Dr. Onkar Bilgi speaks to Monarose Sheila Pereira about the wonders of Ayurveda
D. Onkar Bilgi is the owner and founder of Ayursol clinics and specialises in Ayurvedic medicine, sports injury and recovery programs. He did his Bachelors of Ayurveda Medicines and Surgery (B.A.M.S) from Sion Ayurvedic College in Mumbai. He followed it up with a MD in Ayurvedic lifestyle and Yoga.
He says, “Ayurveda is a dynamic field. It is based on ancient wisdom described in philosophy and is very scientific too. Empirical science is taking some time to understand the deeper aspects mentioned in these ancient sciences. It is an excellent tool to help masses to overcome their physical and mental ailments. What we call science now has been always expressed in history in the form of hymns, poetries and philosophies. All modern evolution has some reference point connecting with these ancient references. People all over the world are now opening their arms and embracing this ancient science for keeping them healthy. Brands from the Ayurveda segment are making their presence felt globally, hence creating an opportunity for a good career internationally. ”
Unlike many modern medicines, Ayurveda understands the patient beyond mere symptoms and treats the root cause of the ailment. People express doubts about the time taken for Ayurveda to come up with a good prognosis but Dr. Bilgi assures that with a good thoughtful Ayurveda doctor this time can be considerably reduced with effective results. Unfortunately people come to Ayurveda practitioners only when other methods fail. This situation is a great challenge for Ayurveda doctors.
The approach of Ayurveda is a little different from the present fundamentals of treatment of many modern sciences. Dr. Bilgi informs, “Trust me healing does happen with such age old practices. When a person comes to me with his symptoms, the real challenge is to put him at ease with the situation and give him a natural way out towards attaining good health. Ayuryeda is a holistic form of health. The whole process from the first meeting and understanding the patient’s needs for healing right up to the actual healing and finally the smile on the face of the patient give me great satisfaction and a tremendous sense of achievement too. Ayurveda practitioners in their own way are more than just a doctor. They are healers with a divine science. They have the ability to go to the roots of the ailment and take care of the patient beyond mere symptoms.”
Ayurveda is not the first choice for students but soon because of enough support from the government, BAMS graduates are on the verge of getting equal recognition. This will translate into opportunities for these graduates. The World Health Organisation has said that the importance of natural healing will rise to double strength in the world by 2020. You can start your own practice, or work for health insurance firms, medical offices at primary health care centers, pharma companies, hospital management, skin and aesthetic clinics too. Dr. Bilgi explains, “I was an athlete and I used to play football. The sport was always on my mind. After I studied ayurveda I started helping some football players with their injuries which led to the evolution of performance enhancement programmes for sportsmen and women which I started in 2008. I also came up with interesting Ayurveda life style food recipes which made my presence felt on platforms like Youtube. I have also travelled and taken this great science abroad and am attached to Mickey Mehta’s gyms. So you see the field of ayurveda can be applied to many fields.”
It takes approximately one to three years to get your practice established. Dr. Bilgi assures that one can achieve all the career goals from an Ayurvedic practice.
College teaching Ayurveda are:
Sion Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Sion, Poddar College, Worli,
DY Patil School of Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is a dynamic field based on ancient wisdom described in philosophy and is very scientific too. Empirical science is taking some time to understand the deeper aspects mentioned in these ancient sciences