BS Physiology & Health – Pre-Integrative Medicine

UMLAC is the only university in the Caribbean and Latin American regions  offering Maharishi AyurVeda – a comprehensive, prevention-oriented approach to health care based on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s revival of ancient Ayurvedic knowledge, the traditional system of natural medicine of India. Ayurveda or “Science of Life” is a complete science of natural health care addressing mind, body, and environment.

The goals of the programs offered by the Department of the Physiology and Health are:

• to train individuals interested in providing healthy life-style education and natural health care service rooted in the knowledge and application of the clinically-effective, side-effect-free diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available in Maharishi AyurVeda,
• to provide an introduction to major systems of natural medicine,
• to provide an introduction to the applications of integrative health care in a scientific, evidence-based framework.

The foundational courses of Maharishi AyurVeda prepare students to care for their own health through regular practice of Maharishi’s technologies of consciousness – Transcendental Meditation technique and TM-Sidhi program – ideal daily and seasonal routine, balanced diet and lifestyle choices, and mutually enriching social behavior. More advanced courses provide training and practical experience in how to guide clients towards healthier lifestyle choices helping them to maintain or restore good health. Courses in all degree programs offered by the department further aim to build a strong scientific understanding of health from the modern and Vedic science perspectives.

As part of this discipline of health, students will study how human physiology is an expression of the deepest intelligence of nature and how to enliven nature’s intelligence – the inner intelligence of the body – through the Transcendental Meditation technique and other approaches of Maharishi AyurVeda.

Students will study how to assess the level of balance and imbalance in the mind and physiology through the technique of pulse reading, which is one of the most effective means of gauging the degree of balance and imbalance that simultaneously enlivens the inner intelligence of the body. They will also learn how the proper use of diet, herbal food supplements and essential oils, daily and seasonal routine attuned with the rhythms of nature, regular physical activity, and traditional purification techniques from the ancient tradition of Ayurveda can be used for maintaining or restoring balance in the body.

Each program offers theoretical understanding of the main principles of Maharishi AyurVeda as well as extensive practical experience consulting with clients in a clinical setting. On the graduate level students will probe deeper into the knowledge, focusing on how to treat specific organ systems and health concerns.

The Pre-Integrative Medicine undergraduate program offers foundational courses in both modern science and Maharishi AyurVeda. It prepares students for medical school and graduate training in other health professions.

Integrative medicine is the practice of modern, conventional medicine integrated with natural, complementary and alternative medical practices.

In our pre-integrative medicine program we offer courses in the following areas of study that are required for most modern (allopathic), naturopathic, osteopathic, and chiropractic medical schools.

• Physics: Study of matter, energy, space, and time, and their interrelationships with one another.
• General chemistry: Study of elements and their compounds, except those containing carbon.
• Organic chemistry: Study of carbon-containing compounds.
• Biochemistry: Study of basic chemical structures and chemical transformations that take place in living systems.
• Biology: Study of living organisms, molecular and cell biology, and human anatomy and physiology.

Note: MUM general education courses offer necessary writing skills and math proficiency to prepare students to take these courses in the pre-integrative medicine track. Graduating from the pre-integrative medicine track fully prepares students to enter the dual degree MD MS track enabling seamless career path – from BS to MD MS.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, dental, and other health care training programs have similar entrance requirements. Those who are interested in allopathic or osteopathic medical schools will have the opportunity to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), which is required by allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.

In the area of foundations of natural medicine, we offer the following areas of study in Maharishi AyurVeda:

• Pulse reading: Learning to detect balance and imbalance in the body by feeling the pulse.
• Diet: Study of diets that balance and nourish the physiology.
• Daily and seasonal routine: Study of how to align the individual life with the daily and seasonal rhythms of natural law.
• Family health: Study of how to promote health in the areas of preconception, pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal care.
• Maharishi Yoga Asanas: Learning to use Vedic body postures to enliven mind-body coordination to support pure awareness, the state of yoga.
• Maharishi AyurVeda Wellness Consultant Training: Training students to be able to consult with clients, family, and friends to help them achieve higher levels of health and wellness through Maharishi AyurVeda.
• Maharishi AyurVeda Wellness Consultant Practicum: Practicing the knowledge of Maharishi AyurVeda with clients in a clinical setting while under the supervision of experts in Maharishi AyurVeda and modern medicine.
• Scientific foundations of health: From both modern science and ancient Vedic science, students will learn foundations of human anatomy and physiology.

To learn more about the Program’s Graduation Requirements, click here

To learn more about the Program’s learning outcomes and assessment measures, click here