New Delhi, Nov. 19 -- Over the past few years, a friend has undergone Ayurvedic treatment for fluctuating blood pressure at a hospital in Kerala. Each year, the insurer pays the cost of a week's hospitalization, but this time it demurred and rejected the claim, saying that the annual treatment seemed more for rest than a medical necessity. It is harder to get Ayurvedic claims through insurers.

There is no denying the popularity of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is mostly accepted for chronic, low-severity medical conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol or arthritis. The severity of the health condition is important in deciding the treatment protocol. Someone with mildly-elevated creatinine levels will look to Ayurveda standalone or as a su...