Speaker at the "1st International Congress of Integrative and Complementary Medicine" in Rio de Janeiro 12 - 15 March 2018

Brazil introduces Ayurveda into the health system

In mid-March, at the invitation of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the "1st International Congress of Integrative and Complementary Medicine" took place in Rio de Janeiro with over 4,000 participants.

Dr. Schachinger was invited together with three hundred other speakers as an expert in Ayurvedic medicine to give lectures to health policy makers, doctors and therapists. Also present were Dr Rainer Picha, cardiologist from Graz and Dr Walter Mölk from Innsbruck, the directors of the International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation (IMAVF, www.imavf.org). Other guests were prominent doctors and professors of various disciplines such as homeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, phytotherapy and aromatherapy, meditation and yoga, who travelled from all continents.

Why did the Brazilian Ministry of Health organise and finance this congress?

Just like in all other countries, expenditure in the "health system" in Brazil is constantly increasing. The Minister of Health of Brazil, Mr Barros, spoke of wanting to reverse the trend. He wants to move away from financing rising medical costs by implementing measures to improve the health status of the population. Literally, he said at the opening of the Congress, "Promoting health prevents disease!" The Secretary of State for Complementary Medicine at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Mr. Daniel Miele Amado, declaimed: "We want to use complementary medicine not only to extend the life span of the population, but above all to raise the quality of life!" The "3rd International Ayurveda Congress" was also integrated into this congress. It was shown that Maharishi Ayurveda in particular has a huge potential for health-promoting measures. The Ayurvedic methods of active prevention and Transcendental Meditation as a method of deep relaxation can be used for prevention at any time throughout the country. The studies showing a reduction in disease incidence and costs through Transcendental Meditation and Maharishi Ayurveda have attracted a lot of attention. Concrete steps are now being taken to implement Maharishi Ayurveda and Transcendental Meditation, along with other complementary medicine methods, in schools and in Brazil's health system. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Brazilian Ministry of Health can incorporate and implement complementary medicine into its health system. For Dr Schachinger personally, it was a fulfilling milestone to see that research and practical application of Maharishi Ayurveda and Transcendental Meditation are taken seriously by a government agency and are to be implemented at the national level. In this respect, Brazil is a pioneer and unique role model for all other countries in the world. We hope Austria will soon follow this example!