Do Alternate Healers Exaggerate Benefits?


Dear Friends,

I think this is a misstatement. The ayurveds and homeopaths do not usually make any claims. Most of them wish to remain out of the allopathy vs their science controversy and work in private. In the ayurveda and homeopathy groups the doctors often berate me for taking on the allopaths. They feel such a confrontation is not necessary.
 
I too agree with them but I feel the public should be educated about the basis of the holistic therapies and the false claims of the allopaths must be countered. I do receive mails from readers who say they were not aware of the philosophy behind the wholistic therapies.
 
Regarding Dr ___' statement that implies that allopathy is fully standardised, that it diagnoses illnesses on the spot and that all doctores would give the same medicine for the same named condition, I think is an exaggeration. I can walk into ten clinics with a condition and can receive ten types of advice and prescription.
 
I do not blame them but though their method is very rational and objective on paper, the main component, the doctors, are human and each human being is different and therefore would have an entirely different perception about what is right and wrong. A human being cannot really be a fully rational being as the irrational intutuitive or subconscious/superconscious  condition in him is equally strong. The doctors go by their own experiences and therefore would resort to different prescriptions.
 
For the common cold, for example, some doctors would prescribe antibiotics, paracetamol or other pain killers, something for the headache, something to stop the flowing nose etc. Some one else would give Vitamin C, some other vitamins, a vix rub and advise inhaling hot vapours. While another doctor could simply advise the patient to take full rest, plenty of water and wait out the condition.
 
Asthma is known in ayurveda as Dama. It comes under swasa roga classification. I am not surprised that Dr ___ is unaware of this as he is not an ayurved. The asthma preparation of ayurveds varies as per the particular dosha disturbance in the patient and the symptoms. So for the homeopaths, as each patient is different.
 
There may be dry spasms with a whining sound, rattling in the chest without expectoration, copious flow accompanied by hay fever like symptoms, extreme weakness, gasping for air. The attack may be induced by dust, by changes in weather, by a humid climate, by working or getting soaked in water, by getting exposed to cold air or winter, or by strong emotions, by changes in diet, due to digestive disturbances, gas in stomach.
 
The patient may crave open air, may like to remain in a closed room, may require a blanket cover even as the fan is on. The person may find relief while in a supine position, seated, or propped up by pillows, or by walking across the room. The attack may come on in the day time, evening, mid night or after sleep, in the morning hours. The person may like another person to be by his side, or he may prefer to be alone. He may be crying, complaining or cursing others around him.
 
The person may have vata dosha or kapha dosha mixed with vata. There may even be a pitta derangement. As per the homeopaths there may be only the psoric miasm or psora mixed with a sycotic element and even a syphillitic symptom or two.
 
After evaluating all the above the medicine is selected. The prescription would depend upon the symptoms that can be collected. Often the first prescription is given to reduce the severity of the attack and then all the details collected before going in to treat the chronic condition. Often a medicine to tackle the acute condition when it comes up is informed. Along with medicines dietic advice is given. Yogic and pranayama exercises are recommended. The exciting factor is determined and the patient is asked to refrain till his immune system is strong enough to defend itself. The patient is adviced to take light food as dinner and much before his hour of sleep, preferably before sunset. Curd, cold items, items from the fridge (even after warming) are forbidden. Gas producing food is forbidden.
 
At the end of treatment the patient should be relieved of all his symptoms. The exciting factor should no longer be a threat. The mental fears and aberrations should be relieved. THE PATIENT SHOULD HIMSELF ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAS BEEN CURED OF THE CONDITION. If this declaration is not forthcoming the practitioner will rexamine the case, even if the asthma has been relieved, to trace out the root and eliminate the condition in its entirety. Mostly the inherent tubercular condition presents itself at the end.
 
In the above case the allopaths would give an antiallergic, antispasmodic, steroid injections, oxygen, an inhaler, and medicines to aid sleep. All these are useful in an acute attack but these do not address the chronic condition and cannot cure the patient. The patient gets addicted to the drugs, requires more and more of them, the condition may deterriorate as the vital force weakens, the patient looses his confidence, develops panic and fear, can develop cardiac and gastric troubles, and life could become a hell till death comes to permanently relieve.
 
I am talking of real asthma here, not those induced by mismanaged cold by the use of antibiotics proceeding from a common cold, bronchitis, a pneumonia attack and ultimately turning into a condition resembling asthma (Here too inherent tuberculosis is the exciting factor,if it is not entirely medicine induced) . There is also vaccine induced asthma. These require detoxification and again miasmatic/dosha based treatment.
 
Regards,
Jagannath.