Swiss practitioner first outsider to receive Ayurveda award
Simone Hunziker helped create the first global online research database for Ayurveda in collaboration with the Indian government
sda-ats
Simone Hunziker, a Swiss exponent of the Indian traditional medicine system Ayurveda, has been recognised in India for her work in promoting the discipline overseas.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Swissinfo.ch's India specialist covers a wide range of issues from bilateral relations to Bollywood. He also knows a thing or two about Swiss watchmaking and is partial to the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
The 54-year-old doctor, who is currently based in South India, received the Pandit Shiv Sharma Oration award from the Indian Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine in the Indian city of Varanasi on February 18. She is the first woman and first non-Indian to be conferred the honour.
“I am happy to receive an award named after one of the most important promoters of Ayurveda in modern times,” Hunziker told swissinfo.ch.
She helped create and launch the first global online research databaseExternal link for Ayurveda in collaboration with the Indian government. As the president of the Swiss professional association for Ayurvedic practitioners and therapists (ASMTA) from 2009 to 2014 she lobbied to get Ayurveda recognised by the Swiss government as a profession.
In 2015, Switzerland became the first European country to offer two federally recognised diplomas in Ayurveda – one as naturopathy and the other as a complementary therapy. The cost of Ayurveda treatments can be reimbursed if patients take a supplementary health insurance package for complementary and alternative health treatments.
“Switzerland has created a model for the globalisation of Ayurveda,” says Hunziker. “It is an example of how Ayurveda can be integrated into the health system through high quality standards.”
She is currently developing a training programme in India for overseas students interested in becoming Ayurveda practitioners.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Ayurveda gets the nod from the Swiss government
This content was published on
Prior to the approval of the national exam and diploma, Ayurveda lacked official recognition in Switzerland unlike other complementary and alternative medicine practices. “Training institutes and schools offer diplomas but they are not officially recognised,” Catherine Goodman Zosso, vice president of the Swiss Professional Association for Ayurveda Practitioners and Therapists (VSAMT), told swissinfo.ch. She believes…
Swiss government approves national diploma in yoga
This content was published on
The September 9 State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation (SERI) decision was welcomed on Thursday by the Organisation of Swiss Alternative Medicine Professionals (OdA KT), which will conduct the exams for the diploma. The five therapies selected by the government for the complementary medicine diploma are yoga, ayurveda, shiatsu, craniosacral therapy and eutony. The…
This content was published on
Using primarily herbal medicines, Ayurveda combines preventive health care, healing and a healthy life philosophy. Treatments can include long-term detoxification programmes as well as quicker pick-me-ups, like oil massages designed to rejuvenate. Established in 1967, Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar, India, was the first institute devoted exclusively to Ayurvedic studies and research. Students from all…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.