CAAM Conference 2023 Schedule

Speaker Bio: Marilyn Allen

This is an exciting time for Ayurveda, as worldwide interest and need for this medicine is on the rise. With the creation of Traditional Medicine 2 codes for Ayurveda on the horizon, in the WHO, the world is recognizing the long lasting tradition and efficacy of Ayurveda. The most recent updates to this initiative will be discussed, and attendees will gain an understanding of their positioning globally to help patients heal and position themselves accordingly in the US Exciting times!

Speaker Bio: Vaidya M. Prasad

This extraordinary session will discuss the theoretical and applied aspects of the new medical crisis of Autism Spectrum Disorders, the systematic protocol developed for approaching the problem, its different phases of application, the importance of dietary modifications, and various medicinal preparations which can help control difficult symptoms. The role of ayurvedic therapies and some interesting case studies, all based on more than twenty years’ of clinical experience of Vaidya M. Prasad.

Speaker Bio: Dr. P. Rammanohar

Ayurveda classifies Koṣṭha or Gut directly into three types – krūra, mṛdu and madhya depending on dominance of doṣa which could be due to Prakriti or other factors like diet, lifestyle etc. It is interesting to note that the types of gut microbiota (called enterotypes) can be classified into three large, clearly distinguishable groups: Bacteroides, Prevotella and Ruminococcus named for the bacteria that dominate the intestines of the respective groups. 

Questions addressed in this talk are: Does microbiome signature correlate better with koṣtha classification or prakṛti classification. Is koṣṭha (enterotype) determined exclusively by prakṛti or whether diet, lifestyle and other epigenetic factors.  How can we balance out Koshta to achieve better health outcomes?

Speaker Bio: Dr. Somit Kumar

Top-down pyramid of evidence structure. The presentation would highlight AVP Research Foundation’s efforts to develop evidence at all levels, including case studies, cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials. Practice-based evidence rests on the foundations of the pragmatic clinical trial (PCT), which focuses on the correlation between treatments and outcomes in the framework of real-world Ayurveda health system practices. Documenting existing empirical practises derived from Darshanas (Philosophies), with an unrelenting focus on measuring outcome and causality is the cornerstone of this effort. Documentation and research initiatives of the AVP Research Foundation to make its practice-based evidence initiative more reliable, reproducible, and applicable in personalized, preventative, predictive, and participatory integrative medicine would be presented. Case studies on the treatment of diabetes and its complications like Chronic diabetic foot ulcer, insights from prospective controlled cohort studies on musculoskeletal diseases, and results from RCTs on Rheumatoid Arthritis will be discussed.

Speaker Bio: Pt. Sanjay Rath

Time defines parts of the human body. We are souls trapped in a leathery bottle filled with red and white fluids, kept in shape by a calcium frame. Three other tissues play critical roles of transmitting messages, storing information and intelligence and doing labor.
Five chakra in the torso region define the relative importance of each of these seven parts.

Time has a strong say in how this body changes and how it must be treated by ayurveda. Let’s examine the naisargika dasha (natural process) of the system which answers simple things like why hot flashes occur at a certain maturity and what this implies.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Robert Svoboda

The most precious substance in our Body: Ojas, the subtlest physical essence of the body, serves as the most material link between physiology and consciousness. Ojas is responsible for making your entire organism function harmoniously in all its aspects. Strong ojas promotes clarity of awareness and purposefulness of action, and weak ojas opens the organism to all manner of illnesses of body, mind and spirit. Prana, which represents the flow of intelligence; tejas, which represents the spark of intelligence; and ojas, which represents the continuity of intelligence, are all inherently interdependent on one another.

Speaker Bios: Dr. John Douillard and Vaidya S.S. Galgali

Dr. John Douillard and Vaidya SS Galgali have worked in this arena for several years and bring to discussion and exchange their expertise from a Yogic and Ayurvedic Perspective sharing tools and expertise so as to expedite healing in the Patient. Listen in to their rich discussion of this knowledge!

Speaker Bio: Dr. Pratibha Shah

Autoimmune diseases are thought to affect approximately 50 million people in the United States. They impose a significant physical, emotional, social, and financial burden on the country’s health care system. Despite more than 100 clinically identified autoimmune diseases, understanding of their etiopathology and treatment options is still quite limited. The prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the US appears to be on the rise.

Ayurveda is a 4000-year-old ancient holistic life science. The Ayurvedic framework provides for a clear approach, root cause analysis, and effective application of its principles to these groups of diseases. The well-developed robust concepts of pathophysiology can be applied to deepening our understanding of the architecture of autoimmune diseases, which in turn can lead to their better management, elevating quality of life while also improving prognosis.

This presentation will discuss key aspects of the Ayurvedic approach with the backdrop of what we know today from a Western medicine standpoint, to help demystify autoimmune diseases.

Speaker Bio: Eddie Stern

Classical yoga is a multi-modal approach to the relief of suffering and experience of Self. Rishi Patanjali’s formulation of the eight limbs of yoga accounts for all facets of the human experience from emotional intelligence all the way up to transcendental knowledge. From an integrative well being perspective, much of this occurs via top-down and bottom-up information processing through the brain and body. In this lecture we will examine these mechanisms and see how they correlate with Western Science.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Sarita Shrestha

Migration is the state of pain and pleasure both. It also happens in the human body and is called a disease named “Endometriosis”. Many women of reproductive age are experiencing it and the scale is escalating. A holistic approach of Ayurveda has been seen effective in this complex condition. Addressing such conditions and focusing on Consciousness in health is equally important. However we have to continue our conscious efforts towards achieving pain free, happier and harmonious healthy life for all.

Speaker bios: Dr. Claudia Welch and Dr. Ramkumar Kutty

Drs. Ramkumar & Claudia, co-facilitators of Satsangam’s membership-based Vedic Threads course—are used to exploring ideas together and following threads to see what connects to what—and what unravels. Here they plan to explore what it means to separate maladies into ādhibhautika, ādhyātmika and ādhidaivika categories.

Both Ayurveda and the Bhagavad Gita shed light on these concepts in ways that can deepen our understanding. How we understand these categories of disease may affect our treatment strategy and its efficacy. Join these greatly experienced Minds as they share their insights.

Speaker Bio: Vaidya S.S. Galgali

Many times fever is a reaction of the body and needs to be handled with mild medications and more with following health rules and rest. Hasty treatments to reduce the temperature demolishes the body’s health structure and can result in long term impairments. We will explore and understand stepwise healing with which one should recover first, in a Jvara situation. This promises a valuable insight to all practitioners.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Dinesh K.S.

Ayurveda is a non linear dynamic complex system of health care and disease management but very easy to understand its epistemology.

In my presentation I will consider the efficacy of individually tailored application of ayurveda and lifestyle guidelines for the management of learning disabilities, childhood eczema and recurrent respiratory tract infections. The learning disability interventions are the results of large cross sectional and comparative clinical trials funded by the government of Kerala.

Recurrent respiratory tract infections are a group of interventions during the covid first outbreak and is a part of a public health initiative project funded by Government of India.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Pooja Sabharwal

We will discuss how do we bridge the gap between the opportunity to integrate Ayurveda as an accepted System of Holistic Health and Traditional Medicine, the threat of lack of regulation of Herbal Products, The growing recognition of the advantages of Ayurveda in the US and Misapplication of Ayurvedic remedies and dangers that could bring.

Speaker Bio: Dr. John Douillard

The experience of the doshas in nature is derived from the changing solar rays of light that shift from the Vata to Pitta to Kapha times of day and from season to season. By getting a deeper understanding of the changing frequencies of light we can employ Light itself to address “Prajnaparadha” (the cause of disease), spirituality and much more.

When you dive deep into circadian medicine you find Ayurveda. When you dive deep into Ayurveda you find Light. Learning how to use this Light will refine our subtle perception and ability to heal with Ayurveda.