Religion and Healthcare – Hinduism

The following answers were compiled from an interview with Pt. Ansuya P. Guar, who is a priest in Hindu Prarthana Samaj in Toronto, Ontario.

Q: What is the Hindu philosophy concerning health and well-being?

A: Hindus believe in preventative medicine. Food in particular is considered a medicine that maintains health. Hindus believe that the vegetarian diet is pure, and, by not eating meat, they avoid consuming reincarnated beings, which would bring bad karma. They also believe that exercise and yoga should be practiced daily to maintain good health.

If the body has a problem, various things are done before taking Western medication. If your back aches, yoga might provide a cure. If you have a problem with your arm, exercise might help, and if you have, say, a stomach problem, a specific diet that excludes dairy products might eliminate symptoms.

Q: Does Hinduism have any dietary restrictions?

A: Hindus shouldn't eat meat of any kind, or fish or eggs, and they avoid alcohol.

Q: Does Hinduism have a history of traditional or herbal medicine?

A: Yes: Ayurveda. Ayurveda has been passed down through the generations and generally deals with preventative measures particularly administering food and exercise as a daily medicine. Homeopathy, a Western influence, is also widely practiced and came into popularity in the 1800s.

A practitioner of ayurveda is called a baid. A practitioner of homeopathy is called a doctor. Often baids are trained in both ayurveda and homeopathy. Although, usually, they will see a baid first, many Hindus have now begun to combine the treatments of baids with Western medicine. Western healthcare practitioners should ask patients if they are taking any ayurvedic or homeopathic medicines before starting other treatments.

Q: Are there treatments or medications, which are refused by Hindus?

A: Hindus theorize that an animal killed for a medicine might have been a person – perhaps even a close relative – in another life. Therefore, medications made of animal products are not acceptable, since they invite bad karma.

Q: What is Hinduism's position on the following?

A: Organ transplant/organ donation: Most Hindus do not donate their organs because they are not sure how it will affect them in their upcoming lives. Transplants did not exist when the religion was founded; therefore, it was not covered in the texts of the time.

Birth Control: Taking birth control is fine, but sex is only acceptable within marriage.

Abortion: Abortions are not allowed, since they are considered to be murder. If, however, the mother's life is in danger, it is better to save the mother than the fetus.

Autopsies: Autopsies are not desired, but if the law requires one they will allow it.

Q: What should a healthcare professional know about a Hindu's view of death?

A: Hindus believe that the birth and death of an individual is pre-destined by a supreme God. When a person dies, the spirit goes to God for 365 days, in which time the person will be called to account for the actions of his/her life, and it will be decided in which form he/she will return in the next life and how long he/she will live. Although health and protecting life are of utmost importance, the length of a person's life cannot be changed. Even if a patient is put on life support equipment, the death will still take place at the pre-destined time – when the "machines" in the body give out. According to the Hindu zodiac, the maximum amount of time a person can live is 120 years, although, in very rare instances, this can be exceeded.

Hindus always hope for a natural and peaceful death – even early on in life, they pray for a good death. For instance, it is believed to be better to have a quick death from a heart attack, than to have a long illness and slow death from a disease, such as cancer.

Prayers are said when the person is in the hospital and then right after the death. Wherever a person dies, whether in a hospital bed or at home, rites are performed. After death, the body is cremated and the remains are dispersed in water.

Background on Hinduism Hinduism is more than just a religion – it is a way of life that includes lifestyle, exercise, and diet as well as faith. Hinduism follows a great number of holy texts, which were both supernaturally and humanly inspired. Hindus believe in reincarnation and that they can be reincarnated as any living thing. The two key concepts of the religion are dharma (the social and physical world) and moksha (release from the cycles of reincarnation). Moksha is the ultimate goal for Hindus. For more information see Hindu Web Universe and Hinduism Today.

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