Ayurvedic medicine in Germany

In the last years, acupuncture treatment was mostly covered by public health insurance companies. A definite decision to integrate it into the normal treatment schemes is expected for the next months. And physicians who completed an acupuncture course may officially add acupuncture to their title. But there is no official recognition of Ayurveda at all. Nevertheless, private insurance companies partly reimburse their members for Ayurvedic treatment. But these schemes cover only a small part of the population, the better off. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi group dominates the medical Ayurveda market. Maharishi designed an Ayurveda for the West. He softened the harsh Indian purgation therapy, and concentrated on nutrition advices and on massages and oil applications (cf. Stollberg 2001). These applications may be the essence of his success. Maharishi’s speciality is the