As we got out of our small boat, this woman was standing in front of her house. Our trip leader Rebecca chatted with her and learned she is an Ayurvedic therapist. Ayurvedic medicine (also called Ayurveda) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and remains one of the country’s traditional health care systems. Its concepts about health and disease promote the use of herbal compounds, special diets, and other unique health practices. India’s government and other institutes throughout the world support clinical and laboratory research on Ayurvedic medicine, within the context of the Eastern belief system.Key concepts of Ayurvedic medicine include universal interconnectedness (among people, their health, and the universe), the body’s constitution (prakriti), and life forces (dosha), which are often compared to the biologic humors of the ancient Greek system. She also informed us that her daughter has thalessemia major, an inherited life-threatening blood disorder due to an abnormal structure of hemoglobin. I told her I am a pediatrician, and she shared the treatment her daughter is receiving. I pulled out my knowledge of the disorder from the deep recesses of my brain and shared this with my companions. Historically it is believed that the defective gene originated from near the Mediterranean region, hence the name thalas meaning sea. It is found in many countries of Europe, and Asia, including India. The first case of thalassaemia, described in a non-Mediterranean person, was from India. Subsequently, cases of thalassaemia were documented in all parts of India. Centres for care of thalassaemics were started in the mid-1970s in Mumbai and Delhi, and then in other cities. 5/2017 As the number of thalassaemics grows in India, a prevention and control programme is nowhere in sight.