Seeking health under palm trees: Ayurveda in Kerala.
Seeking health under palm trees: Ayurveda in Kerala.
复制标题
在棕榈树下寻求健康：喀拉拉邦的阿育吠陀。
DOI：
10.1080/17441692.2017.1417458
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发表时间：
2017
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Kannan S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Kannan S
医疗保健运动，主要被称为“医疗旅游”，在过去几年中一直是南亚吸引许多国际客户的巨大潜力。印度南部的喀拉拉邦将“喀拉拉邦阿育吠陀”列为其特别的景点之一。本文的目的是研究和了解公共卫生对跨境医疗保健和/或健康运动的看法，特别关注所提供的治疗质量和涉及不同国家患者的伦理问题，以及阿育吠陀治疗的提供者。为了深入了解当地的观点，在喀拉拉邦的阿育吠陀度假胜地，特别是在科瓦兰和瓦尔卡拉，都在特里凡得琅地区，与阿育吠陀从业者进行了访谈。对我们采访的分析表明，在一个以全球资本主义为特征的世界里，营销在吸引客户到度假胜地方面发挥着重要作用。市场的考虑导致了阿育吠陀如何向潜在客户展示的转变。这反过来又破坏了阿育吠陀在喀拉拉邦旅游业中的重要性。可以说，国家的代表认为这是一个机会，而不是考虑进一步发展阿育吠陀作为一种医疗实践的重要性。
Movement for healthcare, mostly termed ‘medical tourism’, has been a sector of enormous potential in South Asia over the past years attracting many international clients. Kerala, a state in southern India, advertises ‘Kerala Ayurveda’ as one of its particular attractions. The objective of this paper is to study and understand the public health view on movements for healthcare and/or wellness across borders with a particular focus on the quality of treatments offered and on issues of ethics that concern patients from across different countries, but also the providers of Ayurveda treatments. To gain insights into local perspectives, interviews were conducted with Ayurveda practitioners at Ayurveda resorts in Kerala, in particular in Kovalam and Varkala, both in Thiruvananthapuram district. The analysis of our interviews shows that – perhaps not surprisingly in a world characterised by global capitalism – marketing plays an important role in attracting clients to resorts. Market considerations led to a transformation of how Ayurveda is presented to potential customers. This in turn has undermined the significance of Ayurveda within the tourism industry of Kerala. Arguably, representatives of the state view this as an opportunity rather than considering the importance of further developing Ayurveda as a medical practice.