India: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices (Summer)

Study ancient and holistic approaches to health and well-being in India. Visit centers of traditional medicine in Delhi and rural areas of the Himalayas.

Kayakalp Ayurveda and Yoga Treatment Center in Palampur

A country of 1.2 billion people, India contains extremes of wealth and poverty, with state-of-the-art hospitals and areas devoid of any formal healthcare services.

This program examines traditional approaches to healthcare in India and how such systems fit into the country’s overall health and development. Coursework will cover the theoretical and practical aspects of traditional health systems, particularly Ayurveda, yoga, Siddha, Amchi, and folk medicine. Students engage with a diversity of practitioners and healers through lectures and site visits to highly regarded traditional health institutions.

From Delhi to Dharamsala
The program begins and ends in India’s capital city of New Delhi and travels for intensive seminar periods to the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. By meeting with traditional health practitioners in different settings, students are able to situate these practices within larger Indian sociocultural and economic contexts.

While modern allopathic healthcare is highly regarded across South Asia, local and traditional medicinal systems continue to be valued and regularly practiced. With the recent establishment of the new government department AYUSH (Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha, and homeopathy) under the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, traditional medicine has gained new ground.

The program is designed for undergraduates studying health sciences or liberal arts.