{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T17:51:12Z","timestamp":1791827472638,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791763200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000837","name":"University of Nottingham","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000837","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major public health challenge in the United Kingdom (UK), placing strain on the National Health Service (NHS). While Western medicine dominates NCD care, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as Ayurveda, is increasing. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of Ayurvedic practitioners in the UK regarding the use of Ayurveda for managing NCDs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Seventeen UK-based Ayurvedic practitioners participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews that were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Three key themes were identified. First, Ayurvedic practitioners viewed their role as complementary to Western medicine, providing holistic, individualised, and patient-centred care to support NCD management. Second, they faced multiple barriers in the UK, including structural challenges (limited integration, poor institutional support, and restricted patient access) and financial constraints (high treatment costs, lack of NHS coverage, and import regulations). Finally, professional associations played a vital role in providing legal and regulatory guidance, promoting continuous professional development, and supporting research to strengthen evidence and legitimacy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Although Ayurvedic practitioners face considerable challenges in the UK, they play a unique role in negotiating legitimacy, professional recognition, and the epistemological challenges of practising within a Western-dominated healthcare system. Professional associations help legitimise and advance their practice, supporting culturally congruent, patient-centred care that complements conventional NCD management. Despite structural barriers, Ayurvedic practitioners have maintained their presence and have navigated a complex, structurally Western-centric healthcare landscape, offering insights into integrative approaches to NCD care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0360754","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T17:27:51Z","timestamp":1791826071000},"page":"e0360754","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Experiences and perspectives of Ayurvedic practitioners on non-communicable disease management in the UK: A qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-4714-207X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Patricia","family":"Egwumba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Nottingham","place":["Nottingham, United Kingdom"],"department":["Lifespan and Population Health, School of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manpreet","family":"Bains","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Nottingham","place":["Nottingham, United Kingdom"],"department":["Lifespan and Population Health, School of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Nellums","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of New Mexico","place":["New Mexico, United States of America"],"department":["College of Population Health, Health Sciences Centre"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3235-8168","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kaushik","family":"Chattopadhyay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Nottingham","place":["Nottingham, United Kingdom"],"department":["Lifespan and Population Health, School of Medicine"]},{"name":"The Nottingham Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare: a JBI Centre of Excellence","place":["Nottingham, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0360754.ref001","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2003"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref002","volume-title":"Non-communicable diseases [Internet]","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2024"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref003","author":"Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation","year":"2021"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref004","author":"House of Lords","year":"2017"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref005","author":"Public Health England","year":"2016"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref006","author":"House of Commons Library","year":"2023"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0360754.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1786","DOI":"10.1002\/ptr.5911","article-title":"The use of traditional herbal medicines amongst South Asian diasporic communities in the UK","volume":"31","author":"SK Bhamra","year":"2017","journal-title":"Phytother Res"},{"issue":"499","key":"pone.0360754.ref008","first-page":"82","article-title":"Complementary medicine: implications for informed consent in general practice","volume":"54","author":"E Ernst","year":"2004","journal-title":"Br J Gen Pract"},{"key":"pone.0360754.ref009","author":"RY Santosh","year":"2013"},{"issue":"19","key":"pone.0360754.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1548","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.279.19.1548","article-title":"Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study","volume":"279","author":"JA Astin","year":"1998","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0360754.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1496","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1742-1241.2010.02484.x","article-title":"Complementary and alternative medicine use in England: results from a national survey","volume":"64","author":"KJ Hunt","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int J Clin Pract"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0360754.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"152","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdh139","article-title":"Use of complementary or alternative medicine in a general population in Great Britain. 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