbed. The factors assumed to affect this equilibrium are environment, climatic conditions, diet, physical activities, and stress. Under normal conditions, the ratio between Vaadham, Pittham, and Kapam are 4:2:1, respectively. According to the Siddha medicine system, diet and lifestyle play a major role in health and in curing diseases. This concept of the Siddha medicine is termed as pathiyam and apathiyam, which is essentially a rule-based system with a list of "do's and don'ts". ==Herbalism==

Herbalism

The herbal agents used by the could be classified into three groups: thavaram (herbal product), thadhu (inorganic substances) and jangamam (animal products). ==Siddha today==

Siddha today

Tamil Nadu state runs a 5.5-year course in Siddha medicine (BSMS: Bachelor in Siddha Medicine and Surgery). The Indian Government also gives its focus on Siddha, by starting up medical colleges and research centers like National Institute of Siddha. and Central Council for Research in Siddha. Commercially, Siddha medicine is practiced by referred in Tamil as . ==Regulation==

Regulation

Practicing Siddha medicine and similar forms of rural alternative medicine in India was banned in the Travancore-Cochin Medical Practitioners' Act of 1953, then reinforced in 2018 by the Supreme Court of India which stated that "A number of unqualified, untrained quacks are posing a great risk to the entire society and playing with the lives of people." The Act requires that qualified medical practitioners be trained at a recognized institution, and be registered and displayed on a list of valid physician practitioners, as published annually in The Gazette of India. The Gazette list does not recognize practitioners of Siddha medicine because they are not trained, qualified or registered as valid physicians. ==Criticism==

Criticism

Since 2014, the Supreme Court of India and Indian Medical Association have described Siddha medicine as quackery, The Indian Medical Association emphatically opposed this position in 2014. In 2018, licensed Indian physicians staged demonstrations and accused the government of sanctioning quackery by proposing to allow rural quacks to practice some aspects of clinical medicine without having complete medical training. ==See also==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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