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Ayurveda in Germany

Ayurveda in Germany

In Germany, Ayurveda along with other Vedic sciences is having good foot hold. Ayurveda Physicians from India are regularly visiting to deliver lectures, seminar and consultations. German Government has still not recognised the practise and trade of Ayurveda. A few wellness centres are established and are doing good work in promotion and propagation of Ayurveda in Germany.

In medical circles, the Medical Association does not acknowledge Ayurveda as a medical system. About 20 doctors mainly use Ayurveda; about 200 doctors additionally use Ayurveda. The conventional Medical men doubts about the curative power of Ayurveda medicines since there is no much evidence-based research acknowledged so far. Among the Heilpractikers or Practitioner of natural medicine (HP), about 20 of them mainly use Ayurveda and about 200 additionally use Ayurveda. They are allowed to independently offer Ayurvedic diagnosis, herbal therapy as well as Panchakarma. Ayurveda therapists are officially not acknowledged as therapeutic and medical assisting professions.
 
Panchakarma therapies are medically feasible only in combination with the already acknowledged profession of a physiotherapist or a nurse or under the   survey of a doctor. These therapies are permitted in the field of wellness and health prevention but permission is not given for invasive methods, purging methods, basthi etc.
Ayurvedic products are only to be sold as food supplements. These are subject to different standards of production and import like ISO-certificates, BDIHstandard and accordingly broad declaration of ingredients is required with quantity. Only pharmacists are allowed to import Ayurvedic medical preparations on their own responsibility and to forward them directly to patients. Ayurvedic medical preparations; as opposed to Homeopathic, Spagyric or Anthroposophic medicines/preparations; are not listed in the Hufeland index, which is the German index for medical professionals to issue invoices. The situation is almost similar in Austria. Here, about five doctors mainly use Ayurveda; about 30 doctors additionally use Ayurveda, among medical circles. Practitioner of natural medicine (HP) profession is not legally permitted in Austria. Training of Ayurvedic professionals is not acknowledged yet in Austria.

Presently, DVOAS, an umbrella organisation of Austrian Ayurveda schools, initiated by European Academy of Ayurveda, is working on enforcing a legal recognition for Ayurveda therapists as medical assisting professions at the Austrian Ministry of Trade and Commerce and the Ministry of Health and to get them a business license. The Federal Ministry of Health established a commission for Asian healing methods in 2005. Representatives of TCM, Tibetan medicine and Ayurveda Medicine were appointed as members in this commission.

The Government of Lower Austria has officially declared Naturarzt for Ayurveda run by Dr. Hans Heinrich Rhyner, as an Ayurveda Village and they will receive a grant form the said Government to realize the master plan of this village according to Ayurvedic and Vastu guidelines.

The European Academy of Ayurveda established by Mr. Mark Rosenberg runs Ayurvedic courses for the past couple of years. The Mahindra Institute of Ayurveda under them is doing good work for the promotion of Ayurveda practise and Education with the help of Indian scholars and Gujarat Ayurveda University. They have established good chain of wellness centres and clinics in Germany.

In Switzerland, the situation is the same. Among Medical professionals, about two doctors mainly use Ayurveda and about 20 doctors additionally use Ayurveda. In the field of Ayurveda Education, in some federal states advanced trainings in the field of Ayurveda are acknowledged as advanced trainings for medical professionals. Ayurveda are not included in the basic insurance plan of Switzerland. A regulatory commission for alternative medicine (REPAM) is founded, which consists of the most important associations of alternative medicine. This includes two Ayurveda associations in Switzerland. Ayurveda is   listed as the fourth "alternative medicine". The others are Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy and traditional European methods of natural medicine. The process of forming an independent medical profession for alternative medicine with an acknowledged diploma (legal status comparable to Practitioner of natural medicine), with focus on Ayurveda, will be a prerequisite for the legal permission for the sale and practice of medicaments of Ayurveda. In Switzerland, this process is supported and accompanied by the government and its subordinate body BBT and a special commission for coordination (KoKo). But this is going to be a lengthy procedure, which is expected to take at least 5 years.
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