Education

Asavari Manvikar, the founder and lead faculty at Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda is an Ayurvedic Doctor classically trained from the University of Pune, India.

She earned her, Bachelors of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree in 1997, and a Master’s in Kayachikitsa (Ayurveda Medicine) in 2000 from the University of Pune, India. In 2001, she was awarded a Gold Medal for her scholarly thesis work by the Institute of Indian Medicine.

She served as a Doctor of Ayurveda Medicine, Faculty Member, at the BSDT’s Ayurveda College, Wagholi, Pune from 2001-2003. She collaborated with her colleagues to conduct research studies about the integrative approach to diabetes, obesity, and cancer. She has authored several papers and articles in health journals.

In 2011, she developed and started teaching, the graduate-level course CSPH 5343 ‘Ayurveda, The Science of Self-healing’, at the ‘Center for Spirituality and Healing’, University of Minnesota. Through this course, she addresses the ethics, principles, and spirituality underlying the most ancient healing system of Ayurveda, and how to integrate it with yoga, for overall wellbeing.

She is one of the leading Ayurveda experts in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. She has been helping her clients achieve health and wellness through her private practice at Ayuwellness for many years.

She is a very passionate educator and has been organizing regular workshops on various topics of Ayurveda and yoga to increase awareness regarding the holistic approach to health and wellness in the community.

She has been practicing yoga and Ayurveda for more than 20 yrs. Besides, teaching at the Center, she serves as a lead faculty at the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda, which offers professional educational programs in the twin cities and an Advanced Teacher Training Program at the Yoga Center Retreat.

She is a professional member of AAPNA, ‘Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America’. She serves as a President for the ‘Minnesota Ayurveda Association’. She serves on the advisory board of the Hindu Community Center. Her passion is to educate students on how to create balance to achieve health and wellbeing.

• Holistic Health(Diet and lifestyle counselling)

• Prevention

• Yoga and Meditation

She has been awarded a Gold Medal for her scholarly thesis work by Institute of Indian Medicine in 2000.

She has been awarded 'Prabodhratna puraskar' by Jnana Prabodhini in 2016 for her exceptional work in the field of Ayurveda Medicine.

Research

Research Summary/Interests

She believes in holistic interventions such as diet, lifestyle modifications, herbs, and mindfulness based practices can be very helpful in preventing, as well as managing chronic diseases. Therefore, her research primarily focuses on managing chronic diseases such as cancer and obesity. She is particularly interested in analyzing how different holistic interventions– influence symptoms, well-being, and quality of life. To date, she worked in two different research areas mainly.

Previous research experience:

While teaching at the Ayurveda College and Research Center, Wagholi, Pune, India, I contributed to the Cancer Research Project as a Co-investigator, conducted by Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Trust from 2001-2003.

Principle investigator: Prof. Dr. S. P. Sardeshmukh.

Collaboration with Dr.Arvind Kulkarni (Ex-HOD Radiation Oncology Dept, Bombay Hospital).

Co-investigators: Dr.Vinita Deshmukh and her

•Aims:

To minimize the side effects of chemotherapy, and radiation, and evaluate the effects of holistic interventions, in cancer patients. To make the holistic treatments more accessible to low income group community.

Though chemotherapy is highly effective in different types of cancers, toxicities of chemotherapy are severe in many patients. Chemotherapy medicines produce side effects like loss of weight, weakness, diarrhea, loss of appetite, anorexia, vomiting, constipation, stomatitis, burning sensation, fever, alopecia etc.

Radiotherapy certainly is beneficial in reducing tumor size & helps preventing further growth of the disease. At the same time, many patients suffer side effects. Radiotherapy produces side effects like topical burning sensation, itching, discoloration, ulcers, rashes, herpes, loss of appetite, anorexia, stomatitis, weakness, loss of weight. Sometimes these side effects are very severe & due to which patient cannot complete radiotherapy course. Therefore, the aim of research study is to minimize the side effects, and make the treatments tolerable.

•Outcomes:

It is observed that side effects of chemotherapy are remarkably reduced with holistic interventions & patients can tolerate chemotherapy. Diet, herbs, and various holistic treatments improve appetite, promote digestion & relives associated symptoms like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomatitis, diarrhea, constipation, hyperacidity.

As per observations, holistic treatments, create cooling effect & relieve symptoms like local burning, ulcers, rashes. Also local ointments, help reduce discoloration of the skin, and reduce symptoms due to radiation.

•Relevant techniques:

Literature review

Data collection

Observation of patients

Processing and analysis of data

Interpretation of data

•Personal responsibilities:

Literature review

Data collection: Detailed medical history of patients, along with their blood count reports

Observation, processing and help in analyzing data

•Funding:

Department of Ministry of Health and Family welfare under National Cancer Control Program for

Radiotherapy unit.

Currently she serves as an Advisory committee on Research board in Methods Committee, where is works as a mentor for case studies, and helps methods committee to develop outcome measures of chronic diseases.

http://ayurvedaresearchusa.org/resources/outcome-measures/

Academic Interests and Focus

Ayurveda Medicine; Food as Medicine; Holistic Health; Prevention; Yoga and Meditation

Courses

CSpH 5343 Ayurveda Medicine: The Science of Self-healing (sec 001) online in Fall, Spring and Summer

Clinical Interests

Obesity; Diabetes Mellitus; Arthritis; Chronic skin diseases

Asavari Manvikar offers one on one consultations and panchakarma (cleansing technics) to achieve complete wellness at her private practice https://www.ayuwellnessmn.com/asavari. She offers diet, lifestyle modifications, yoga, meditation, and herbal dietary supplement for her clients for healing and bringing balance to their mind-body.

She has over 20 years of experience in helping her clients in managing chronic health issues, such as migraine, headaches, obesity, arthritis, skin diseases, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances by using natural ways of healing.