Megha Das 
In the realm of healthcare, few practitioners are as passionate and dedicated as Dr. Subham Sri Sabat, a B.A.M.S. graduate from the West Bengal University of Health Sciences. He began his Ayurveda journey with suspicion, but became a lifelong advocate for chronic disease prevention. A deep understanding of individual constitutions, a focus on root causes, and a long-term wellness approach are hallmarks of his approach to healthcare. Dr. Subham, an Ayurveda enthusiast, tirelessly dispels myths about this ancient treatment approach outside of his clinic.
- What led you to Ayurveda and your passion for helping those with chronic diseases?
If you ask me about my journey in Ayurveda, I would say it was more destiny than choice. In my college days, I was not convinced about the science of Ayurveda because Ayurvedic treatments depend on Prakriti and doshas (body types). At the time, I thought it didn’t make any sense. But later, during my internship, I came to know that Ayurveda has everything. Ayurveda means the science of life. Western medicines are purely chemical. Ayurvedic medicines are also chemical, but they are derived from natural sources. In today’s era, more than 90% of diseases are chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long-term health problems that can last for months or years. I believe that taking chemical pills for chronic diseases is not good for health. I believe that Ayurveda is the key to curing chronic diseases. Ayurveda may not provide immediate relief from these problems, but it goes to the root cause, thus ensuring that the disease does not relapse.
2. Tell us about your different expertise like Panchakarma, Ayurveda, Kharasutra, etc.
Ayurveda mainly focuses on two types of treatments:
- Samshamana Chikitsa (restorative treatment)- is the use of medications (oushadhi) to treat diseases.
- Samsodhana Chikitsa (purifying treatment)- is the panchakarma, or purification of the body.
Panchakarma is a set of five cleansing procedures:
- Vamana (emesis): inducing vomiting
- Virechana (purgation): inducing bowel movements
- Nasya (nasal instillation): introducing medicated oils or powders into the nose
- Vasti (medicated enema): introducing medicated oils or powders into the rectum
- Raktamokshana (bloodletting): drawing blood from the body
Not everyone needs panchakarma treatment. It is usually prescribed for chronic conditions. Kshara sutra is a special medicated thread that is used to cut away piles mass and fistula tracks. It is performed in cases of grade 3 piles and chronic fistula. It is a cheap, easy, and painless procedure.
3. How do you approach healthcare differently, focusing on long-term solutions over quick fixes?
Every living being is going to suffer from acute or chronic illnesses at different times. Therefore, the approach should be to understand the individual’s Prakriti (constitution) and vikara (derangement), analyze the root cause (nidaan), perform simple parikshan (examination), and advise minimal Ayurvedic medicines, focusing more on pathya (dietary and lifestyle recommendations) initially. As the first step of Ayurvedic treatment, I believe in finding the root cause of the illness and providing a customized treatment, rather than a short-term or symptomatic treatment or a quick fix.
4. Tell us about your experiences at institutions like Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Ayurvedic College & Hospital and BC Ghosh Research Center and how they shaped your expertise?
I learned many things and gained valuable experience at these institutions. They helped me to become a good doctor by sharing their expertise and knowledge.
5. What motivated you to establish clinics in multiple locations?
Luck has helped me a lot. My patients have been very helpful in suggesting where I should open a clinic. They have even found the best locations for me. I am very grateful for their support.
6- How have accolades like the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Best Doctor Award Kolkata and Best Ayurvedic Doctor in Odisha impacted your career?
I appreciate the recognition I’ve received. I feel the responsibility to give better treatment to people and that too with less money.
7- What challenges do you encounter in your field, and how do you address them?
Major challenges are misinformation and unawareness of health. Western civilization has deeply influenced Indians so much that sometimes we forget what treasures. We mostly forgot Indian history in medicine and looked to Pharma companies for every cure which are running mainly on profits and marketing. So it’s better to find simpler understandable health rather than finding cures in chemicals always. People are not ready to understand one thing. When we are born an ingrain doctor is also born in our body. Most of the time, this ingrained doctor cures you. If it fails, you then go to an artificial doctor like me. So normally if you keep yourimmunity system good, Then you will be healthy. That is exactly what Ayurveda says: ‘ VYADHI KHASMATWA’ (Vyadhi means disease, Khasmatva means resistance).
8- Could you share your experiences as an Ayurveda speaker and your efforts to educate people about this traditional medical system?
I started speaking about Ayurveda when I saw that there was a lot of confusion and myths about Ayurveda in people’s minds. I heard at a conference that there is no such thing as ‘virudha arna’, meaning that mixing fruits and milk will not give you good results. Many marketing companies promote honey with warm water for weight loss and other similar ads. According to Ayurveda, we call this virudha arna. It acts as a slow poison.
Certain people think that Ayurveda is not relevant today, that it is something that takes a long time to cure, or that it only means powder kadha. However, these are simply myths. Ayurveda is much more than that. It is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that is still relevant today. I always say that 5,000 years ago, when King Chandragupta had constipation, he used to eat Harada Chuna. And today, whenever Raju also has constipation, he also eats. Harada Chuna. After 1,000 years, even if Raju’s son’s son also has constipation, he will still eat Harada churna.
In my efforts, I cure more than 50 patients daily by using home remedies, such as ginger, garlic, methi seeds, jeera, etc. For other patients, I prescribe simple herbs. One thing I always tell my patients is to follow pathya and apathya, which means to follow the dos and don’ts.
9. Balancing modern digital platforms with Ayurvedic practice, how do you offer free services to your Instagram patients?
Yes, I do offer free services to my customers. I always prefer to utilize my free time with my patients who follow me on digital platforms and have a lot of faith in me. By the grace of God, I already have a lot of patients in my clinic. So I don’t think to charge my digital platform patients. What I think is that health and knowledge should be easily accessible to all. Ayurvedic digital marketing is on the rise, and many people are switching to organic treatment to protect their health and appearance from chemical exposure. It is my duty to ensure that people get the right knowledge and information about it.
10- How do you envision Ayurveda’s role in modern healthcare, and what are your plans to contribute to its growth and recognition?
Why talk about the future when the present is bleak and confused? Start with a clear mindset and each Vaidya must start practicing Ayurveda on themselves with the guidance of gurus and then their families and friends. So the future will have better outcomes of health with fewer resources. I believe in only one thing: we should do an Ayurvedic treatment for chronic diseases with the help of modern laboratory tools (BLOOD TESTS, MRI, etc.).
Dr. Subham Sri Sabat’s destiny-driven path through Ayurveda led him to love the science of life. His Ayurveda speaking and digital platform outreach show his commitment to removing myths and making information accessible. In a world of sophisticated, chemical-laden healthcare, Dr. Subham’s holistic, natural therapy gives hope for long-term health. His vision for Ayurveda integrates contemporary laboratory methods with ancient knowledge to improve health results with minimal resources, which might change healthcare.
