Ethics Code for Ayurveda Practitioners

CHAPTER 1
ON THE BASIC RULES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE PRACTITIONERS AND GUIDE THEIRS ACTIONS

Article 1 – Ayurveda must be understood as a complete health system based on natural healing and preventive methods, taught by ancient Indian sages. Ayurvedas’s basis and pillar are the great trilogy of the classical texts: Sushrut Samhita, Charak Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya.
1^st Paragraph – Health, from an Ayurvedic perspective, according to Charak Samhita, is understood as a dynamic state in which the doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha are in harmony; Agni – the digestive fire, responsible for the metabolism in all its levels – is in adequate quantity and quality; Dhatus – tissues- are in adequate quantity and quality; excretions are being correctly eliminated from the body; the senses, the mind and the soul are in harmony. This concept, associated with WHO’s definition that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not simply the absences of illnesses, must guide the preventive and therapeutic actions of the Ayurvedic practitioner.
Article 2 – Ayurvedic therapist is the professional who is duly trained in the knowledge and practice of the philosophic concepts about the universe and human beings, in Ayurveda’s specific anatomy and physiology, in the methods used for the evaluation of constitution and imbalances, in the use of preventive and therapeutic methods from the Ayurvedic perspective, according to programs established and approved by the World Movement for Yoga and Ayurveda and its affiliated, following standards of world-renowned institutions, not only in India but also in the West.
Article 3 – The Ayurvedic practitioner is committed to applying the natural resources established by Ayurveda in the promotion, maintenance, and reestablishment of health focusing on the person’s physical, energetic, mental and spiritual balance, and guiding the use of the natural therapies towards the promotion of personal and social well-being in a holistic way.
Article 4 – He must work together with the community in life quality betterment programs, guiding, teaching and spreading the use of natural resources from an ayurvedic perspective.
Article 5 – He is allowed to coordinate multidisciplinary teams in holistic health programs, using and guiding the use from natural resources from an ayurvedic perspective.
Article 6 – He is allowed to develop educational activities (courses, lectures, interviews, seminars, …etc.) aiming at the promotion recovery and maintenance of health.
Article 7 – He must develop scientific works in the field of Ayurveda.
Article 8 – He is allowed to conduct consulting and/or assisting in order to spread Ayurvedic concepts in companies as well as in administrative and people managements, considering individual differences in accordance with ayurvedic typology.
Article 9 – He must be held responsible for any damage due to carelessness, negligence or imprudence whether in individual or group treatment.
Article 10 – He must have adequate attitude and behavior suitable to the dignity of the professional as well as the due respect to the client.
Article 11 – He must refrain from making comments or criticisms about other practitioners because of personal or technical disagreements mainly before clients.
Article 12 - He must give detailed and precise information to other health professionals, whenever solicited, taking into consideration the clients wish when the latter asks for secrecy as far as general evaluation of ayurvedic treatment is concerned.
Article 13 - Ayurveda is a holistic and complete system whose logical basis towards the accomplishment integration of all dwells on a specific vision, rooted on its classic texts. Its practice must never be fragmented, such as prior zing an aspect to the detriment of others.
Article 14 - Ayurveda practitioners must respect all other therapeutic practices, seeking integration and cooperation among them, besides always interpreting them from ayurvedic physiological and physiopathological perspective.
Article 15 – He must constantly brush up on philosophical, technical, scientific and cultural novelties, thus promoting a more competent therapeutic treatment.
Article 16 – He must always have a written recommendation from a licensed medical doctor every time his services are required in surgical centers, hospitals treatment units or any other medical and dental care establishments.
Article 17 - He must see his clients regardless of race, religious or political creeds, gender, age or skin color.
Article 18 – He must be aware not to interfere in medical treatment or any other professional treatments.
Article 19 - He must be aware to recommend clients to others health professionals whenever considered necessary.
Article 20 – It’s important not to lure clients into misleading publicity or to belittle any other therapeutic practice.
Article 21 – He must have the commitment to respect clients’ rights, dignity, privacy and integrity.
Article 22 – He must keep a written record of treatments, respecting the secrecy of the information as well as any other data provides by the clients.
Article 23 – He must keep the clients informed about the treatment, refraining from making promises or false expectations.
Article 24 – He must commit himself to never participate in life risky researches such as physical or more injuries to human being, but instead, denounce them.
Article 25 – He must be aware to abide by the country’s current laws as far as action and the interaction with other health professionals are concerned

CHAPTER II
ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS

Article 26 – Ayurveda practitioners must notify clients or, anyone responsible for them, on any relevant information concerning the treatment.
Article 27 – In his practice, he will guarantee appropriate work conditions to clients’ safety as well as privacy and professional secrecy.
Article 28 – He must refrain from disclosing secret facts on clients because of his practice.
Article 29 – He must keep clients secrets and personal records respecting clients’ integrity and intimacy.
Article 30 – He must respect the clients’ right to decide on himself and his well-being.
Article 31 – He must evaluate his clients in a holistic way according to Ayurveda’s precepts. He may even base his evaluation on modern diagnosis methods according to medical exams.
Article 32 – Clients with no medical diagnosis must be sent to seek a doctor.
Article 33 – He must have a written authorization from the family in order to treat clients when the latter do not have physical or mental capacity or suffer from chemical dependency.
Article 34 – He must keep a progress record of the treatment respecting the confidentiality of the data or any other information provided by the client.
Article 35 – He should do his best to keep the treatment at a reasonable price to the public by being as flexible as possible to cater for low income clients.
Article 36 – The Practitioner with his background must guide his practice to promote his clients in all their dimensions.
Article 37 – He must assure his clients a practice void of carelessness, negligence and imprudence.
Article 38 - He must deliver medical care to his client, with no discrimination of economic, political, religious, gender, age or skin color.
Article 39 - He must respect client’s cultural values and religious beliefs.
Article  40 - He will request written consent of the client to present his  case for evaluation in research events or educational activities according to  the country’s current laws.
Article  41 - It is forbidden to leave the client unattended during his treatment with no guarantee of  assistance or continuity,  except in case of force majeure or on the client’s written request.
Article 42 - It is forbidden to render services which, by their nature, are under the incumbency of other professional, except for any situation in which his background allows him to do so.

CHAPTER III
ON PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENTIALITY

Article 43 - The professional confidentiality is inherent to the profession and imposes itself, with the exception of severe threat to life, to honor or in the case the Ayurveda professional is confronted by the client and, in self defense, is forced to reveal a secret, always restricted to the cause’s interest and only to the competent instances.
Article 44 - Private information given by the client to the Ayurveda professional can be used within the limits of his needs for defense and only when authorized by the client.
Sole Paragraph – Epistolary informations are presumed confidential among the Ayurveda professionals and cannot be disclosed to third parties.

CHAPTER IV
ON PUBLICITY

Article 45 - The practitioner will use the means of communication to inform the great public on the resources and technical-scientific knowledge of the profession.
Article 46 - The practitioner will inform with accuracy his register and qualifications, and only them, while promoting publicly his services.
Article 47- It is forbidden to the professional:
I – to use the service fee as a means of publicity;
II – to allow his professional activity to be used as an award on raffles or as gifts;
III – to make definite forecasts of the results;
IV – to make fees proposals that reflect unfaithful competition;
V – to self promote in detriment of the image or the services rendered by other professionals of the same area;
VI – to propose activities which invade or disrespect other professional groups;
Sole Paragraph: The contents disposed in this Article are applicable to all means of publicity performed by the Professional, individually or jointly.

CHAPTER
on the relationship with the professional category

Article 48 - The Practitioner must behave towards his colleagues with respect, regard and solidarity, thus reinforcing the category’s reputation.
Article 49 - The Practitioner must cooperate with another professional, when requested, except in case of any impossibility resulting from a relevant cause. 
Article 50 - The Practitioner must not, due to spirit of solidarity, be conniving with errors, ethic failures, crimes or penal contraventions by other professionals while rendering professional services.
Article 51 –He will not criticize colleagues in the presence of the clients.
Article 52 - While related with other colleagues, the Practitioner must try to recognize the cases belonging to other professional fields and forward them to enabled and qualified people.
Article 53 - He must respect other therapeutic modalities, to pursue integration with them and develop cooperation relationship aiming to provide the best treatment to the client.
Article 54 – He must cooperate with other therapists providing adequate and accurate information when asked for and to respect client’s right to maintain confidentiality on his energetic unbalance or energetic diagnose.
Article 55 - He must offer the client the best quality treatment and to point out other therapists or health professionals when necessary, or when the therapist in charge could not continue to attend the client owing to defensible causes.
Article 56 – The Practitioner must do his best to keep up with Ayurveda’s concepts and standards before other professionals and his relationship with them.
Article 57 – He must support associations which aim to:
I - Defend practitioners’ dignity and rights.
II – Spread and brush up on Ayurveda precepts.
III – Harmonize and unite his professional group
IV - Defend labor rights of such group
V – Promote citizens’ well-bring
Article 58 – He will become a member, assume positions and participate in activities of the group as well we support initiatives aiming to professional and cultural background to defend the legitimate interests of the group.
Article 59 – He must warn colleagues when carelessness, imprudence and negligence are observed.
Article 60 – The Practitioner updates and broadens his technical scientific and cultural knowledge for the clients’ benefit and for professional development.
Article 61 – He performs his activity with care and probity besides following to precepts of professional ethics, of moral customs, of civic feeling and of current laws, preserving Ayurveda’s glorious tradition, honor and prestige.
Article 62 – He performs his activity with autonomy, respecting the precepts of the code of ethics.
Article 63 – He must perform his practice with justice, competence, responsibility, honesty, care and prudence.
Article 64 – He must base all his practice upon Ayurvedas’s philosophy.
Article 65 – He must keep both equipment and therapeutic premises in perfect hygienic conditions.
Article 66 – He must take up positions only within his technical and legal competence.
Article 67 – He must take full responsibility for his acts in his professional practice whether in individual or group treatment.
Article 68 – He must take up responsibility only for the practice he is eligible to perform – personally and technically speaking

CHAPTER VII
ON SOCIAL RELATION

Article 69 – The Practitioner must see clients, respecting their dignity and rights regardless of race, nationality, political belief, creed, gender, skin color, age and walk of life.
Article 70 – He must interrupt or denounce unqualified practitioners whose behavior is harmful to the society.
Article 71 - He must do his best to keep the treatment at a reasonable price to the public by being as flexible as possible to cater for low income clients.
Article 72 – The Practitioner performs his practice as a member of society in order to meet society’s interests and health needs.
Article 73 – Owing to his professional background, the therapist will respect life, human rights, and ecology, seeking to preserve his clients’ values.
Article 74 – He will respect human life from the moment of conception to death, making sure to never engage in acts which are intent on ending life, or putting his clients’ physical or psychological integrity at risk.
Article 75 – He must conduct personal behavior compatible to his professional dignity and clients’ respect.
Article 76 – He will offer his professional services to the community or to any governmental authorities in times of epidemic and catastrophe without aspiring to personal advantages.

CHAPTER VIII
OF THE RELATION WITH THE LAW

Article 77 – The therapist will make his knowledge available to aid Justice.
Article 78 - The practitioner will refrain from working as a justice examiner in fields that do not encompass his knowledge.
Article 79 - In justice examinations, he will act with full exemption, limiting his practice to the realm of his knowledge and will never inform unnecessary additional information in his clinical statements.
Article 80 – It is forbidden for practitioners to:
I -  Perform as an examiner on former and current clients.
II – Write clinical statements that might not abide by the laws by motives of impediment or suspicion.
III – Take advantage of his current position, of family ties or of friendship with administrative and judicial authorities in order to be summoned to act as an examiner.
Article 81 – Practitioners will perform their practice, respecting and referring to the Law and will work with competence, responsibility and honesty.
Article 82 – It is forbidden for practitioners to become partners with others who perform Ayurveda practice illegally.
Article 83 – It is forbidden for practitioners to act in league with crimes, felonies or illegal acts performed by peers, violating the code of ethics.

CHAPTER IX
ON PROFESSIONAL REMUNERATION

Article 84 – The pay will be agreed upon with dignity and due respect so as to represent just remuneration for the services performed by practitioners. The latter will make sure to charge adequately taking into consideration clients’ need and life standards, thus helping the profession be acknowledged by the whole society as a trustworthy practice.
Article 85 – The remuneration will be carefully calculated considering the practice features and shall be revealed to clients or the institution before the beginning of the treatment.

CHAPTER X
ON COMPLIANCE, APPLICABILITY AND CARRYING OUT OF THE CODE OF ETHICS.

Article 86 - Any violation to the code of ethics, stated herein, will result in sanctions, ranging from written admonishment to the suspension of professional license.
Article 87 – The practitioner will denounce to the respective Authority any person who is exercising the profession without proper license or who is violating any of the laws stated herein.
Article 88 – The practitioner must be aware of and comply with this code of ethics.

Dr. José Rugue