While many are confident about conventional Western medicine, some believe alternative medicines are just as beneficial.
One such proponent is Dr CD Siby, Ayurvedic medicine practitioner and director of Ayur Centre.
Born in the Indian state of Kerala, Siby has been living in Malaysia for the past 22 years. Speaking to FMT, he shared his thoughts on the role of Ayurvedic medicine in the present day and why more Malaysians ought to give it a chance.
Siby explained that Ayurveda is the Indian counterpart to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Ayurveda considers that the universe is made up of five elements – ether, air, fire, water, and earth – and focusses on maintaining the balance of energy within the body.
In fact, the word ‘ayurveda’ is the combination of ‘ayur’ meaning life and ‘veda’ meaning knowledge, he said. “It’s the knowledge of life.”
According to him, Ayurvedic medicine is a unique system as it emphasises both prevention and treatment of ailments, often through lifestyle changes and strict diet.
Western medicine is comparatively “progressive”, he said, with new developments occurring on a regular basis. “Ayurveda is a system that doesn’t work as fast as conventional systems. It also depends less on technology, but it is not against it.”
According to him, while Western medicine focuses on managing the symptoms of a disease, Ayurvedic medicine aims to cure the disease instead.
He also conceded that conventional doctors are often better prepared for medical emergencies. “There are pluses and minuses to each system,” he said.
However, he maintained his belief that Ayurvedic and conventional medicine has potential to co-exist while providing patients with better healthcare options.
“Unfortunately,” he lamented, “some proponents of each system would prefer that they stand alone, mostly because of matters of pride and ego.”
The question most people new to Ayurveda ask is: “Is it safe?” To that, Siby gave his assurance that people have nothing to fear from it.
“The Ayurvedic system has been practised for thousands of years. We have our safety methods and clinical approach. Ayurvedic medicine is safe.”
However, unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies that produce tainted medicine with the Ayurvedic label, said Siby, are likely the cause of people’s concerns.
Ayurvedic treatments are often non-intrusive and have little to no side effects as they often use traditional herbs and natural ingredients, he said.
“It is absolutely safe to take. Otherwise, how could the system have survived? It would not have survived if the treatments were harmful.”
Siby shared his belief that Ayurvedic medicine was only recently introduced outside India because of the British occupation of India, which saw traditional medicine being sidelined.
He also asserted that Ayurveda is not religious by nature and that anyone of any faith can seek Ayurvedic treatment without issue. “Anyone can take it. It’s purely a traditional medicine.”
While Covid patients are redirected to modern hospitals as per government instruction, Siby does attend to people suffering from long Covid.
According to Siby, when patients call from overseas, seeking treatment for their condition, he provides them with recipes for herbal combinations they can brew at home.
Diet is an important part of Ayurvedic medicine, but the prescribed diet depends on the ailment of the patient.
“The diet is for the individual patient and the disease. It’s to support the healing process. Imagine having a cough and drinking cold drinks. It will take longer to heal. It’s common sense.”
While he has seen countless patients throughout his career, Siby does remember one particular case involving a 46-year-old wheelchair-bound patient from Kuantan.
She was suffering from chronic fatigue and weeks of Ayurvedic treatment seemed to do nothing. Finally, Siby convinced her to talk to him about what was troubling her. So, she poured her heart out while he listened.
“The next day, I found her standing here telling me, ‘I think I should go back home. I don’t feel the pain anymore!’ In some cases, it’s the mind that needs healing, not the body.”
Siby said that while Ayurveda may not always have the answers, it can sometimes provide solutions that other medical systems cannot. “It is not that Ayurveda can treat all diseases, but there are many diseases for which we can give a better answer.”
Ayur Centre
8, Jalan Utara
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Business hours:
9am-7pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays)
Contact: 03-79542899