Press Release
May 31, 2007
Contact: Kaylyn Kendall Dines
Phone: (973) 972-3000
dineskd@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ Hosts Free Outreach Program on
Ayurveda, an Ancient Medical Science
|
NEW BRUNSWICK — What are the basic principles of Ayurveda and what impact can it have on wellness? These two questions will be addressed during a free educational outreach program on Friday, June 1, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, June 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 125 Paterson Street, New Brunswick.
Dr. H.R. Palep, an Ayurveda expert and Indian physician, will facilitate the program which will include: Ayurvedic Anatomy and Physiology; the process of disease formation; Panchakarma, detoxifying and rejuvenating therapies; and the integration of Allopathic and Ayurvedic treatments.
Dr. Veena Gandhi, a community-based gynecologist and a relative of the late Mahatma Gandhi, is collaborating with the Women’s Health Institute of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, which is under the direction of Dr. Gloria Bachmann, to offer this free educational outreach program. Ayurveda is an ancient medical science that was established in India.
“Ayurveda is a gift from the ancient Vedic culture in India,” said Dr. Gandhi. “It is a holistic approach including body, mind, and spirit. It has been in practice since long before 4000 B.C. Ayurveda healing takes into consideration the uniqueness of each person’s constitution, natural rhythms and cycles of the body.”
Ayurvedic healing also includes herbs, proper nutrition, cleansing processes, massage, yoga, postures, yogic breathing, and meditation. Health care practitioners have included it in treatment plans for illnesses and chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, chronic asthma, arthritis, and depression.
“This program is designed specifically for health care practitioners and individuals who are interested in learning about this ancient medical practice as well as the role that self empowerment and herbal medicine have in modern medicine,” said
Dr. Bachmann.
Ayurveda emphasizes a holistic approach to medicine and healing that accounts for environmental factors and the mental, physical and spiritual state of the body. Diet, sleeping patterns, frequency of exercise are also key components to this medical art.
The media and the public are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to kellysw@umdnj.edu.
UMDNJ is the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,700 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and a school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.
