Managing metabolic syndromes

Tamil patients turn to learned traditional medicine, such as Siddha medicine, generally after consulting a biomedical doctor. They visit Siddha practitioners mostly for bone and join disorders, infertility and sexual troubles, intestinal troubles and skin diseases. However, an increasing part of the clientele today seeks treatment for metabolic syndromes and their correlative disorders. These pathologies, such as diabetes, constitute a serious new, emerging problem of public health in India. This paper explores the role that Siddha medicine plays in this changing scenario. It examines issues of innovation in medical practice and the ways in which practitioners adopt and get adapted to their new clientele.

This paper is threefold : In the first part, I will define metabolic syndromes, their diseases, and the reasons for their increase in India. The second part will focus on the knowledge of Siddha traditional practitioners pertaining to the treatment of metabolic syndromes. How are these interpreted ? What kind of advice regarding nutrition and lifestyle are they giving ? I will further examine the manner with which they create new, deemed efficacious formulations. The third part will compare the therapeutic choices made by traditional (non-institutional) Siddha practitioners with that presented in the studies written by government Siddha researchers. This will enable me to compare two forms therapeutic of knowledge stemming from traditional and institutional milieu.

Speaker

Dr. Brigitte Sébastia, Researcher at the French Institute of Pondicherry, member of the Center for Indian and South Asian Studies, Paris.

Organisers

Department of Social Sciences, French Institute of Pondicherry.

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001

Time

4.30 pm