HomeHealthEntertainmentOpinionInterviewsHoroscopeCartoons

Note from the Author
   The following is based on a response I prepared to a question posted to the Internet SKEPTIC Discussion Group, asking for information on the validity of the theories of Deepak Chopra, M.D. I teach an elective course for medical students on the subject of "alternative medicine"*, and have accumulated material in this area over the last few years.
   What follows is not an investigative report, but rather a summary of material which I already had on hand. I should point out that I do not have Chopra's books and have not read them; I am, for the most part, merely summarizing statements and opinions of others. I have focused on points related to medical claims, rather than those dealing with transcendental meditation.
   * I follow the standard set by Kurt Butler (Ref. 1, p. 2): "The word 'alternative' appears in quotation marks because the methods it characterizes are not true alternatives. A true alternative to an effective health-care method is another method that has been proven effective. The methods described herein are ineffective, unproven, or both."
   Thomas J. Wheeler, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Louisville.

What is Ayurveda?
   To introduce the subject, I quote from a book by Kurt Butler (Ref. 1, pp. 110-111):
   Ayurvedic medicine is Indian folk medicine with roots going back about two thousand years. It is promoted in America by disciples of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the transcendental meditation (TM) guru.
   By far the most publicized practitioner is Deepak Chopra, M.D., a Western-educated Indian physician who turned to Ayurvedic medicine after converting to the TM religion. Chopra's books include Creating Health: Beyond Prevention, Toward Perfection [Houghton Mifflin, 1987], The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams [Amber-Allen Publishing, 1995], Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine [Bantam, 1989], Perfect Health: The Complete Mind/Body Program for Identifying & Soothing the Source of Your Body's Reaction [Harmony Books , 1991], and Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old [Three Rivers Press , 1998]. All are dedicated to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose "extraordinary insight" and "timeless knowledge" enabled Chopra to restructure his reality.
   The following summarizes some points in Butler's discussion (pp. 111-117) of Chopra and Ayurvedic medicine. (Comments in square brackets are my own):
   The beliefs and practices of Ayurvedic medicine fall into three categories: (1) some that are obvious, well established, and widely accepted by people who have never heard of Ayurveda [e.g., don't overeat]; (2) a few that proper research may eventually prove valid and useful [herbal remedies may contain useful drugs, but their dangers and limitations often have not been scientifically investigated]; (3) absurd ideas, some of which are dangerous.
   The third category of Ayurvedic medicines includes Dr. Chopra's advice for preventing and reversing cataracts. Each day, he advises, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, spit into a cup of water, and wash your eyes for a few minutes with this mixture.
   Since Ayurveda attributes many diseases to demons and astrological influences, it is not surprising that incantations, amulets, spells, and mantras are commonly used remedies." Some Ayurvedic remedies employ animal urine and feces [however, it was not stated that Chopra advocates these].
   Chopra's own words show how he has given up critical thinking in favor of ancient dogma. He says that a good Ayurvedic physician can tell a meditator from a nonmeditator, diagnose illness, and prescribe appropriate remedies, all by feeling the patient's pulse." [Traditional Chinese medicine also claims to be able to detect many qualities and symptoms from the pulse, a claim which is rejected by scientific medicine.]
   Chopra espouses Ayurveda's mystical medicine the way one might believe in a religion: Ayurveda's approach to physical disorders is not basically physical at all...Faced with any illness, the vaidya (Ayurvedic physician) turns directly to Nature's intelligence, where he finds the real cure. The herbs, minerals and metals that he uses think the way we do...Ayurveda works because it corrects a distortion in consciousness...
   Chopra repeatedly asserts that 'for every thought there is a corresponding molecule. If you have happy thoughts, then you have happy molecules.'...Chopra also asserts that masters of Ayurvedic medicine can determine an herb's medicinal qualities by simply looking at it. Scientific study is therefore unnecessary.
   Chopra promotes the Ayurvedic claim that certain exercises and asanas (yogic positions) can stimulate endocrine glands to excrete their hormones. Since he is an endocrinologist, he should not find it difficult to perform studies to test this concept...As far as I know, he has never conducted any such study.
   The next section of the book deals with Chopra's endorsement of claims of Maharishi Transcendental Meditation regarding effects of TM on crime and war, etc., and the ability to levitate. Butler challenges Chopra to produce someone who can levitate, as demonstrated by the following test: sit on a scale and reduce body weight by 5 percent for 15 seconds using mental power alone.
   Chopra is the ideal propagandist for Ayurveda because, as a medical doctor, he can give it a respectable scientific aura. He occasionally gives therapeutic drugs and surgery their due for infections, cancers, and heart conditions. Yet at other times he says that 'the direct nondrug cures (especially TM) are more effective because they exhibit more complete, holistic knowledge and more pervasive correlation.' On a 'Sonya Live' program, he said that antibiotics and anticancer drugs don't work. He blamed chemotherapy and radiation for 'an epidemic of immuno-compromised disease,' which is pure poppycock.
   In one of his books, Chopra advocates a special diet, along with herbs, meditation, etc., for asthma, but doesn't mention the avoidance of allergens such as animal hair and house dust.
   Chopra also exaggerates the importance of positive thinking in cancer therapy...Although a positive attitude may help a cancer patient feel better, comply with treatment, and have a better quality of life, no scientific study has demonstrated an effect upon the cancer itself."
   Nor have depressed people been found to have a higher incidence of cancer.

The JAMA Caper
   Chopra was at the center of a controversy in 1991, when JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) published an article entitled "Letter From New Delhi: Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Modern Insights Into Ancient Medicine," by Hari Sharma, Brihaspati Dev Triguna, and Chopra (Ref. 2). The article describes traditional Ayurvedic medicine, and then defines "Maharishi Ayur-Veda" as "a modern revival, taking into account all of these approaches in accordance with the classical texts...under the direction of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in collaboration with leading Ayurvedic physicians." Included in the article are discussions of the benefits of TM and results of scientific investigations of Ayurvedic herbal remedies.
   A later issue included numerous letters (Ref. 3) both favorable to and critical of the article, a reply from Sharma and Chopra (Ref. 4), and a "Medical News & Perspectives" report (Ref. 5). Because JAMA has a policy concerning disclosure of financial interests for authors of articles and letters, we can learn that the authors of the favorable letters all were involved in the practice of ayurvedic medicine or TM, some with direct connections to the Maharishi's enterprises. Among the critical letters:
   Patrick Ryan, a former member of the TM organization and now "an educational consultant in the field of cult exit counseling," stated, "The article has factual errors and, by omission, paints a false picture of a rather unscrupulous organization. Most references cited are generated by the Transcendental Meditation (TM) 'movement.' Professional critiques of TM research state that 'the scientific research is without objectivity, and at times, simply untrue,' and it is 'deliberately contrived to mislead the public.'...Drs. Chopra and Triguna offer Maharishi Ayur-Veda services for a fee. By failing to cite the contraindications (problems with headaches, insomnia, concentration, gastrointestinal upset, hallucinations, anxiety, depression, and destruction of personality) of Maharishi Ayur-Veda, the authors violate the ethics of informed consent."
   Gordon White, another former member of the TM movement, provided additional criticisms of the alleged benefits of TM, with some literature references.
   Wallace Sampson, MD, who is board chairman of the National Council AYURVEDA Against Health Fraud, noted that the article contained "a collection of dubious results of 'pulse diagnosis' and herbal and dietary treatments...Although some of the results have been published, they have not been validated by independent observers. They are inconsistent with scientific knowledge and method." Similarly, Tim Gorski, MD asked "Where is their double-blind controlled study, for instance, wherein it is shown that Ayurvedic practitioners can accurately 'diagnose diseases...such as diabetes, neoplastic disease, musculoskeletal diseases, and asthma' by palpation of the radial pulse? Just think of all the laboratory analyses, surgery, x-rays and spirometry that could be dispensed with if they could prove such claims!"
   John Patterson, PhD (Iowa State University) (whom some readers may know for his activities in dealing with creationism), noted that "The TM movement is to Hinduism what the Creation Science movement is to Christianity - an aberration. Both are best viewed as religion in the guise of science."
   Kevin Garvey, a "counselor and legal consultant on cases stemming from TM's abuses" wrote, "The line describing mind as 'a physical expression of the self-interacting dynamics of an underlying abstract field of intelligence,' and which emphasizes this as a principle, fails to identify its theological import. This is, however, a reference to Hinduism's concept of Maya (matter is an illusion), Maya's integral relation to Monism (all things are made of one substance), and the belief that this substance is spirit. Transcendental Meditation Ayur-Veda defies all medical knowledge because it accepts the archaic belief that disease is the result of assault by female demons! This bit of truth, of course, is not acknowledged to Western audiences."
   Most of the reply by the authors (Ref. 4) dealt with the evidence concerning the beneficial effects of TM. In response to Gorski, they referred him "to the references in the original article," but the only reference to pulse diagnosis was not to the conventional medical literature but rather to a book published in India entitled The Essence of Pulse Diagnosis. They did not respond to comments by Garvey and Sampson.
   The report included in the same issue, written by associate editor Andrew Skolnick, was entitled "Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Guru's Marketing Scheme Promises the World Eternal 'Perfect Health'" [5]. Skolnick also wrote a report on the episode ("The Maharishi Caper: JAMA Hoodwinked (But Just for a While)") which appeared in the Skeptical Inquirer (Ref. 6). A further note concerning the affair appeared later (Ref. 7).
     One of the major points of Skolnick is that despite indicating on a financial disclosure form that they were not affiliated with any organization that could profit from the publication of their article, the authors "were intimately involved with the complex network of organizations that promote and sell the products and services about which they wrote. They misrepresented Maharishi Ayur-Veda as India's ancient system of healing, rather than what it is: a trademark line of 'alternative health' products and services marketed since 1985 by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi..." (Ref. 6, p. 255).

HomeImagine MediaHumor Factory
PhotoContact