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September 2002

By Manisha Jain

Both allopathy and alternative systems have their strengths and shortcomings. An emerging trend fuses the best of both to offer salve to suffering humanity

It was a symposium on alternative medicine in Delhi where I met a young lady doctor from Mumbai. Curious, I asked her what motivated her to attend it. She said she was a specialist in respiratory diseases, but all through her practice, she felt handicapped, even guilty, because she was unable to help her patients with the options given her by modern medicine, which is found wanting in treating such problems.

This lady doctor turned her failure into an opportunity to learn from other systems to equip herself better in her profession. Similarly, there is a glimmer of hope and opportunity in the snowballing global health crisis.

Hectic lifestyles, mechanized work, unbearable stress levels, packaged foodstuff, lack of manual activity or exercise and environmental pollution have all resulted in a constant deterioration in health, an increasing number of psychosomatic ailments, and new strains of diseases, some fatal.

While modern medicine continues to race to cure the growing number of diseases and patients, the cracks are showing. Strong medicines and invasive therapies invariably lead to iatrogenic diseases. Or, in the absence of addressing the cause of the disease, it resurfaces.

With specialization, dependence on sophisticated diagnostic and treatment methods, health budgets-of both families and governments-are bursting at the seams. Not surprisingly then, people, groping for a safer, cheaper alternative, try out traditional systems and newer modes of healing. Some get relief, others are led up the garden path.

In any case, information is sorely missing about which system is the most effective in which kind of health problem. Other dilemmas remain. For example, to handle a headache or fight a fever and get back to work, should I just pop some pills or opt for the gentle but long-drawn out solution offered by alternative medicine?

There are no easy answers. Only a beginning can be made. Talking to experts or tapping available information can help us understand the strengths and weaknesses of allopathy and complementary systems, which array an entire spectrum from traditional, time-tested systems such as ayurveda and acupuncture, to comparatively recent but well-documented homeopathy, to brand new energy healing practices such as reiki and pranic healing. What is heartening is a new trend to mix n’ match therapies. Complementary systems in any case have scope for this liberty, even many allopaths are opening their minds to experiment with incorporating other systems. Or at least acknowledging the importance of diet, lifestyle changes and psychological factors. The luminaries lighting up the path include from Deepak Chopra and Dr Dean Ornish to Dr Naresh Trehan. Mind-body medicine is now a major discipline. Holistic medicine is a new catchphrase. The trend is leading to Integrated Medicine, harnessing the best from all systems, and prescribing the remedy or remedies to best help the patient. Integrated medicine is thus patient-centric, not pathy-centric. Already there are hospitals and doctors avowedly practising Integrated Medicine. But first the story so far. Conventional medicine is heavily depended on in cases of casualties in war, large-scale disasters, relief operations, accidents and first-aid. Then again, it is the therapy of choice when wrestling with fatal diseases such as cancer and AIDS and emergencies such as a heart attack. Surgery, which in many cases can save lives, is, of course, the sole preserve of allopathy. So is vaccination, which its votaries claim has eliminated many scourges like smallpox from the face of the earth, and controlled childhood diseases such as polio. Critics pick holes in such claims and argue that vaccines needlessly inject poisons into the body. Indeed, one cannot overlook the several side-effects that accompany the use of allopathic drugs and practices. For instance, in the early stages of cancer, chemotherapy is known to be fairly effective and has near perfect results. But it has long-lasting deleterious effects, causing severe hair loss, in some cases, even baldness. This can leave deep, psychological scars, especially for women. Chemotherapy is also known to cause severe depression and anxiety. Complementary systems, on the other hand, are known to have no side-effects. This is because many of them are drugless while others predominantly use herbal preparations. So it is not as if a pranic healer, treating you for backache, will divert all the negative energy to settle in your stomach, causing a stomachache. But if you continue to take Brufen or Voveron (for backache) over long periods, it will lead to serious gastric and intestinal disorders. The multiplicity of complex and expensive diagnostic procedures is another bane of allopathy. The modern practitioner recommends them because he has stopped relying on his own observation and experience and wants to play safe. Even pediatricians are now seen writing out a flurry of tests in something as commonplace as a fever. In sharp contrast, pulse diagnosis of ayurveda and Tibetan medicine can identify and pinpoint the disease within minutes. Some energy healers claim to scan the chakras (in the bio-plasmic body) to gauge what is wrong in your body. Sometimes, a disease that may not surface in normal diagnostic procedures can be detected thus. When it comes to choosing the cure for his malady, a patient is impeded by the lack of research available on the alternative systems of medicine. Medical journals and tomes on conventional medicine abound but although some doctors of Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) and homoeopathy have floated their websites to offer interactive information over the web, there is still a need for more and more practitioners to put together their research and make it easily available. In the face of such a lack of knowledge, a patient falls back on allopathy for ‘instant relief’. Doctors, of course, defend allopathy against all criticism. Dr S.P. Seth with a clinic in south Delhi, asserts: ‘I get 100 per cent success rate with allopathy alone. We take care to avoid side-effects by giving a balanced prescription. For instance, if we give Brufen to a patient, we also give antacid along with it.’ Dr Seth strongly believes that we should not mix two pathies. ‘There is no comparison between homeopathy or ayurveda with allopathy. A lot of research has gone into allopathic medicine, for example on life-saving drugs. But homeopathy seems to work more as a fluke. There is no R&D there.’ However, a major limitation of allopathic medicine is that it is geared towards treatment of symptoms only. It does not go to the root or the intrinsic cause of the illness. Once the symptoms are addressed, the treatment ends. After some time, a relapse may occur and symptoms reappear. Alternative medicine looks into the root of the disease, taking into account various factors such as heredity, psychological condition, fatigue and anxiety. For instance, recurring headaches can be cured rapidly with few doses of Aspirin or Vasograin, but the underlying cause may be related to weak eyesight, sinusitis, a faulty diet or anxiety. A homoeopath spends at least one hour interviewing his patient, on life history, food habits, hereditary factors, stress conditions and so on. He does this to ascertain psychosomatic origins of the ailment before prescribing a remedy. The increasing number of votaries of homoeopathic medicine include those who were not cured by allopathy. Usha Thakore, a reiki teacher in Mumbai, says: ‘The prime difference between allopathy and alternative therapies is that while the former acts only on the body level (effects), the latter works on the mind (the cause). Following alternative medicine is all about self-discovery and nurturing your body with minimum side-effects.’ She adds, ‘Take insomnia. Many doctors would recommend sleeping tablets, but in the long run, meditation can give you a lasting change. My students have been able to cure a wide range of problems, from chronic acidity to thyroid trouble with reiki. Again, are there medicines to become loving and kind or to repair your relationships?’ All systems of medicine are aimed at harnessing the self-regulating and healing mechanisms inherent in the human body, but we often overlook this in our obsession with modern science and progress. The objective of medicine is not only to treat sick people but to ensure their good health and well-being significantly. A healthy person can realize his full potential and armed with better immunity prevent many illnesses. Another advantage alternative medicine has over conventional medicine is the significance it attaches to prevention. Preventing a disease is always easier than curing it. Ayurveda and nature cure practitioners particularly counsel you on lifestyle, diet and habits. ‘Ayurveda’ means science of life, while many health care systems carry the suffix ‘pathy’, referring to illness. Alternative systems of medicine are generally cheaper. Ayurvedic medicines and oils, homoeopathic remedies, all these are fairly inexpensive and easily available. In yoga and nature cure, costs are almost nil. Patients who use alternative medicine do so either for relief of symptoms in mild or chronic illnesses and in life threatening conditions, typically as adjuncts to conventional medicine. To what extent does the ‘placebo effect’ explain the popularity of alternative medicine? Now more commonly addressed as non-specific effects, this phenomenon encompasses several factors including the environment, the relationship between the patient and the practitioner, beliefs and expectations of both and the natural history of the disease. The nature of the ‘placebo effect’ is itself under investigation.

Vaidyas and homeopaths decry the placebo accusation leveled against them. ‘Our veterinary products effectively cure animals-placebo effect cannot be said to be at work here,’ they argue. Delhi-based allopath turned holistic medicine practitioner Dr Ravinder K. Tuli offers a balanced perspective on the debate: ‘Many of the common drugs being used today have their base in the herbs that were used in olden times, which were later chemically constituted into new drugs like Aspirin. Allopathic drugs can be called more reliable in terms of standardisation and quality control.’ Dr.Tuli continues, ‘While, in case of other medicines, one is largely dependent on one expert passing the secret on to another with no detailed documentation available about the constitution of the medicine. Commercialization of herbal products has also made their authenticity suspect. Again, not knowing the composition of these drugs, we keep consuming them which may be say good for the liver but bad for the kidneys.’ Alternatives can certainly supplement and complement even in emergencies. For instance, a person who suffers a heart attack needs to be rushed to an ICU, but this does not mean that Aconitum, Arnica or Cactus, or an individually prescribed remedy cannot help. In fact, the immediate use of homoeopathic medicine can be lifesaving. Another example is a herniated disk, which requires surgical intervention. A homoeopath may recommend the same, but may also prescribe Hypericum, Bryonia, Agaricus, Aesculus. Further, after the acute attack has subsided, the homoeopath may prescribe constitutional remedies to help strengthen the person’s overall health, potentially reducing the risk of another herniated disk. Every medical system has its so-called incurable diseases which have treatments in other forms of medicine. Hepatitis, hypertension and backaches are considered incurable by Western medicine but not by other systems. In heart problems, cancers, diabetes, epilepsy, paralytic stroke, backaches, sciatica and cervical spondilitis also allopathy proves inadequate.

Ayurvedic panchakarma and nature cure can effectively treat many of these conditions. Ayurveda has a sure remedy for asthma and homoeopathy works like a miracle in some chronic skin problems. Patients of backache, asthma, stomach ailments and psychological disorders report satisfactory results from Siddha treatment. This system is mostly popular in south India and dates back to several centuries. Dr Ashwani Chopra, a renowned gastroenterologist and Director of Aashlok hospital in south Delhi, has smoothly combined reiki and yogic healing with allopathy with stupendous results. He concedes that alternative healing has been effective where modern diagnostic procedures have failed. For instance, a patient was diagnosed as suffering from pancreatic cancer after studying his chakras. Ironically, the condition did not show up on the CT-Scan. ‘Being a doctor is all about being compassionate and really loving your patients. The true healer is a person who can give unconditional love,’ he says and adds that his choice of therapy or treatment depends upon what kind of patient he is treating. There is a distinct spiritual element in Dr Chopra’s practice. He begins every major surgery with a prayer, invoking God to make him a ‘channel’. He asserts that combining different therapies gives him that much more play. He adds that this method of ‘integrating’ various systems of medicine for better results is fast becoming popular. Dr Chopra says that allopathy, coupled with Unani and ayurveda, has shown excellent results in the treatment of cirrhosis. Similarly, leukemia patients have responded well to allopathic treatment when integrated with ayurveda. He uses reiki along with allopathic medicines to cure patients of asthma, migraine and gastro-intestinal malignancies. Dr Meenu Bhat, a Mumbai allopath, says: ‘Both allopathy and alternative medicine are complementary, and can be used together. As a doctor, I have never discouraged my patients from following alternative medicine, dietary and other recommendations, because ultimately, when you use the word holistic, it includes all. The effect of using allopathy with alternative medicines is wonderful, and needed because each one of us, being different, requires a different combination of cures.’ Dr Manik Hiranandani, a cranial osteopath and iridologist in Ernakulam, Kerala, believes that in order to help the people who suffer from ‘incurable diseases’, we must utilise the strengths of multitude of systems of medicine being developed independently across the globe. He asserts: ‘It is unnecessarily arrogant and dishonest for practitioners of any one system to claim that theirs has the answers to all problems and that the others are useless.’ In an ongoing research jointly initiated in 1998 by the J.W.M. Global Hospital and Research Centre, Mount Abu, and the Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied Sciences, Delhi, 600 cardiac patients were divided into two groups-one receiving medical care and the other integrated healing. The latter group showed faster and more permanent recovery. Dr Hiranandani explains that Integrated Medicine embodies a holistic approach, which perceives the whole of body, mind, emotions, spirit, diet and environment. It looks at a person as one unit in harmony with his environment and not just the body components-heart, lungs, liver, bones, skin. Human health is an enormously complex paradigm, subject to a great many variables and influences. As yet we are barely able to perceive, let alone understand the full extent of the body’s self-regulatory mechanisms which allow us to maintain our health and our lives. According to Kewal Semlani of Universal Health services, Mumbai: ‘Holistic healing is the new mantra for hospitals, with doctors and psychiatrists showing a keen interest in the subject.’ The organisation provides consultancy to various hospitals in Mumbai and they get about 10 inquiries a month for setting up holistic healing cells. Already Dr Ramakant Keni heads the Parapsychology Department in Bombay Hospital. He practises reiki and pranic healing and has celebrity patients like maestros Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj, Amjad Ali Khan and Kishori Amonkar. ‘There is an enormous amount of spiritual energy in the world,’ he says. Practitioners are acknowledging the relevance of the patient’s psychology and his beliefs in treatment. Dr Ashwani Chopra suggests a lot of alternative therapy is dependent on the faith of the patient and even faith is dependent on physiology. Because faith travels from the brain to the organ that is being treated that involves nerves and blood vessels, you cannot do away with the physiological aspect of the human body, whatever the method you adopt, he says. Abhishek Thakore, CEO of the Thakore Centre of Well-being (practising holistic therapies), says: ‘In Neuro Linguistic Programming an adage goes-‘the magic works with the person’. What works is not the therapy, but often your faith in it. Richard Bandler (co-founder of NLP) actually marketed placebo pills-made of plain powder. These were found to be effective 20 per cent of the time. The point here is that when 20 per cent of the population has the ability to heal itself, each one of us has it too!’ Thakore concludes: ‘Given a choice of path, I would always vouch for alternative-which cured me of asthma and I’ve never been to a doctor for the last five years. When I am ill, I give body the time to heal itself.’ The same view is held by Dr Brahm Prakash, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, Northern Railway Central Hospital in Delhi. While he maintains that it is actually faith that cures a patient in the alternative systems of medicine, he adds: ‘There is no scientific basis to alternative systems of medicine.’ Of course, such vociferous denigrations of alternative medicine sound hollow in face of the fact that there are innumerable diseases, where conventional medicine failed, and which have been cured by alternative or energy healing. Brigadier (retd) Ajit Singh, a senior pranic healer lists several patients who came to him after having found no cure for their disease in conventional medicine. These include those suffering from severe depression, arthritis and backache. Dr Brahm Prakash asserts that when a doctor treats a patient, he uses the best knowledge and technology available at that point of time. For instance, in the 1970’s, when advanced technology like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was not known in India, heart specialists had to rely on their stethoscope and ECGs. With the use of MRI, the treatment has become more advanced and specialized. But he adds: ‘It is not as if heart patients were not being cured earlier.’ In a sense, modern allopathic medicine and technology seem to make redundant older allopathic treatment. Dr Prakash argues that there is nothing like ‘integrated health system’. There is just one system. For instance, the plant digitalis is used to make allopathic medicine for cardiac conditions. But if its leaves are used to make another medicine, ‘will it come under ayurveda or even nature cure?’ he asks. Dr Prakash, who has done intensive research on epilepsy, says that in the ancient Charak Samhita, which dates back more than 2,500 years when there was no allopathy, treatment for epilepsy is laid out as making the patient stand in 3 ft deep water, or applying cow-dung or a paste of tulsi leaves on the body. But epileptic seizures usually last only a few minutes, so when the seizure stopped after following the above procedure, it got recorded as the cure. That was the best perceived and available ‘pathy’ at that point of time. To strengthen his argument for allopathy, he asks: ‘Why is it that during war, allopathic doctors are sent to the front. Why aren’t ayurvedic doctors or homoeopaths sent there?’ While interviewing several patients with chronic ailments like backache, sinusitis and arthritis, one found that most of them avoid painkillers because of their habit-forming qualities and rely on ayurvedic massage, yoga and homoeopathy. They take allopathic medicine for more serious problems like blood pressure, cardiac problems and diabetes. Vidya Jain, a patient of arthritis, blood pressure and frozen shoulder, takes both homoeopathy and allopathic treatment. She takes painkillers for her arthritis. ‘No, I will not go in for acupuncture for my arthritis even though many people have strongly recommended it. Only if the disease reaches a real terrible stage, will I think of it.’ And for her frozen shoulder, pranic healing is a complete no-no. ‘When I don’t have faith in it, I don’t think it will work for me,’ she argues. Alternative systems of medicine are fast becoming popular in the West as well. In 1997, a telephone survey found that 42 per cent of English speaking adults in the United States used some kind of alternative therapy. Usage is especially high among Asians, reflecting the fact that for many alternative therapies are traditional medicine. Herbal medicine, also called phytotherapy or botanical medicine, is used by ayurveda, Siddha, Tibetan practitioners, naturopaths and other systems that rely on plants for treatment. Allopaths also use herbal medicine as many drugs in clinical practice are derived from plants. Similarly, aromatherapy is being used by allopaths and ayurvedic physicians. Steam inhalation, for example, is recommended by doctors to cure blocked sinuses and bad throats. Often tulsi leaves are mixed in the steaming water. This can be termed as aromatherapy, nature cure or just plain common sense. Without acknowledging it in as many words, practitioners of conventional medicine or allopathy are using nature cure, yoga and nutrition in their treatment. Dr M. Nagpal, who runs a Medical Care Centre at Mandawali in east Delhi, gives a set of medicines to a patient suffering from amoebic infection. He also tells them to have gallons of water to flush out the infection. Also prescribed is daily diet of khichdi, nothing spicy or hard to digest. A patient of backache will be advised to take daily walks and engage in adequate exercise to keep his muscles supple and active. Dr Manik Hiranandani specialises in treating osteo disorders and sometimes just cures a patient of backache by working on his skull. He has integrated acupuncture, homoeopathy, Bach Flower remedies and aromatherapy in his treatment. He believes that educating the patient is one of the most important methods of preventing illness. This is sadly neglected by many medical practitioners, as prevention is not as glamorous or satisfying as curing a disease. Ashwani Wadhera, a senior Delhi-based pranic healer and Arhatic yoga practitioner, tells his students and patients to practice meditation and nature cure. Pranic healing is effective in psychosomatic ailments, mental disorders like depression and hysteria and osteo conditions like arthritis and backache. This is amply proven by the cases that Brigadier (retd) Ajit Singh, a pranic healer, has dealt with. The 61-year-old healer says: ‘I can see energies merging. I link up the past, present and future of the person.’ He uses what he calls ‘integrated’ healing for all his patients. He cites the case history of a 58-year-old retired naval officer, who had been suffering from severe depression. He was heavily into Alprax but his depression still stalked him. For about a month, Brig Singh gave him pranic healing and reiki. He was completely cured of his depression. Another success story he quotes is that of his wife who had been advised surgery for multiple fibroids, and he cured her through several sessions of pranic healing. Dr Anil Rastogi, who has a clinic in AGCR Enclave, east Delhi, is an allopath who combines acupuncture to treat his patients. He is of the view that Integrated Medicine is highly successful as it reduces the side-effects of allopathic medicines and gives better results. It wasn’t by chance that he decided to learn acupuncture. While he was at Safdarjung Hospital, a 16-year-old boy had been admitted in the ICU for an amputated arm. The arm had been attached to his body through a six-hour long revascular surgery but the body was not accepting the arm, leaving it non-functional. It was then that Dr Bhattacharya, Head of the Department in Anesthesia, did acupuncture on the boy. Responding well to the treatment, the patient’s body accepted the arm. This inspired Dr Rastogi to undertake a course in acupuncture, which he now uses successfully in curing joint pains, skin diseases and even depression.

Alternative medicine ranges from systems with distinct disease theories, diagnostic methods, and multiple treatment options (including traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, naturopathy, pranic healing and yoga). While conventional western medicine is primarily based on physiology and patho-physiology, alternative therapies may be based on alternative paradigms, for instance eastern concepts of energy called ‘qi’ in Chinese medicine or ‘prana’ in pranic healing. Even though unconventional therapies are not supported by clinical trials, ‘alternative’ is not synonymous with ‘unproven’. In fact now several data have been found from well-designed studies, which support alternative medicine in some cases. Of course, a lot will depend on the attitude and faith of the patient. If he has no faith in alternative therapies, no amount of coaxing or cajoling can help. He has to be given the usual round of drugs and antibiotics/medicines available in conventional medicine. Dr Sudha Asokan, who runs a couple of Kerala ayurveda clinics in Delhi, vouches for the effectiveness of the time-tested system in combating serious diseases. She says: ‘Ayurveda is a totally scientific system of medicine.’ Rebutting the criticism often leveled against alternative medicine, Dr. Asokan says: ‘You cannot take the ayurveda system lightly. The medicines and oils are the result of long years of research and are used for curing the most tricky and problematic diseases. You can’t become an ayurveda doctor just like that. During the five and a half year course, one studies medicine, the anatomy and physiology of the human body.’ Dr Asokan, who has been practicing in Delhi since 1983, says that she uses her treatment to cure all kinds of diseases, mainly rheumatic problems. She combines massage therapy with oral medicines. She has trained masseurs in giving therapeutic massages using ayurvedic oils from Kerala. She is not averse to using allopathic diagnostic procedures. She uses the MRI technique and conducts blood tests on her patients. Her treatment works remarkably well with patients suffering from skin diseases, scoriasis, asthma, arthritis, spondylitis and slip-disc. She quotes an instance of a patient of slip-disc who had been advised to undergo a surgery, but came to her clinic for treatment and was fully cured. Ayurveda presents a close similarity to WHO’s concept of health propounded in the modern era since the science deals with both the preventive and curative aspects of life in a comprehensive way. With its unique and complete philosophy of life, ayurveda stands tall among the medical sciences of the world. Treatment of disease consists of avoiding factors responsible for causing disequilibrium of the body matrix or of any of its constituent parts. It prescribes use of medicines, suitable diet, activity and regimen for restoring the balance and strengthening the body mechanism to prevent or minimize future occurrence of the disease. Ayurveda postulates that the human organism exists in a balance of the five elements and any imbalance causes disease. Poor nutrition, excess of body wastes, or disturbance of the circulating fluid and vital organs are the primary causes to which therapy must be applied, both for prevention and cure.

Medical scientists are researching for remedies in ayurveda for lifestyle related diseases, degenerative and psychosomatic disorders. Over the years Indian systems of medicine (ISM) and homeopathy have gained in strength and popularity. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has got a separate department to promote them. Research work has intensified, and more funds made available. Even in countries like the US, Germany, France and UK, ISM have found favor. Alternatives to conventional medicine will always exist. Alternative therapies of one era may be conventional therapies in another. Radiation treatment and the use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), now widely used in medicine, were once alternative therapies. While some practitioners of modern medicine may still make light of alternative systems of medicine, their tangible results, lack of side-effects and the growing number of patrons, including allopaths, make them a force to reckon with and give them a pride of place among methods of treatment and therapy today. Dr Issac Mathai and Dr Mosaraf Ali are two practitioners who have successfully pioneered Integrated Medicine and can boast of numerous success stories and celebrity clients. Bangalore-based Dr Issac Mathai was introduced to the multi-system approach by Dr P.E. Abraham, an MD who turned to alternative medicine. Apart from homeopathy, his specialization, he has gained expertise in yoga, ayurveda, Chinese pulse diagnosis and the Japanese energy healing system of Jorei. He has his mind open to all branches of medical practice for he believes the doctor’s role is to initiate the healing process, and if other procedures can help, they should be welcome. Dr Mathai has in fact worked with the 101 Private Clinic of London, named so because of its wide range of therapies and 100 doctors. His celebrity patients include the Duchess of York, George Harrison, Sting and Tina Turner. Now he calls himself an international holistic health consultant. He runs the International Holistic Health Association, the host for the Global Holistic Health Summit in November 2001, postponed following the WTC attack. It is to be held in Bangalore later this year. Dr Mosaraf Ali is the moving force behind the Integrated Medical Centre in New Delhi, run by his brothers.