Deepak Chopra ( New Delhi , October 22 , 1946 ) is an Indian writer and lecturer. He was friends with pop singer Michael Jackson for over 20 years.
In Devanagari script his name is written दीपक चोपड़ा (transliterated as Dīpak Chopṛā).
Summary
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- 1 Biography
- 2 Accusations as a pseudoscientist
- 3 Books of his authorship
- 4 Sources
Biography
Deepak Chopra was born in India in 1946, and graduated as a physician in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he emigrated to the United States , where he pursued a successful career that led to a managerial position at New England Memorial Hospital.
In 1981 he met the aiurvedic healer Brihaspati Dev Triguna, which was a “pivotal experience” in his life. Later he joined the religious movement of Transcendental Meditation® , led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, famous since the 1960s thanks to the Beatles (who after living a few months with him in his asram in India fled in terror, considering him a scammer, and composing a couple of songs mocking his hypocrisy).
Chopra dabbled in the version of Ayurvedic medicine – an ancient Hindu herbalist – that the Maharishi created in the mid -1980s and promoted under his own trademark: most of his “therapies” are not found in any ancient text. The rudimentary original version of Ayurveda is the one that kept India with one of the infant mortality rateshighest in the world: until the beginning of the 19th century, worldwide infant mortality reached 300 ‰: of the 10 or 12 children that all couples had – due to the absence of family planning methods -, before the age of five 3 or 4 years of age died. In comparison, today in Madrid infant mortality reaches 3.2 ‰, in Havana 4.1 ‰ [1] [2] and in Miami 5.2 ‰. [3]
This “medicine” affirms that the vital functions are determined by three metaphysical principles or doshas: vata, pitta and kapha, that would work in a similar way to the astrological signs , determining the characteristics of each individual; Doshas can be known by taking the person’s pulse, or by having them answer a questionnaire.
In 1991, Dípak Chopra, together with Hari Sharma and Dev Triguna, managed to publish an article on “Ayurveda medicine” in the prestigious JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association: “Journal of the American Medical Association”). Among other things, he insisted that taking a pulse was sufficient to diagnose numerous serious ailments. However, knowledge of Ayurveda did not even lead to the discovery of high blood pressure, a syndrome that cannot be measured by pulse. At that time, Chopra even claimed that antibiotics and other modern drugs – which are precisely one of the main causes why human longevity has reached its highest values in human history – do not work.
Accusations as a pseudoscientist
Dipak Chopra has been described as “the most prominent spokesman for Ayurvedic medicine in America.” He mixes ideas associated with quantum mechanics with Ayurvedic medicine, in what he calls “quantum healing.” [4] These ideas are widely rejected by both physicists and doctors, even in some cases reaching real confrontations, as happened with Richard Dawkins during a debate in Mexico City. [5]
In one of his controversial statements, Chopra said that the AIDS virus emits “a sound that leads DNA to its destruction”, and that therefore it can only be treated, according to Chopra, with “primordial Ayurvedic sound”. These statements have earned him criticism from scientists and physicians alike, such as Professor Lawrence Schneiderman, who states that there are ethical problems when “alternative medicine” is not based on any evidence, and that “putting it mildly, Dr. Chopra proposes an AIDS treatment and prevention program that has no empirical support ”. [4]
In a 2008 article in Time magazine, Ptolemy Tompkins commented that most of Chopra’s career has been a “magnet for criticism”; Tompkins wrote that negative views of Chopra have been voiced by the medical and scientific communities, ranging from “dismissive” to “openly condemning,” particularly as Chopra’s claims about the effectiveness of alternative medicine can turn sick people away from effective treatments. of modern medicine. [4]
Among Chopra’s detractors – many of them experts in the areas that Chopra mentions as the basis of his proposals – are famous scientists and doctors such as:
- biologist Jerry Coyne (who has clearly called Chopra’s alternatives “pseudoscience and magic” [6]),
- the theoretical physicist and cosmologist Lawrence Krauss , [7]
- evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins , [8] [9]
- the surgeon oncologist David Gorski (sometimes under his alias ‘Orac’), [10]
- Stephen Barrett , [11]
- science popularizer Michael Shermer , [12]
- neurologist Steven Novella , [13]
- biologist PZ Myers , [14]
- medical consultant Gerald C. Zumwalt , [15]
Books of his authorship
- The path of the magician
- SynchroDestiny
- The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
- Meet god
- illumination
- Perfect weight
- Mind without time, body without age
- The path of abundance
- The way of wisdom
- The lords of light
- Mindful meditation
- Rejuvenate and live longer
- Soulmates
- Perfect health
- Unlimited energy
- Daughters of joy
- Forgiveness (one hundred reflections).
- Body without age, body without mind
- Quantum healing
- Perfect digestion
- The way to love
- The return of the wise
- Merlin’s return
- The seven spiritual laws for parents
- Medicinal plants manual
- Unconditional life.