Did you know that injury-induced infections often heal faster with turmeric, neem and rose water than antiobiotics? Or, that neem and turmeric could cure an upset stomach in an hour? And that cardiac patients recover faster if they practise yoga and meditation even while taking allopathic medicines for the heart? Stunning facts that could have cynics sneering at alternative medicines.
But according to a group of doctors in Kolkata who believe in "ethical treatment", good medicine is not necessarily allopathic, homeopathic or ayurvedic. Rather, it could be a combination of the three or any two of these depending on the symptoms and the condition of the patient. The theory may sound alien to many in Kolkata but millions in USA have already benefited from an integrated system of medicine which could soon be replicated in the city.
Led by New York-based Bhaswati Bhattacharya, a practising ayurveda and biomedical scientist trained in pharmacology and neuroscience, the group has come together under the banner of the National Research Institute for Ayurveda (NRIA) which is already functioning in Kolkata. Scores of diseases could be treated faster, better and without side-effects under the system that seeks to reduce drug-dependence and treatment costs, according to Bhattacharya.
Disillusioned by the high-handedness of allopaths who often indulged in "insensitive treatment", Bhattacharya set up the Dinacharya Institute in New York 10 years ago. "We have been trying to evolve a holistic system of medicine. We have proved that combination therapy can work better. The goal of good treatment should be to help cure patients and not doctors making money. We should be looking at the best possible method of treatment rather than restrict ourselves to a particular system," explained Bhattacharya, who picked up ayurveda from her father and worked on developing an integrated system, tailored to suit patients' needs. She is now in Kolkata to address a convention on medicinal plants.
Integrated medicine is now a 24-million dollar industry in USA. Recovery rate, she claims, is better than conventional therapy. " Allopathic practitioners were unhappy with me at first, calling it unscientific. But with my training in chemistry and biomedicine, I know that's not correct. We are not ruling out any group of drugs but are all for an inclusive system," stressed Bhattacharya. Allopathic drugs were the third leading cause of death in USA and side-effects kill millions around the world every year, she pointed out.
NRIA, based in Salt Lake, now has around 30 including doctors, scientists and researchers. Apart from reviving ayurveda, they also work on merging the system with more conventional methods. It's not true, Bhattacharya said, that herbal medicines provide only slow and long-term cure. She cited the case of a business leader whose finger had been crushed by a car door. "His finger was infected, swollen and pus had formed. I had it wrapped with a paste of ghee, turmeric, rose water and guduchi. Then, I drained the pass out with a sterilised needle. The swelling was gone in 12 hours and in three days, he was cured. It proves that ayurveda works in emergencies though we never rule out allopathy if it seems necessary," she said.
For eye ailments, the integrated system recommends a visit to an ophthalmologist. If drugs don't work, turmeric is used depending on the symptoms. It kills the infection in more than half the cases, Bhattacharya claimed. Antibiotics, she added, should never be prescribed for common cough and cold as is done frequently in India. "It's a malpractice which could make you drug resistant. Sipping warm water with ginger and honey will cure it faster than any drug," she added.
Cardiac treatment, the system recommends, needs to be tempered with meditation and yoga. Destressing is an important part of cardiac treatment. "You need to get out of the pressures of existence, even if it is for 10 minutes a day. Only meditation can help you do that. Allopathic treatment, of course, is necessary and diagnostic tests are a help," she said.
NRIA believes Kolkata is ready for the new mode of treatment. "We have people on board who are hugely experienced. They are working on fine-tuning the system for Kolkata and should be ready to take off soon," she signed off.
Source:TNN
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