141-GnY-2020-Alternative-Medicine.pdf - Geography and You

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HomoeopatHy: a primer on its applicability

triaging for mainstreaming HomeopatHy

Quality of l ife: an ayurvedic approacH

traditional Healing: reviving an ancient art

tHe siddHa system of medicine

AlternAtive Medicines

FOCUSING ON the eFFICaCy OF

hOmeOpathy medICINeS aNd

the Need tO INteGrate alterNatIve SyStem

CENTRAL COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH IN UNANI MEDICINE

Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India

The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Since its establishment in March 1978, the Council has been busy in researching various fundamental and applied aspects of Unani Medicine. Over the years, the CCRUM has emerged as the world-leader in the field of research in Unani Medicine.

THE NETWORK The CCRUM has 23 research centers functioning in different parts of the country, besides its headquarters in New Delhi.

AREAS OF ACTIVITY The Research Programme of the Council has four major components: Clinical Research Drug Standardization Literary Research Survey and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS Some of the significant achievements of the Council are as follows:

Clinical Research Developed 27 Unani drugs, which are purely natural, standardized and without any side-effects, for successful

treatment of vitiligo, sinusitis, infective hepatitis, eczema, filariasis, malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma and some other common ailments.

Obtained 17 patents on for developing certain novel therapeutic compositions and SCAR primers.Drug Standardization

Developed pharmacopoeial standards for 298 single and 150compound drugs. Besides, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for manufacture of 50 compound drugs have also been finalized.

Published six volumes of National Formulary of Unani Medicine, six volumes of Unani Pharmacopoeia of India (UPI), Part 1 (on single drugs), and three volumes of the UPI, Part 2 (on compound drugs).

Survey and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants Collected over 104,568 specimens of medicinal plants belonging to

1,800 species from the wild. Undertaken successful cultivation of 33 important medicinal species. Gathered and documented over 16,261 folk medicinal claims. Literary Research

Translated 56 volumes of 21 classical books/manuscripts from Arabic/Persian into Urdu and other languages. Prepared a database of 2,400 manuscripts of Unani Medicine. Reprinted over 70 rare classical books. Compiled Standard Unani Medical Terminology for 4,028 terms of Unani Medicine. Developed ‘Standard Unani Treatment Guidelines for Common Diseases’.Publications Produced over 2,000 research papers and brought out about 400 publications, besides regular publication of a

quarterly bulletin CCRUM Newsletter, quarterly Urdu Journal Jahan-e-Tib and quarterly English Journal Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine.

For further information please contact:Director General

CENTRAL COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH IN UNANI MEDICINEMinistry of AYUSH, Government of India

61-65 Institutional Area, Janakupri, New Delhi – 110 058 (India) | Tel: 91-11-28521981 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://ccrum.res.in

DevelopingResearchIn Unani Medicine

AlternAtive MedicineS6 Homoeopathy: A Primer on its Applicability Khushali Gambhir In an era where the World Health Organisation (WHO) is worried

about antibiotic sensitivity and chronic non-communicable diseases, homoeopathy is a therapeutic science that can step in to fill the gap. Research leads us to understand that homoeopathy is based on nano-technology that works on immunity enhancement.

10 Quality of Life: An Ayurvedic Approach Chhaju Ram Yadav and Sanjeev Sharma The origin of Ayurveda has been traced to around 6000 BCE. The

first recorded medical texts evolved from the Vedas. More than 1.5 million practitioners are using this traditional medicinal system for health care in India. It is estimated that 7800 manufacturing units are involved in the production of natural health products and traditional plant-based formulations in the nation, which requires more than 2000 tonnes of medicinal plant material annually.

16 Traditional Healing: Reviving an Ancient Art Imlikumba and P Ringu Traditional or indigenous and folk medicine is a system

developed over generations within various civilizations, societies, communities, tribes and clans. The World Health Organisation estimated that 80 per cent of the population in developing countries rely on traditional medicine, mostly plant drugs for their primary health care needs. In India, 70 per cent of the population uses traditional medicine.

26 The Siddha System of Medicine: A Geographical Perspective

K Kanakavalli and E Wilson The word AYUSH denotes traditional and non-conventional

systems of health care and healing which includes ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha, sowa rigpa and homoeopathy. AYUSH systems of medicine are codified and recognised by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Medical pluralism in India is a reflection of its cultural diversity and AYUSH systems have evolved over thousands of years, absorbing and adapting yet maintaining its individual identity.

FocuS: HoMeopAtHy32 Criticisms of Homeopathy: Addressed Through

Scientific Research Chaturbhuja Nayak Despite being practised for over 200 years homeopathy is still

facing credibility challenges. Emerging research in this field has however, proven the plausibility of this science. During last two decades developed nations like Britain, France, USA and Australia, have questioned the effectiveness of homeopathy, although results have proven the scientificity of the alternative system. In the years to come studies conducted by homeopathic research organisations around globe is likely to further validate its scientific basis.

GeoGraphy and youVol. 20 Issue 3 No. 141 2020

G’nY SINCE 2001GEoGraphYaNdYou.Com

a dEvElopmENt aNd ENvIroNmENt fortNIGhtlY

Expert PanelRasik RavindraGeologist and Secretary General, 36 IGC, New Delhi.

Sachidanand SinhaProfessor, CSRD,Jawaharlal NehruUniversity, New Delhi.

B MeenakumariFormer Chairperson,National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai.

Ajit TyagiAir Vice Marshal (Retd) Former DG, IMD,New Delhi.

Saraswati RajuFormer Professor, CSRD,Jawaharlal NehruUniversity, New Delhi.

K J RameshFormer Director General, IMD, New Delhi.

Prithvish NagFormer Vice Chancellor,MG Kashi Vidyapeeth,Varanasi.

B SenguptaFormer Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi.

In BrIef3 Letters; 4 Editor’s Note; 56 Books & Website

IN CONVERSATION WITH Anil Khurana

47 Broadening the role of homeopathy in India’s health care

Director General, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy

IN CONVERSATION WITH Vaidya R Kotecha

23 An integrated system of medicine to address India’s health care concerns

Secretary, Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH)

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36 Hahnemann: The Therapeutic Pioneer of Psychosomatic Medicine of TodayMayur Jain

In wellness clinics world over, there is an increased inflow of patients with symptoms diagnosed by modern medicine as psychosomatic diseases. These latest advancements in medical science were well documented in the homoeopathic system of medicine since 1796. Samuel Hahnemann was the first to design therapeutic cures for such diseases. Rubrics from the repertory of materia medica emphasise homeopathy’s focus on these conditions.

42 Triaging for Mainstreaming Homeopathy harleen Kaur Homoeopathy, as a system of medicine, is a science of ‘similars’

and ‘overalls’. The role of homoeopathy in alleviating chronic ailments like skin, respiratory, gynaecological, joint, paediatric and psychiatric problems is promising.

50 Homoeopathy: The Second Most Popular System of Medicine in the WorldGirish Gupta

Homoeopathy was invented in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann as a holistic system of medicine where ‘the person in the disease’ is treated and not ‘the disease in the person’. It has been accepted as the best alternative system of medicine which is safest for the new born and the elderly, affordable to the poorest. Homoeopathic medicines are effective in infections, allergies, auto-immune, surgical, hormonal and psychological diseases as well as veterinary and plant diseases.

A 2017 PwC report states that 77 per cent of Indian households are using ayurvedic products.

GeoGraphy and you 2020 3

Write Editorial Office: IPP Ltd., 501 & 504, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi - 110066. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. Include name, address and telephone. Phone 011-46014233, 26186350 e-mail [email protected] http://goo.gl/eIeaH, linkedin http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 Website www.geographyandyou.com. subscriPtions For institutional subscriptions of print copies you may write to [email protected] contribute an article: Kindly send the abstract of your article in not more than 200 words to [email protected] abstract will be reviewed by our peers. Once selected we shall respond for the procurement of full article. The length of the final article may range from 1000 to 1500 words. Please visit our website for publication and peer review policy.The Editorial Advisor.

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Vol. 20, Issue 1-2, No. 139-140, 2020, ‘Disaster Resilience Perspectives’ published an article titled, ‘Flood Resilience Capacity of Coastal Ecosystem: Violation of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification’ was a well articulated, informative piece which comprehensively covered the problems facing the coastal ecosystems of the country. Being an inhabitant of a coastal region myself, I not only identify with the risks but also witness the exploitation of the coastal resources under the garb of ‘development’. Several points in the article in ‘Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in India’ were new for me.—UPaSaNa DaS via Consumer Feedback.

Disaster Perspective gave a new understanding of effectively dealing with disasters with the cooperation of our neighbors and understanding of the geographical challenges faced by India and its neighboring countries. I would happy to see some articles being published on how tribal people deal with the natural disasters and what the urban world can learn from them. —KaRUNa TIwaRI via Consumer Feedback.

every Point iterated in the G’nY articles is clearly understood. Yet, I was hoping that if the editorial team could put some more facts in flowcharts and graphs, it could better the interpretation by the readers. The last issue on ‘Disaster Resilience Perspectives’ was very interesting. Every article was spot on but the article title, ‘The 2018 Kerala Flood: Best Practices and Lessons Learnt’ by Shailendra Rai impressed me the most. I always find myself reading Geography and You more than any other publication. —RaDhIKa KUmaRI via Consumer Feedback.

i am delighted to be a member of the Geography and You community. I recently read the G’nY issue titled, ‘Disaster Resilience Perspectives’. Use of diagrams and many examples in the article, Disaster Resilient Infrastructures (Page 14-21), use of relevant maps, flood resilience capacity of the coastal ecosystem: violation of coastal regulation notification made the content very engaging. The article titled, SaaRC: a Regional

many Pressing toPics have been covered by G’nY recently. The articles are well researched and present a unique perspective which makes the reader think and arrive at their own opinions. The independent thinking approach of G’nY is refreshing. I would love to see an issue on the geopolitical issues in the Indian Ocean realm.—SaBYaSaChI ChOwDhURY viaConsumer Feedback.

4 2019 GeoGraphy and you vol 19, issue 25 & 26 no. 136 & 137

Medical pluralism and the element of choiceWhen my second child was to be born, my

doctors put me on a handful of vibrantly coloured capsules and tablets, considering that

I had a tough time with my first. I dutifully appeared at every checkup and nodded

energetically when asked whether I was following the prescription. Wonderful, the doctor chirped,

you seem to be doing great, she said. Once, I was nearly caught. She asked me for the size of

the new tablet she had prescribed, to which I muttered, small..ish…?

Homeopathy medications, administered by one of the finest doctors of the nation, Padma Shri

Dr Kalyan Banerjee, steered me through an effortless pregnancy. For more than two decades

now, I have reposed my faith in a science that purportedly still needs to prove itself in the

medico-academic circles. Placebo many say, simply water says others, yet millions flock the

gates of reputed practitioners. As India is perhaps one of the very few countries that still holds on to medical plurality, it is perhaps time that the medical fraternity look towards the benefits of

holistic treatment. This issue of G’nY, brings insights into the science of homeopathy, in

addition to several other traditional systems of medicine. Proven lines of treatments originating

from ancient schools, such as the bone setting technique of traditional medicine systems needs to be integrated into the mainstream health care

system of India. The onus for this successful incorporation is on the entire medical fraternity

of the country.

Editor’s noteSulagna Chattopadhyay

Founder-Editor, Geography and You, New Delhi.

editor@ geographyandyou.com


Alternative medicine inching towards mainstream acceptanceIndia is the world leader in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and home to the largest number of homeopaths practitioners and patients. The nation is also the birthplace of the oldest system of medicine—ayurveda. India, more recently, has become the only country in the world, to have established, in essence, a ministry of alternative medicine: the ministry of AYUSH—ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathy.

CAM is immensely popular globally, with homeopathy ranking second. Homeopaths and practitioners of other forms of CAM are beginning to rise to the challenge posed by enthusiasts of evidence-based medicine. Substantial research demonstrating the effects of CAM exist. However, there is need for much more. Homeopaths and homeopathic organisations are beginning to understand the significance of evolving their methodology as homeopathy is one of the systems most amenable to contemporary research methodology.

It may be pertinent to note however, that homeopathic research is largely debilitated by a publication bias. Mainstream medical journals have, for the most part, stopped publishing manuscripts that contain homeopathic findings. Stifling dissemination of research in the world of medicine is not a desirable mechanism for discourse and assimilation. Homeopathy is set to sail well into the next decade as patients continue to repose their faith in the two-hundred-year old system of medicine, choosing a safe and reliable alternative. Indeed, it is this choice which needs to be honoured and protected by the health services the world over.

India made huge strides in providing a robust training and regulation mechanism for various of forms of CAM within the first few decades of independence. The pace that was set should not be allowed to falter. As the country redefines the landscape of public health services through programmes like Ayushman Bharat at the central and mohalla clinics and many such other programmes at the state levels, the provision of CAM services needs to be considered within these progressive projects. Ensuring the availability of CAM practitioners alongside doctors of conventional medicine will result in quick referrals, reduce the burden on the suboptimal number of conventional doctors and shorten the time that a patient spends visiting different state-run health care centres.

The articles in this issue will make readers aware of the wide range of illnesses that homeopathy is able to effectively tackle and learn about cutting-edge experiments being conducted to understand the mode of action of homeopathic medicines. The articles on ayurveda and siddha trace the origins of these systems of medicine and provide a view of recent developments and advances. Another article delves into forms of traditional medicine including the relatively less known non-codified system of folk medicine.

Guest Editor’s noteKushal BanerjeeMD - Hom., MSc. (Oxon.)MBRCP - Hom.(Eng.), MF (Mal.), [email protected]

6 2020 GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 3 no. 141

A lt er n At i v e Med i c i n e S+

Most of the homeopathic medicines are extracted from plants and formulated according to the homeopathic principles. A small amount of raw material yields considerable quantities of medication.


In an era where the World Health Organisation (WHO) is worried about antibiotic sensitivity and chronic non-communicable diseases, homoeopathy is a therapeutic science that can step in to fill the gap.

Research leads us to understand that homoeopathy is based on nano-technology and works on immunity enhancement.

Khushali GambhirBy

PHOt

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HomoeopatHyA Primer on its APPlicAbility

The author is a practitioner at Dr Khushali Homoeopathic Clinic, Chennai. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Gambhir K., 2020. Homeopathy: A Primer on its Applicability, Geography and You, 20(3): 6-9

In the contemporary world, where there is a marked rise in the number of lifestyle diseases and recurrent flare ups of a multitude of infections, homeopathy can be seen to offer curative and preventive

solutions. Let us consider the four cases below:Case 1: An eleven- year-old girl child was presented with a fever of 103o F, ‘bursting’ headache and weakness. She tested positive for dengue and her platelets were dropping

and eventually dropped to 30,000 per cubic millimetre of blood (the normal range is 150000- 2,70 000). Her haematocrit (percentage of red blood cells in the blood) was rising, indicating she could go into shock. At this stage she was treated with homoeopathic medicine—Eupatorium perfoliatum 200 alternated with Phosphorus 30. Within 72 hours, her platelets crossed 1,50,000, the haematocrit value and fever touched normal.


The usual time taken for platelet and haematocrit recovery is seven days, but the damage done in these seven days can be high.Case 2: A 32-year-old lady, suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections was being treated with antibiotics. On further investigation, it was found that she had developed distal urethral stricture (narrowing of the opening of the urethra), further contributing to the recurrence of the infection. She was advised dilatation of the urethra once in three months initially and then based on her improvement, once in six months or a year. She underwent the first dilatation and then started homoeopathic treatment to prevent further dilatations and infections. She was treated with Syphillinum 200– followed by Thiocinaminum 30 and occasional doses of Lycopodium 200 for ten months. She did not require any further dilatation and her urinary infections also stopped recurring.Case 3: A three and a half year toddler, with a history of recurrent upper respiratory infections was wheezing requiring nebulisation frequently. She was also being given a daily dose of steroid-based inhalers and was diagnosed with adenoidal hypertrophy (increase in the size of the adenoids) and lactose sensitivity. She also suffered from a rectal prolapse. With regular administering of a range of homoeopathic medicines, she was free of the wheeze and her rectal prolapse has been corrected. These and many more of such cases outlined in academic journals demonstrate the value of homoeopathic treatment. With the WHO worried about antibiotic sensitivity and chronic diseases receiving only palliative care, the world must be willing to look at therapeutic sciences which may have profound treatment options aimed at cure. Case 4: A 33- year old lady, diagnosed with diabetes mellitus was suffering repeated bouts of dizziness, fatigue, sinusitis accompanied with recurrent right- sided retro-auricular lymphadenopathy (diseased condition of lymph nodes behind the ear) and hyper glycemia (increased blood sugar levels) for over a year after contracting dengue and malaria.

She was treated with Lycopodium 0/3, then Lycopodium 0/6 and Cardus marianus 30 predominantly. When her HbA1c percentage (percentage of glycosylated haemoglobin which is indicative of a three-month average of blood sugar readings) fluctuated, intercurrent remedies

were used. Her HbA1c dropped from 11.4 per cent (normal range < 6.5 per cent) to 6.2 per cent in eight months. The patient was advised to change her diet with an increase in vegetable intake and millets. Regular one hour walks were also suggested. This advisory enabled a holistic recovery.

In this case, the treatment addressed the causative factor and strengthened the liver. The patient developed hyper glycemia after contracting malaria and dengue and it is likely that these infections left behind a residual effect altering the capacity of the liver to maintain glucose homoeostasis. Homoeopathic formulations re-established the equilibrium and re-built the capacity of the liver.

holistic approach Be it a cold, eczema or cancer, homoeopathy will consider the nature of the individual and the ailment to attempt a cure. The homoeopathic history-taking process will consider the disease condition along with the general features of the person like their conditions of aggravation, their physical, mental and environmental makeup, their sleep and specific cravings and aversions. These characteristics that identify an individual along with the affected pathology, form the basis of a homoeopathic prescription. This differentiation is done in order to understand the constitution of an individual and helps in stimulating the innate immunity of the person to mobilise the factors required for recovery.

how homoeopathy WorksHomoeopathy works by stimulating an immune response. Once, the homoeopathic medicine is administered, it encourages a cascade of physical and chemical reactions based on the status of the immune system and its sensitivity to the medication at that stage of the illness. It stimulates the innate immune response and the adaptive gene responses of a person which, through a series of events, facilitates recovery. Khuda Buksh, a senior scientist, demonstrated this response to injuries through his experiments with Arnica on the E.coli bacteria (Rahman et al. 2018). Homoeopathic medicines facilitate the natural healing process of an individual. It works as a catalyst in the body and the body’s relation to the environment. This is an important aspect since homeopathy is one of the few sciences that takes into consideration the emotional aspect


of the individual. This plays a vital role in the healing process, both internally for the individual and the relationship of the individual to their environment. This is a crucial aspect of health as the evolution of all diseases and ailments originate from the interaction of the environment to an individual, be it the action of a virus on the human or the presence of emotional upheaval in the evolution of a disease.

scientific BackingThere are vast amounts of experimental literature and research data on homeopathy. These include controlled studies and clinical outcome trials. Research on homoeopathy has been conducted by doctors, molecular biologists, physicists and nanotechnologists globally. Homoeopathic research utilises the expertise of all the basic and allied sciences (Kay and Khuda-Bukhsh 2016).

educational BackingIn India, knowledge on homoeopathy is imparted through degree programmes such as Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) which constitutes five and a half years of study and an internship. This course has the same modules as that of conventional medicine in addition to homoeopathic subjects of pharmacy, philosophy and ‘materiamedica’. The Doctor of Medicine, MD (Hom) programme constituting an additional three years of study is also being offered.

regulation of homoeopathyHomoeopathy is regulated by the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH), under the Ministry of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha, sowa rigpa and homoeopathy (AYUSH) as well as several state registration councils—for instance, the Tamil Nadu Homoeopathic Medical Council. All medicines come under the Indian, the American, the German and the British Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia. Strict validation of registration is carried out periodically by relevant governmental bodies.

sources of homoeopathic medicinesHomoeopathic medicines are predominantly from the plant kingdom, but few are also prepared from sources in the animal kingdom. These may be formulated from substances that the animal use to protect itself like Apis (the honey bee’s sting) and Sepia (the ink of cuttlefish). Formulations are also

prepared from minerals—Natrum muriaticum (common salt) and Silicea (sand). A few medicines are prepared from micro-organisms like– Influenzinum (the flu virus), Variolinum (derived from the small-pox virus). Medicines may also be made from healthy tissues like Thyroidinum and Adrenaline. There are also some homeopathic medicines which are developed from energy and radiation sources too.

sustainabilityHomoeopathy is the most economical and environmental-friendly form of medication. The crux of homoeopathic medicines is dilution and potentisation. It is this process that makes a simple onion a powerful medicine. An essential aspect of this is the fact that a single gram of original medicinal substance is used to create a substantial quantity of medication . To make the first potency of Pulsatilla (a standard homeopathic medicine from the plant kingdom), one drop of the original Pulsatilla ‘mother tincture’ (herbal solution) is added to 99 drops of dispensing alcohol (used as a preservative). This is then shaken through a scientific process called succussion, giving the first potency of Pulsatilla 1c. This process results in a 1:100 dilution of the original tincture. Further potencies are made from one drop of one C and 99 drops of dispensing alcohol and repeating the process. Thus, a considerable amount of medicine is made from a small amount of the original substance preventing the need for dipping into the natural resource time and again. There is negligible and zero toxic waste in the making of these medications.

referencesKay P.H. and A.R. Khuda-Bukhsh. 2016. The

Contribution of Homeogenomic and Homeogenetic Studies in the Support of the Practice of Homoeopathy, Indian Journal of Research in Homeopathy, 10(2): 101-107. Available at: https://bit.ly/39rYui6

Rahman A., K. Bukhsh and J. Biomed. 2018. Ultra-Highly Diluted Homeopathic Remedy Arnica Montana 30C can Reduce UV-induced DNA Damage in Escherichia Coli through its Regulatory Influence on Nucleotide Excision Repair Genes: A Commentary on our Published Research Finding, Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 5(4): 1-4. Available at: https://bit.ly/2UJMMvg

10 2020 GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 3-4 no. 141-142

The authors are Associate Professor and Director respectively at National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Rajasthan. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Yadav C.R., S. Sharma, 2020. Quality of Life: An Ayurvedic

Approach, Geography and You, 20(3): 10-15


The origin of Ayurveda has been traced to around 6000 BCE. The first recorded medical texts evolved from the Vedas.

More than 1.5 million practitioners are using this traditional medicinal system for health care in India. It is estimated that

7800 manufacturing units are involved in the production of natural health products and traditional plant-based

formulations in the nation, which requires more than 2000 tonnes of medicinal plant material annually.

Chhaju Ram Yadav & Sanjeev SharmaBy

QUALITY OF

AN AYURVEDIc APPROAcHLIFE


PhOT

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Herbs play a big role in the formulation of ayurvedic medicines. Use of

locally available plants is emphasised significantly in the ayurvedic system

of medicine.


The science which imparts knowledge of life is known as ayurveda. Ayu is the complex structure formed by the conjunction of shareera, indriya, sattva and atma (body, senses, mind

and self). The first recorded form of ayurveda is found in the vedic texts dedicated to medicine (Dikshith 2008). For instance, the Rigveda, dated 1000 BCE refers to the first divine physician Rudra and also to the physician Aswini Kumara who is said to have miraculously cured sage Chyavana of senility (New World Encyclopedia 2016; Narayanaswamy 1981). Although these references are from the Rigveda, systematic and comprehensive treatment of medicine is outlined in the Atharvaveda—ayurveda being an upveda or an auxiliary part. As there was primarily verbal, inter-generational record keeping in the ancient times, in addition to the loss that royal libraries faced during incessant wars, the earliest recorded source of ayurvedic practices can be traced back only to 6000 BCE (Narayanaswamy 1981).

origin of ayurveda According to Hindu philosophy Lord Brahma is considered the creator of the universe and is said to have introduced the science of ayurveda, composing it in a work named Brahma Samhita, which bore one lakh verses or hymns. He presented it to his first born Dakshprajapati who then taught it to Ashwini Kumara (Ashwini Samhita). Ashwini Kumara indoctrinated Indra (the supreme God of the Rigveda scripture) and from him the knowledge spread through sage Bhardwaja and many others to the populace (New World Encyclopedia 2018). Another version of the lineage of the teachings can be traced through the Brahmavaivarta Purana which states that Bhaskara learned the science of ayurveda directly from Dakshaprajapati and taught it to his 16 disciples who then spread it among the masses (Chary 2012). With the multiplicity of disciples

ayurveda too underwent specialisation and was classified into various streams (Fig.1).

preventive aspect The maintenance of the state of equilibrium in a healthy individual or Nidana Parivarjana is the first line of treatment, mentioned in ayurvedic classics. Ayurveda begins with the premise of prevention, promotion and preservation of health as opposed to cure only. Therefore, lifestyle rules mentioned in ayurvedic texts, which if applied rigorously, gives definitive positive health outcomes. Preventive measures include- Dincharya, Ritucharya and Sadavritta Palana —daily regimen, regimen according to season and rules which are beneficial for healthy life.Dincharya includes maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle, practising personal hygiene, exercising the eyes, the lungs and the body (anjana, aasya, abhyang), massaging medicated powders and oils (udavartan) and taking a bath. Use of ayurvedic formulations (rasayana, vajikarana and panchkarma) helps boost general health and prevents diseases through better immunity and stamina, avoiding infection and alleviating stress.

Sadavritta Palana or the rules that benefit healthy life interestingly include both the body and the mind. Being a better human inevitably adds to the overall well-being. For instance, speaking the truth (lying leads to stress), serving elderly people, being free of anger, practising Ahimsa and compassion, speaking politely and maintaining an even temper contributes to being a good human as well as a healthy one (Gaur 2014).

Curative aspectAyurveda advocates two categories of curative health. The first, shamana chikitsa, is adopted when the magnitude of ailment is mild to moderate and where the chances of recurrence are present. The second, shodhana chikitsa, is comparable to machinery that demands regular


Fig. 1: Descent of Ayurveda on Earth from Heaven

Brahma

Dakshprajapati

Aswini Kumara

Indra

KayachikitsaSampradaya

As perCharaka Samhita

Indra

BharadwajaAtreya

AgniveshaBhela

JatukarnaParashara

HaritaKsharapani

AtreyaaAgnivesha

BhelaJatukarnaParashara

HaritaKsharapani

Divodasa DhanvantriSushtruta

AupadenavaAurabhra

PaushkalavataVaitaranaKarveerya

GopurarakshitaBhoja

KashyapaVashishtha

AtriBhriguSons

Disciples

As perAshtangahridyamand Bhavaprakash

Indra

As perSushruta Samhita

Indra

As perKashyapa Samhita

Indra

ShalyachikitsaSampradaya

KaumarbhrityaSampradaya

servicing and oiling. When the ailment or the shift in the alignment in a healthy individual (dosha) are of a higher magnitude shodhana is resorted to. This ensures a complete cure from the root of the cause, cleansing the body and eliminating the vitiated dosha, not only treating the disease but also improving health, longevity and rejuvenation.

ayurveda TodayIn the current context, it can be seen that ayurveda holds a significant place in the Indian as well as the

global market. A 2017 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report states that 77 per cent of Indian households are using ayurvedic products. The global market for ayurveda is also growing exponentially with its size expected to almost treble from 3.4 billion USD in 2015 to 9.7 billion USD by 2022 (ET Bureau 2018). There are more than 1.5 million practitioners using the traditional medicinal system for health care in India and it is estimated that more than 7800 Indian manufacturing units are involved

Source: DCL Chary, 2012, A Text Book of History of Ayurveda Charaka Samhita


Ayurveda begins with the premise of

prevention, promotion and preservation of

health as opposed to cure only. Preventive measures include-

Dincharya, Ritucharya and Sadavritta Palana—daily regimen, regimen

according to season and lifestyle rules.

in the production of traditional plant-based formulations. This requires more than 2000 tonnes of medicinal plant raw material annually (Pandey et al. 2008).

Government policies There has been a steady policy support to promote traditional medicine in India. The government also supports different plans related to research and development of medicinal plant research. The budget allocation for the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) has been increasing gradually over the years. During the 12th five year plan period (2012–2017), the total allocation for AYUSH was INR 10,044 crore, which was a 235 per cent increase over 11th Plan expenditure (Sharkar 2013). With a view to integrate the AYUSH system within India’s health care, several policies have been formulated (Planning Commission 2015). From utilisation of AYUSH doctors in National Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) and population stabilisation programme, to the inclusion of

Studies on Ixora coccinea, also known as jungle geranium

indicate that the plant contains the phytochemicals that has curative

properties. The flowers, leaves, roots and the stem are used to treat

various ailments in ayurveda.


several traditional ayurvedic formulations for mother and child—ayush ghutti, bal rasayana, soubhagya shunthi, ark ajwain, ark pudina, punarnavadi mandoor and ksheerbalatel in the RCH programme have been seen in recent times. Apart from the above, a pilot project to monitor the effects of ayurvedic treatment in the ante and post-natal care has also been launched. Moreover, it has been attempted to integrate the Indian system of medicine into the National Rural Health Care Mission (NRHM) and ayurvedic doctors and paramedics are being appointed in the primary health care delivery system.

In addition, the inclusion of AYUSH formulation—punarnavadi mandoor for the management of anemia during pregnancy in the kit of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Act along with generic drugs for common ailments at sub-centre/primary health centre/community health centre is heartening indeed.The inclusion of AYUSH medicine and their sustained availability in schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY-AYUSH), ICDS-AYUSH, RCH, early breastfeeding, growth monitoring of children, ante and post-natal care have led to the renewed faith in their effectiveness.

Way Forward Although ayurveda is the oldest medical science, its applicability in the present scenario seems just as practical. It can help prevent a multitude of ailments as also offer personalised and effective medicine. Ayurveda today is gaining prominence worldwide with an enlightened and educated user group, demanding traditional therapies. With many foreign universities running training courses in ayurveda, it would not be long before this traditional medicine system will begin to unequivocally partner modern medicine.

referencesChary D.C.L. 2012. Descent of Ayurveda, A Text

Book of History of Ayurveda Charaka Samhita, Delhi: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Pratishthan.

Dikshith T.S.S. 2008. Safe use of Chemicals: A Practical Guide, Florida: CRC Press.

ET Bureau. 2018. 77 Per cent Indian Households use Ayurvedic Products: PwC Report. The Economic Times, November 23.Available at: https://bit.ly/31O10wK.

Gaur B. L. 2014. Commentary on CharakaSamhita; Chapter 1/4 verse 30-35 ; Reprint. New Delhi: Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth.

Health Division, Planning Commission. 2012. Report of the Steering Committee for 12th Five Year Plan : Government of India, New Delhi: India. Available at: https://bit.ly/2ShN4YF

Narayanaswamy N. 1981. Origin and Development of Ayurveda -A Brief History, Ancient Science of Life, 1(1): 1-7.

New World Encyclopedia, 2016. Vedic Period. Available at: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Vedic_Period. Accessed on February 10, 2020.

New World Encyclopedia, 2018. Indra. Available at: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/indra. Accessed on February 11, 2020.

Pandey M., S. Rastogi, A. Rawat. 2007. Indian Herbal Drug for General Healthcare: An Overview, The Internet Journal of Alternative Medicine, 6(1): 1-12. Available at: https://bit.ly/2UKy86V.

Sharkar R. 2013. Ayush Dept Under-utilises Funds Allocated during Last Three Years. Pharmabiz.com, September 28. Available at: http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=77870&sid=1.

Wise J. 2013. Herbal Products are Often Contaminated, Study Finds. BMJ, Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6138.


Tribal practitioners from indigenous communities have developed their unique health care systems and were actively involved in the certification of traditional community health care providers in Tripura in March 2019.



Traditional,indigenous and folk medicine is a system developed over generations within various civilizations, societies, communities, tribes and clans. The World Health Organisation estimated that 80 per cent of the population in developing countries rely on traditional medicine, mostly plant medicines for their primary health care needs. In India, 70 per cent of the population is seen to use traditional medicine.

Imlikumba & P RinguBy

The authors are medical officer and director respectively at North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine, Arunachal Pradesh. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Imlikumba, P. Ringu, 2020. Traditional Healing:

Reviving an Ancient Art, Geography and You, 20(3): 16-21PHOT

OCO

urTe

sy: A

uTHO

r

TRADITIONAL HEALINGReviving an anCienT aRT


Traditional medicine was the only healing option in India before modern medicine acquired prominence. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines

traditional medicine as the sum total of the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures. The usage of traditional medicine in the maintenance of health incorporates plant animal or mineral-based medicine, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercise applied singularly or in combination to maintain the well being and in prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness (WHO 1978).

origin of Traditional MedicineThe use of herbs and roots in curing and healing was known among many ethnic groups (Sharma 1999). The ancient civilization of India, China, Greece, Arab and many other countries of the world developed their systems of medicine independent of each other, but all of them were predominantly plant-based (Planning Commission 2000). The tribes who live in isolation, practice their own system of medicine known as ethnomedicine or tribal medicine. Experts opine , "it may surprise people to learn that throughout India, in most of her folk communities, there exist living traditions of health care. These are based on the use of locally available fauna, flora and minerals. They encompass important areas of health care like mother and child care, treatment of common ailments, home remedies, first aid and nutrition. They also deal with specialised areas like snake poisons, dental care, broken bones, veterinary care and treatment of chronic ailments (Fig. 1). These traditions are decentralised in nature. At one extreme is the housewife with the knowledge of home remedies while on the other there are the folk practitioners who deal with special areas like the village midwives and traditional tribal practitioners" (Shankar 2001).

extent of population using Traditional MedicineIt is estimated that over one-third of the world's

There are estimated

to be around 25,000 effective

plant-based formulations used

in folk medicine and known to rural

communities all over India.


There are three medicinal plants Tinospora cordifolia, Pouzolzia sp., Solanum spirale which are primarily used in bone-setting treatment. Alongside are two cases—

one of the hand and the other of the foot of individuals who have suffered a fracture (bhagna). The healer ascertains the

location of the fracture and then formulates a paste comprising the three herbs mentioned above. The paste is then applied to

the location of the fracture and held in place with a crepe bandage and a gauze respectively.

Fig. 1: Bone setting technique used by traditional tribal practitioners

Table 1: Medicinal plants used in bone-setting treatment

Scientific name Family Local name (Adi) Parts used Preparation

Tinospora cordifolia Menispermaceae Tartapuk Stem Paste

Pouzolzia sp. Urticaceae Ossik Roots Paste

Solanum spirale Solanaceae Banko Leaves Paste


Fig. 3: Patients treated in NEIFM, Pasighat, 2012 to 2019

Patie

nts T

reat

ed in

NEI

FM

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

10000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

Male Female

Fig. 2: Global usage of plant-based medicine

Source: Hoareau and DaSilva, 1999

Perc

enta

ge

Australia

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0CanadaUSABelgium France India Africa

807575

40 425048

(Upto Nov. 2019)

population lacks regular access to affordable essential drugs. For these people, modern medicine is never likely to be a realistic treatment option. In contrast, traditional medicine is widely available and affordable, even in remote areas and generally accessible to most people (UNCTAD 2000). It has been observed that the use of traditional medicine and medicinal plants in most developing countries, is a normative basis for maintenance of good health (UNESCO 1996). In China, about 40 per cent of the total medicinal consumption is attributed to traditional tribal medicines. In Japan, herbal medicinal preparations are more in demand than mainstream pharmaceutical products (Hoareau and DaSilva1999). In India, 70 per cent of the

population has been reportedly using traditional medicine (UNESCO 1996) (Fig. 2).

Traditional Medicine Classification in indiaThe Task Force Report by the Indian government states that the classification of traditional medicine in India can be placed under two broad systems. The first is a codified system, also known as the classical stream, which includes, ayurveda, unani, sidha, yoga and naturopathy. The other is the non–codified system of folk/ethno/tribal medicine/folk medicine consists of healing practices and ideas of health preservation known to a few in an ethnic or cultural group, transmitted informally as knowledge and practised or applied

Source: North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine, Arunachal Pradesh


by anyone having a prior experience. It usually consists of practices received through oral traditions , its practitioners addressed by various names—kobirajs, vaidyas and others in different parts of the nation. These healers practising in diverse fields such as traditional birth attendant, traditional bone setters, poisonous bites and common ailments and can be called Traditional Community Healthcare Providers (TCHP). With a sustained demand of folk medicine and due to an increasing threat of it losing the traditional knowledge the Indian government set up a national institute of folk medicine at North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) in 2008, placing it within the rich tribal heritage belt of Arunachal Pradesh.

The north-east region of India—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura is endowed with a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. This has helped it build a vast repository of traditional folk medicine practices, remedies and therapies. The NEIFM, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH and is equipped with essential infrastructure, including a 50 bedded hospital for research. The institute has begun to create an interface between traditional/folk medicine practitioners and research institutions, after scientists and medical officers were appointed in October 2018, to enable an understanding of folk medicine. Once the feasibility is ensured, the validated folk medicine practices are to be integrated into the mainstream health care system and made available to the public.

The NEIFM functions as an apex research centre for folk medicine knowledge and attempts to create an interface between traditional healers and scientific research, enhancing capacities and upgrading skills to enable a robustness of the profession. The institute has been running an OPD facility not only for patients from Arunachal, but also from other states. In the recent years the inflow of patients has shown a marked increase (Fig. 3).

Way ForwardAs folk medicine is a non-codified system it is a challenge to parameter its competency. Hence there is an urgent need to seek uniformity in its implementation. The Quality Council of

India (QCI) and Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) designed and launched a special scheme for certification of healers. The scheme defines the process of certification of TCHP under the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Traditional Community Healthcare Practitioner (VCSTCHP) with an objective to promote uniformity in its implementation throughout the country. It may be mentioned that the Tripura certification was one of the first in India, conducted from March 7-9, 2019. A similar exercise was carried out for Assam and Nagaland in a phased manner between July and September, 2019. The total strength of certified traditional healers in different domains in the north-eastern States now stands at 37. Although there is a long way to go, traditional healers have slowly begun to find their way into the mainstream discourse.

Acknowledgement: Selfless Traditional Healers; Quality Council of India and PrCB; and North East Christian University (NECU). Special thanks to Prof. Darlando Khathing, Vice- Chancellor, NECU .

referencesHoareau L. and DaSilva E.J. 1999. Medicinal Plants:

Are Emerging Health Aid, Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, 2(2). Available at: www.ejb.org/content/Vo1.2/issue2/full/2

Planning Commission. 2000. Report of the Task Force on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants: Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi: India. Available at: http://planningcommission.nic.in/ task/ tsk-medi.pdf

Shankar, D. 2001. Agenda for Revitalization of Indian Medical Heritage. Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi?)

Sharma P.D. 1999. A Study on Bio-diversity of Hatma Village, Mandar, Ranchi, The Anthropologist, 1(1): 73-79.

UNESCO .1996. Culture and Health, Orientation Texts – World Decade for Cultural Development 1988 – 1997: United Nations, Paris: France.

WHO(World Health Organization).1978. The Promotion and Development of Traditional Medicine - Technical Report Series: World Health Organization,Geneva: WHO. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/40995

UNCTAD. 2000. Traditional Medicine and its Knowledge - United Nations, Geneva.


I n c on v er s at I on+


I think the project on reliability testing and validation of Ayurveda diagnostic tools focusing on development of Standardised Ayurvedic Case Taking Protocol (SACTP) will establish certain norms in the industry.

Vaidya R Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) discusses the scope of mainstreaming the traditional system of preventive and curative care and the proactive interventions by the Indian government.

An integrated system of medicine to address India’s health care concerns


G’nY. Do you believe that integrated medicine systems have the potential to deal with health care problems in India? Traditional systems of medicine, especially ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha, sowa rigpa and homoeopathy (AYUSH) have a huge potential in addressing the health care needs of the society. Traditional medicines, in well codified systems can be integrated with modern medicines to provide holistic health. The systems all have their unique strengths and are being presently supported by governmental setups in primary health centre (PHCs), hospitals, colleges and many other institutions. Additionally, research is also being actively undertaken in dedicated research councils and post- graduate colleges, further strengthening the role of traditional medicines in providing health care services and generating tangible evidence of their efficacy and safety.

India enjoys the distinction of having the largest network of traditional health care units, fully functional with a network of registered practitioners, research institutions and licensed pharmacies. As per the summary we have provided in ayush.gov.in, at present there are about 3986 AYUSH hospitals, 27199 dispensaries, about 8 lakhs practitioners, 711 colleges and 8954 manufacturing units across the country. It is now fairly well-established that traditional medicine is playing an important role in the cure of chronic diseases. Respiratory disorders such as asthma and bronchitis, cardiovascular disorders, osteoporosis in women,

the country?Various studies to understand the role of AYUSH systems in public health is underway. For instance, the inclusion of traditional medicines in primary health care through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)provides an opportunity to map its effectiveness. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) wherein the introduction of AYUSH was initiated in 2015-2016 across eight districts pan India, through the Ministry of AYUSH’s research councils, shows promising results. Various lifestyle disorders—cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity and osteoarthritis are addressed. Furthermore, the effectiveness of AYUSH systems in Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programmes have been well documented.

Way back in 1987, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) conducted a survey in 12 states on various aspects of health related demography, publishing a report wherein it was evident that about 70 per cent of India’s population uses the traditional system of medicine as the first line of treatment. In fact a pilot study in 2015 was conducted in two districts of Himachal Pradesh, as a part of CCRAS and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) collaborative project which revealed that in the selected study area, 54 per cent of the head of the household recommended traditional medicines and about 65 per cent of women sought ayurvedic treatment for antenatal, post natal

joint and connective tissue disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative diseases like early stages of amnesia, Parkinson‘s diseases, osteoarthritis,

conditions of gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases and mental health are areas of clinical competence of varied traditional systems.

G’nY. Is there any national level study to prove the success of complementary roles played by alternative medicinal systems in tackling the health issues in

The analysis of the

2016 World Health

Organisation’s study

on global ageing and

adult health (WHO-

SAGE), marked 11.7

per cent respondents

as frequent users of

traditional medicine for

health care.


Dedicated research

councils are working

under the Ministry

of AYUSH for each

system of medicine,

to back it with

tangible evidence.

and gynaecological problems in addition to child health care. Following the successful integration of the programme in Himachal, a study of the effectiveness of ayurveda in the RCH programme has been initiated in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Also, studying the role of AYUSH and local health traditions under the NRHM in 18 states across India, outcomes revealed that 80-90 per cent households were aware about the utility of local health traditions and co-located services (along with allopathic health care) were well utilised in several states. In this regard the successful demonstration of integrating ayurveda with the modern system of medicine in a tertiary care hospital—Safdarjung, New Delhi, for the management of osteoarthritis of the knee, may be mentioned.

The analysis of the 2016 World Health Organisation’s study on global ageing and adult health (WHO-SAGE), marked 11.7 per cent respondents as frequent users of traditional medicine for health care. The study also suggested that those individuals with a lower socio-economic status and those living in rural areas were more likely to report the use of traditional medicines.

G’nY. What are the plans/schemes of the Indian government to popularise alternative medicine systems amongst the masses?Various programmes have been undertaken by Ministry of AYUSH for popularising the traditional system of medicines in India—the Public Health Initiatives scheme, scheme for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Midwifery Practices,

central sector scheme for Promotion of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) in AYUSH, besides various research oriented schemes and events—Arogya mela, International Yoga Day, and Ayurveda

Day. The 12,500 health and wellness centres of AYUSH are being established in a phased manner at the grass-root levels with a special focus on preventive health care.

A national AYUSH morbidity and standardised terminology E-portal (NAMSTE), for uniform centralised collection of AYUSH statistics and to include these systems of medicine in the traditional medicine chapter of the International Classification of

Diseases, WHO, was launched in 2017. This will help popularise AYUSH as a codified system of medicine globally. Also, the AYUSH Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS) was launched in 2018. The Ayur Prakriti web portal—Standardised Prakriti Assessment Scale was also developed and launched, the copyright for which was recently obtained.

A project on reliability testing and validation of Ayurveda diagnostic tools focusing on development of Standardized Ayurvedic Case Taking Protocol (SACTP) has been undertaken. Moreover, dedicated research councils are working under the Ministry of AYUSH for each system of medicine, to back it with tangible evidence. The AYUSH research councils run research oriented health care services—Tribal Health Care Research Programme, Ayurvedic Mobile Health Care Research Programme under Schedule Castes Sub Plan, Swasthya Rakshan Programme in Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, to collect morbidity patterns and to determine the efficacy of the traditional treatments.

Dedicated to research publications, the AYUSH research portal has been functional since 2011, where more than 25,000 research abstracts contributed by research councils, national institutes and universities have been uploaded. Around 56,127 article downloads from 157 countries around the world have been recorded so far.

Thus there is considerable ongoing effort to recognise, nurture and develop the traditional alternative medicines in the interest of the health of mankind.

SIDDHA


THe

SYSTeMOF MeDICINe

K Kanakavalli & E Wilson By

A GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVEThe word AYUSH denotes traditional and non-conventional systems of health care and healing which includes ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy,

unani, siddha, sowa rigpa and homoeopathy. AYUSH systems of medicine are codified and recognised by the Ministry of AYUSH,

Government of India. Medical pluralism in India is a reflection of its cultural diversity and AYUSH systems have evolved over thousands of years, absorbing and adapting yet maintaining its individual identity.

The authors are Director General and Research Officer respectively at Central Council for Research in Siddha, Chennai. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Kanakavalli K., E.Wilson, 2020. The Siddha

System of Medicine: A Geographical Perspective, Geography and You, 20(3): 26-31

The Siddha system of medicine uses herbs such as Solanum trilobatum L. (purple flower), Mukia

maderaspatana (L.) M. Roem (yellow flower), Hedyotis puberuia (G.Don.) Arn.(white flower) to

cure various ailments.


Siddha is derived from the word ‘siddhi’ that denotes ‘an object to be attained’. The founders of siddha medicine known as Siddhars aimed at perfection of health and were exceedingly scholarly faculties.

They strongly believed in the ‘immortal’ corporal body being in tune with the divine eternal ‘soul’. Siddhars believed that through the temporary corporal body an individual can accomplish the definitive goal to become united with the Lord and thus the system of medicine that emerged is the outcome of this search (Gurusironmani 1972).

Siddhar Thirumular in ~3000 BC provided an apt definition of siddha medicine, “One that cures physical ailment is medicine/ One that cures psychological ailment is medicine/ One that prevents ailment is medicine/One that bestows Immortality is medicine” (Thirunarayanan 1993). There seems to be a similarity of this definition with the World Health Organisation (WHO) 1948 statement, “ a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”, which highlights cure, prevention and long-lasting life as health (Manickam 2013).

origin of siddhaThe history of siddha medicine is as old as the history of the Tamil culture and civilization, which is a part of the Dravidian culture and can be dated back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The era of siddha medicine can be traced back to the pre-vedic times during the time of the three syndicates of Tamil academicians (sangams) between 3,000 and 5,000 BC. There was also an additional syndicate consisting of 18 Siddhars solely for medical deliberations pertaining to the siddha system of medicine (Uthamarayan 1992). According to Sage Yugi, in his text Vaidhya Chinthamani, written during the same period, the origin of siddha medicine is traceable to Lord Siva. The Lord provided the original lessons of siddha medicine to Nandhi Thevar who consequently, through a lineage of disciples, taught Saint Agasthiar—the Siddhar proponent (Subbarayappa 1997 ).

Five Geographical divisionsAccording to siddha, principles of social and preventive medicine terrain is divided into five geographical divisions known as thinai (areas). They are the mountain range (kurinchi), pastoral

region of the forest (mullai), the fertile river bed (marudham), the coastal region (neidhal) and the desert (paalai) (Durairasan 1999). The nature of the people will depend on the place and the time period in which they live. Kurinchi/ hilly tracts: This is a place of iyyam/kapham with a profusion of herbs that cure diseases. The people here suffer from fever which affects the blood. They also suffer from tumours of the abdomen and hepatomegaly (Uthamarayan 1983).Neidhal/maritime tracts: It is a salty place of azhal–vayu (pitha-vatham) domination. Those who reside here suffer from elephantiasis and hernia which happens due to the stagnation of iyyam (kapham) in the vital parts of the body (Durairasamy 1999).Mullai/sylvan tracts: A forest area having herds of bullocks, cows and goats is where azhal is actuated. Along with azhal, vazhi combines to produce various diseases and it is difficult to differentiate their types (Uthamarayan 1983).Marudham/agricultural tracts: A fertile river bed can cure the diseases caused by all the three humours—vazhi/vatham, azhal/pitham and iyyam/kapham. The agricultural yields contain all the six tastes which are capable of curing diseases. Hence, it is inferred that good food has a preventive effect and this fact was known to the ancient people of Tamil Nadu (Durairasamy 1999).Paalai /arid tracts: These areas are a place for fatal diseases caused by vazhi/vatham, azhal/pitham and iyyam/kapham (Uthamarayan 1983).

popularity of siddha Siddha system is popular in southern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and in some South-East Asian countries. It is also popular among the Tamil-speaking diaspora.

The Malaysian government regulates siddha practice by registering the practitioners under Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T/CM) division. In Sri Lanka, the siddha department is affiliated to Jaffna University and another institute in Trincomalee Campus is affiliated to the Eastern University which imparts siddha education as an undergraduate course. A module for Varmam treatment has been developed by Central Council for Research in Siddha, India (CCRS) which is provided to Malaysia in order to establish and propagate the speciality therapies


to the considerable population of Indian Tamils residing there (Ministry of AYUSH 2019).

Under the Department’s International Cooperation scheme, the Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH information cell in the premises of the Indian Cultural Centre in Malaysia with the support of Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Through the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, a Siddha (Varmam) Unit is functioning since 2017 in Sungai Buloh Hospital near Kuala Lumpur and a research officer (siddha) from CCRS has been posted here (Ministry of AYUSH 2019).

efforts Made to popularise siddhaThe Ministry of AYUSH has taken major initiatives to uphold the spirit of siddha system by,

(i) developing research through the establishment of CCRS and its peripheral institutes/units in many parts of the country, (ii) developing siddha education by establishing and supporting siddha educational institutions like National Institute of Siddha (NIS), (iii) rendering medical service to the public through NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) by posting many siddha physicians in the rural parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, (iv) creating a widespread awareness by propagating siddha through Arogya Health Melas, (v) organising Swasthya Raksha programme to promote health and health education in villages, (vi) upholding the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) with a vision to provide cost effective and equitable health care by improving access to the services and to revitalise PH

OTO

COUr

TeSY

: AUT

HOr

1. A Siddha practitioner examining a patient at 16th International India Hospitality Expo at Goa on 1 August 2019; 2. Governor of Telagana visiting the Siddha Expo at Chennai; 3. A Siddha practitioner demonstrating Varmam Therapy to foreign nationals at Birstein, Germany on 5 September 2009.

1

2 3


The Siddha system is popular in

Southern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia,

Singapore, Mauritius and in

some South-East Asian countries.

and strengthen the AYUSH systems making them prominent medical streams in addressing the health care of the society. NAM is also mandated to improve educational institutions capable of imparting quality AYUSH learning and adopt quality standards of AYUSH drugs, making the sustained supply of raw-materials available (CCRS 2019).

Ministry of AYUSH, with the active cooperation of Accelerating Growth of New India Innovation (AGNIi) is attempting to commercialise research and development technologies and products developed by CCRS. Reading materials have been published for IEC in Tamil, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada to popularise the siddha system across the country. The Swasthya Raksha programme is being executed through seven CCRS institutes in three states and two union territories with thirteen villages covered.

siddha research BodiesCCRS is the apex body for research for siddha and has eight peripheral institutes – three in Tamil Nadu and one each in Puducherry, Kerala, New Delhi, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. These institutes carry out drug, fundamental, medicinal plant and clinical research. The outcome of research at CCRS is evident as six patents have been published in the patent journal. CCRS has a unique siddha medicinal plants garden at Mettur Dam, Salem. Apart from research, health care services are also being provided by the centre (CCRS 2019). The top ten diseases treated at CCRS and its peripheral units are listed in Table 1.

CCRS has granted 33 intramural research (IMR) projects and out of this eight projects have been completed and 25 are ongoing. THERAN software was developed and upscaled to AYUSH-Hospital Management Information System (AHMIS) and two applications were developed namely siddha initiative for documentation of drug Adverse Reaction (SiddAR) and Documentation of Objectionable advertisement and Reporting under Magic Remedies Act Notification (DOOR MAN) (CCRS 2019).

The National Institute of Siddha (NIS) is as an apex institute of siddha in all aspects of siddha system of medicine and offers a post-graduate and doctoral programme under the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and is affiliated to MGR Medical University, Chennai. A National


Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH) approved the 250 bedded Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital and Research Centre which assists scholars in their academic pursuits (NIS 2019).

Through the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (DIM&H) established by Tamil Nadu in 1970, siddha health care services are being extended to the masses through a significantly large statewide network (Table 2).

In addition, State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB) functioning under DIM&H is responsible for conservation and cultivation of medicinal

plants by promoting ex-situ and in-situ conservation as per the guidelines of the National Medicinal Plants Board ( DIM & H 2018). Efforts are underway to establish a Siddha Clinical Research Unit in Goa and in the north and north- east India.

Way ForwardSiddha medicine is a unique blend of therapies that provides holistic care, offering advice for a more natural and healthy lifestyle. It has been the constant effort of CCRS to generate and record evidence to support the various time-tested practices, medicines and therapies of siddha, to seek a wider role for the medicine system and to take its benefits to the people in different corners of the nation and beyond.

referencesDurairasan G. 1999. Siddha Principles of Social

and Preventive Medicine, Tamil Nadu: Siddha Medical Literature Research Centre.

Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (DIM &H). 2018. Report from DIM&H, Tamil Nadu: India.

Gurusironmani P. 1972. A Short Note on History of Siddha Medicine. Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine, 2(2): 78-80.

Manickam P. 2013. Shastarth- 3000 BC Concept of Health and its Relevance Today, Ingenieous, National Institute of Epidemiology. Available at: https://bit.ly/2P1qnWD

Ministry of AYUSH. 2019. Annual Accounts: CCRS 2018-19: Central Council for Research in Siddha, Tamil Nadu: India. Available at: http://siddhacouncil.com/annual-report/

Ministry of AYUSH. 2019. Siddha Dossier: The Science of Holistic Health: Central Council for Research in Siddha, Tamil Nadu: India.

NIS (National Institute of Siddha). 2019. Annual Report of NIS 2018-19, Tamil Nadu: India.

Subbarayappa B.V. 1997. Siddha Medicine: An Overview. The Lancet, 350(9094): 1841–44.

Thirunarayanan T. 1993. An Introduction to Siddha Medicine, Tamil Nadu: Thirukumaran Publishers.

Uthamarayan K.S. 1992. Thotra Kirama Aaraichi & Siddha Maruthuva Varalaru, (5): 124-130. Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy.

Uthamarayan K.S. 1983. Siddhar Maruthuvanga Churukkam, Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, Tamil Nadu: India.

Table 2: Siddha healthcare service network in Tamil Nadu

Table 1: Top 10 diseases reported in the Institutes of Central Council for Research in Siddha

Diseases

Azhal Keel Vayu (Osteoarthritis)

Neerizhivu (Diabetes Mellitus)

Kalanjagapadai (Psoriasis)

Peenisam (Sinusitis)

Thandaga Vatham (Lumbar spondylosis)

Irumal (Bronchitis)

Gunmam (Acid peptic disease)

Karappan (Eczema)

Sinaipai Neerkatti (Poly cystic ovarian syndrome)

Iraippu Noi (Bronchial asthma)

Source: DIM&H, 2018

Source: CCRS 2019

Name of healthcare service network NumbersPrimary health centres 406National rural health mission (NRHM) wings at Government primary health centres (PHCs)

275

Taluk hospitals 191Non-taluk hospitals 58Rural dispensaries 45District headquarters hospitals 31ESI dispensaries 28Modern medical college hospitals 15Dispensaries 13National AYUSH Mission siddha wings 11Part-time dispensaries in collectorate offices 8Tribal dispensaries 7Major hospitals 2Varmam and Thokkanam specialty hospital 1Mobile medical unit 1Central sub-jail dispensary 1


Chaturbhuja NayakBy

CRITICISMSOF HOMEOPATHY

F ocu s : H omeopat H y+

Despite being practised for over 200 years homeopathy is still facing credibility challenges. Emerging research in this field has however,

proven the plausibility of this science. During last two decades developed nations like Britain, France, USA and Australia, have

questioned the effectiveness of homeopathy, although results have proven the scientificity of the alternative system. In the years to come studies conducted by homoepathic research organisations around

globe is likely to further validate its scientific basis.

ADDRESSED THROUGH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH


The author is a professor, Head, Homoeopathy University, Jaipur, Rajasthan and former Director General, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, Govt. of India. [email protected]. The article should be cited as

Nayak C., 2020. Criticisms of Homeopathy: Addressed Through Scientific Research, Geography and You, 20(3): 32-35

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In the modern era, homeopathic medicinal system is supported by available contemporary research and scientific experiments.


Homeopathy is fundamentally based on the assumption that a biological activity is borne by a chemical system. The system is based on a molecular solute within a solvent

that is diluted and mechanically ‘succussed’ a defined number of times. It then reaches a zero point where molecules disappear (beyond the 12CH dilution) and the solvent is the only chemical species left. Thus, no solvent possesses the extreme variability of molecular masses acting on any biological system – an idea that is exactly contradictory to Avogadro’s constant (Chirumbolo 2013). Naturally, since its inception, the mode of action underlying specific effects of highly diluted homeopathic preparations has remained ‘implausible’ and could not yet be established, which strongly hampers the acceptance of homeopathy by the scientific community. A variety of models have been proposed—local and non-local; physicochemical and pharmaco-dynamic. These models seemed promising, but inconclusive (Klein et al. 2018). The famous Benveniste experiment in 1988 published in the journal ‘Nature’ reported that basophils (a type of white blood cells) can be activated to produce an immune response by solutions of antibodies that have been diluted so far that they contain none of these biomolecules at all (Davenas et al. 1988). His concept seemed to support the underlying principles of drug dynamisation in homeopathy. However, the attempts of reproducing similar results failed in other experiments, perhaps aided by the strong lobby of contemporary pharmaceutical companies, who want to denounce homeopathy in the scientific world. Surprisingly, water samples which underwent the procedure of homeopathic medicine preparation were found to be different from plain water by well-established techniques including flux calorimetry, conductometry, pHmetry and galvanic cell electrodes. Thereafter, the controversy took an interesting turn: the ‘clathrate’ model was put forward and was substantiated by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultra-violet (UV) spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (Elia et al. 2014). Subsequently the silica model (Anick and Ives 2007), electromagnetic model (Ruzic et al. 2008), epitaxy (Rao et al. 2007) and quantum entanglement (Fishe 2016) models were put forward and all these proved to be quite promising.

Recently, the gene regulatory hypothesis (Khuda-Bukhsh 2014), nanoparticle (Upadhyay and Nayak 2011) and hormesis theory (Bell and Schwartz 2013) have emerged in the field. Although the exact mode of action underlying specific effects of highly diluted homeopathic preparations are yet to be determined, basic research in homeopathy has reached incredible heights, especially in the last few decades. Several lines of evidence suggest that homeopathic high dilutions possess pharmacological action and so cannot be considered merely a placebo (Bellavite et al. 2014). This is quite interesting and supports the scientific basis of homeopathy, contrary to the findings of A Shang and team, published in the medical journal The Lancet (Shang et al. 2005).

The literature related to observational trials, though largely significant, is not considered to be the ‘gold standard’ of efficacy or effectiveness of homeopathy (or of any intervention). The ‘gold standard’—the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in homeopathy has remained controversial. In the latest meta-analysis by R T Mathie and team, 22 RCTs of individualised homeopathy yielded an odds ratio of 1.53 only, thus indicating a small, but specific treatment effect beyond placebo. Subsequent to the meta-analysis, a few more RCTs of individualised homeopathy have been conducted on conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (Peckham et al. 2014), climacteric depression (Macias-Cortes et al. 2018), asthma (Qutubuddin et al. 2019), insomnia (Michael et al. 2019), and premenstrual syndrome (Yakir et al. 2019) with promising outcomes. Pragmatic RCTs of adjunctive homeopathy also appears to be promising. However, any decisive interpretation is yet to be arrived at. A research study conducted by P S Chikramane and his team from IIT, Bombay in 2010 has shown the presence of nano-particles in higher potencies of homoeopathic medicines. Thus, there is an increasing body of clinical evidence in support of the efficacy and effectiveness of homeopathic treatment beyond the placebo effect. However, the overall effect remains inconclusive.

A multitude of studies in homoeopathy have been conducted related to basic and fundamental research (Tournier et al. 2019), drug proving (Sundaram et al. 2010), clinical verification and clinical research (Mathie et al. 2019). The studies referred to here and the results of many other research work can perhaps counter the arguments of


conventional scientists and allopathic practitioners, moving homoeopathy beyond the realm of ‘implausibility’ and ‘placebo effect’. However, more independent replication should be undertaken to establish models that are stable across laboratories and teams (Bellavite et al. 2014). Acknowledgment: The author is thankful to Subhranil Saha, Scientist, Homoeopathic Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), India, for providing useful data for the article.

referencesAnick D.J. and J.A. Ives. 2007. The Silica Hypothesis for

Homeopathy: Physical Chemistry, Homeopathy, 96(03): 189-195.

Bell I.R. and G.E. Schwartz. 2013. Adaptive Network Nanomedicine: An Integrated Model for Homeopathic Medicine, Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholar Edition), 5(2): 685-708.

Bellavite P., M. Marzotto, D. Olioso, E. Moratti and A. Conforti. 2014. High-Dilution Effects Revisited, 1. Physicochemical Aspects, Homeopathy, 103(01): 4-21.

Chirumbolo S. 2013. Bias and Adverse Effects of Homeopathy: Is Scientific Criticism in Homeopathy a "Mission Impossible"?, International Journal of Clinical Practice, 67(9): 923-926.

Davenas E., F. Beauvais, J. Amara, M. Oberbaum and B. Robinzon. 1988. Human Basophil Degranulation Triggered by Very Dilute Antiserum Against IgE, Nature, 333(6176): 816-818.

Elia V., G. Ausani, F. Gentile, R. Germano and E. Napol. 2014. Experimental Evidence of Stable Water Nanostructures in Extremely Dilute Solutions,At Standard Pressure and Temperature, Homeopathy, 103(01): 44-50.

Fishe P. 2016. Is Quantum Entanglement in Homeopathy a Reality?, Homeopathy, 105(03): 209-210.

Klein S.D., S. Würtenberger, U. Wolf, S.Baumgartner and A. Tournier. et al. 2018. Physicochemical Investigations of Homeopathic Preparations: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis—Part 1, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 24(5): 409-421.

Khuda-Bukhsh A.R. 2014. Current Trends in High Dilution Research With Particular Reference to Gene Regulatory Hypothesis, The Nucleus, 57(1): 3-17.

Macias-Cortes E.D.C., L. Llanes-González, L. Aguilar-Faisal and J. Asbun-Bojalil. 2018. Response to Individualized Homeopathic Treatment for Depression in Climacteric Women with History of Domestic Violence, Marital Dissatisfaction or Sexual Abuse: Results from the HOMDEP-MENOP Study, Homeopathy, 107(3): 202-208.

Mathie R.T., Y.Y.Y. Fok, P. Viksveen, A.K.L. To and J.R.T.

Davidson. 2019. Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised, Other-than-Placebo Controlled, Trials of Non-Individualised Homeopathic Treatment, Homeopathy, 108(2):88-101.

Michael J., S. Singh, S. Sadhukhan, A. Nath and N. Kundu. 2019. Efficacy of Individualized Homeopathic Treatment of Insomnia: Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 43: 53-59.

Peckham E.J., C Relton, J Raw, C Walters, and Thomas K. 2014. Interim Results of a Randomised Controlled Trial of Homeopathic Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Homeopathy, 103(03): 172-177.

Qutubuddin M., S.M. Singh, C. Nayak, M. Koley and S. Saha. 2019. Efficacy of Individualized Homeopathy in Bronchial Asthma in Adults: Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial in the Context of Usual Care, Advances in Integrative Medicine, 6(2): 58-65.

Rao M.L., R. Roy, I.R. Bell and R. Hoover. 2007. The Defining Role of Structure (Including Epitaxy) in the Plausibility of Homeopathy,Homeopathy, 96(03): 175-182.

Ruzic R., I. Jerman, M. Skarja, R.T. Leskovar and L. Mogilnicki. 2008. Electromagnetic Transference of Molecular Information Garden Cress Germination, International Journal of High Dilution Research, 7(24): 122-1317: 122-131.

Shang A., K. Huwiler-Müntener, L. Nartey, P. Jüni and S. Dörig. 2005. Are the Clinical Effects of Homoeopathy Placebo Effects? Comparative Study of Placebo-Controlled Trials of Homoeopathy and Allopathy, The Lancet, 366(9487): 726-732.

Sundaram E.N., K.P. Singh, K.P. Reddy, U.P. Reddy and K.R.J. Nair et al. 2010. A Preliminary Study to Evaluate Analgesic and Behavioural Activities of the Homoeopathic Drug, Anagallis Arvensis in Rats, Indian Journal of Medical Research Homoeopathic, 4(2):41-48.

Tournier A., S.D. Klein, S. Wurtenberger, U. Wolf and S. Baumgartner. 2019. Physicochemical Investigations of Homeopathic Preparations: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis - Part 2, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 25(9):890-901.

Upadhyay R.P. and C. Nayak. 2011. Homeopathy Emerging as Nanomedicine, International Journal of High Dilution Research, 10(37): 299-310.

Yakir M., C.T. Klein-Laansma, S. Kreitle, A. Brzezinski and M. Oberbaum. 2019. A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Randomized Trial with Individualized Homeopathic Treatment Using a Symptom Cluster Approach in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome, Homeopathy, 108(04): 256-269.


Modern immunotherapy is taking a personalised approach currently as opposed to homeopathy, which has always been tailoring its treatments with the help of patient specific causation rubrics.


HaHnemann


In wellness clinics of the modern world, there is an increased inflow of patients with symptoms diagnosed by modern medicine

as psychosomatic diseases. These latest advancements in medical science were well documented in the homoeopathic

system of medicine since 1796. Samuel Hahnemann was in fact the first to design therapeutic cures for such diseases.

Mayur JainBy

The Therapeutic Pioneer of

Psychosomatic Medicine of Today

The author is Holistic Healer and Consulting Physician - Homoeopathy, New Delhi. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Jain M., 2020. Hahnemann: The Therapeutic Pioneer of Psychosomatic Medicine of

Today, Geography and You, 20(3): 36-41

HaHnemann


Any person with any bodily symptoms have psychological, emotional or mental distortion or dysfunction at its origin (psychosomatic). This is coming

up as a big breakthrough in current medical advancement, but history suggests that some of this work has been done in the past by Hippocrates, Galen and others—the influence of the psychic over the physical body. Modern medicine is now recognising the trinity of life—mind-body-soul and its relation to humans in health and in disease.

Way back in 1796, Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homoeopathy recognised the importance of integrating mental and subjective symptoms in addition to pathological diagnosis or symptoms in selecting the ‘simillimum’ for cure. Hahnemann in 1813, mentioned ‘biological-whole treatment theory’ in his famous essay, Spirit of the homoeopathic doctrine of medicine. He reiterated the theory in the 6th edition of ‘Organon of Medicine’ too. This today is popularly known as psychosomatic medicine-the study of the sick human as a biological whole among multiple psychosomatic inter-reactions.

He explains, “Nearly all morbid states which are referred to as ‘psychic’ are, in reality, nothing but somatic ailments in which the discord between the intellectual and moral faculties, each in its specific way and in a manner more or less rapid, have become predominant through their relation to the purely physical symptoms. Thus, they finish by taking on the character of a ‘defective’ disease which gives the appearance of a local ailment having its seat in the delicate and invisible organs of thought.”

Hahnemann built upon the theory advocated by Hippocrates and Galen that every human sickness has roots at the emotional or mental dysfunction level and was the first to design the solution and possible therapeutic cure for the diseases that are arising inside the mind and later reflecting on the physical body.

In the current narrative the world has begun to recognise the emotional origin of physical symptoms or diseases, instances of which are presented here. “I listen with love to my body’s messages,” from Louise L Hay’s book published in 1984 ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ sends out a

According to statistics from

Meridian Stress Management Consultancy,

almost 1,80,000 people from the UK die each year from some form of stress-related

illness.


powerful message. The book remained a New York Times best- seller for several weeks and reportedly sold more than 50 million copies (Genzlinger 2017). This book explains the unseen but well-observed, discussing the multi-dimensional connection and the interdependent relationship between physical and mental diseases, examples of which are as follows: Hair complaints are due to a lack of inner or

emotional strength/tension. Ear diseases are the result of unwillingness to

hear what’s going on around you/ anger about what is heard/ lack of receptivity. Digestive or stomach complaints are rooted in

an inability to assimilate new experiences/fear of new ideas. Back-muscles pain or stiffness or any other

symptoms have some kind of emotional origin like lack of support. If in the upper area it may be lack of emotional support/ holding back love; in the middle area it maybe due to a sense of guilt; in the lower back area it becomes more about lack of financial security and support/fear of money. Obesity, weight gain or being overweight is

related to a need for protection or insecurity. It could also be because of seeking love/fear of loss/ stuffing feelings. Constipation is also an emotion related

disorder—inability to let go/ tendency to over-save.Her key message is, "If we are willing to do the

mental work, almost anything can be healed."Another book that is referred in contemporary

wellness practice, published in 2014, is ‘Dictionary Dreams-Signs-Symbols, The Source Code’ by Francis L Kaya. On cancer he writes, “Symbolically, this illness reveals an accumulation of memories and it is related to dysfunctional behavior regarding the way we nourish ourselves on all levels; an accumulation of frustration, resignation, things left unsaid, repressed anger, rage,frustration, failures, guilt, and lack of love, affection retained rebellion and revolt.”

He further adds a very different viewpoint from the ‘suffering soul’ level. The very diagnosis of cancer, symbolically, means healing has begun and is in process. Making the affected person aware that he harbours a lot of old, former memories of repressed emotions, anger

and rebellion—may possibly begin a process of transcendence of the disease.

Kaya also explains that every disease has some positive impact on the soul—the deepest memory bank of different experiences and sensations of the human system, which we are still in the process of exploring-scientifically. The diagnosis of cancer symbolically means that the potential of healing or transcendence of these negative memories is in process at the level of the soul. The cancer is giving an opportunity to the suffering person to become aware of these deep negative emotions or psychological disturbances.

stress and illnessMohd. Razali Salleh in an article (Salleh 2008) says, “The relationship between stress and illness is complex. Chronic stress has a significant effect on the immune system that ultimately manifests as an illness. It raises catecholamine and suppressor T cells levels, which suppress the immune system. This suppression, in turn, raises the risk of viral infection. Stress also leads to the release of histamine, which can trigger severe bronchoconstriction in asthmatics. Stress increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, especially in overweight individuals, since psychological stress alters insulin needs. The correlation between stressful life events and psychiatric illness is stronger than the correlation between medical or physical illness. The relationship of stress with psychiatric illness is strongest in neuroses, which is followed by depression and schizophrenia. Recent studies found a link between stress, tumor development and the suppression of natural killer (NK) cells, which are actively involved in preventing metastasis and destroying small metastases.”

In measuring emotional intelligence the Simmons duo writes, “Emotional stress is a major contributing factor to the six leading causes of death in the United States: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide” (Simmons and Simmons 1997). According to statistics from Meridian Stress Management Consultancy in the UK, almost 180,000 people in the UK die each year from some form of stress-related illness.

S Cohen and his team in the seminal work ‘Measuring Stress’ published in 1997 summed up


stress and its associated causes as follows: “Stress is defined as a process in which environmental demands strain an organism’s adaptive capacity resulting in both psychological demands as well as biological changes that could place the organism at risk for illness” (Cohen et al. 1997). He also writes that “even our thoughts can cause us stress and make the human body more susceptible to illness.” The author postulates three scenarios, a) Environmental stress—this emphasises the role of experiences that are objectively related to substantial adaptive demands; b) Psychological or emotional stress—people’s subjective evaluations of their ability to cope with demands presented to them by certain situations and experiences; c) Biological stress—the function of certain physiological systems in the body that are regulated by both emotions and physically demanding situations.

There is a growing concern about the increasing cost and prevalence of stress-related disorders; especially in relation to the workplace. Countries renowned for their long working hours know this well enough—Japan and China each having a word for death by overwork karoshi and guolaosi respectively. Both Japan and Korea recognise suicide as an official and ‘compensatable’ work-related condition.

Based on the above references, we understand that for complete cure or restoration of the health of an individual it is crucial to reach the roots resting deep in the emotions or mental sphere of that individual. Often a person is not aware of it as he or she has developed some compensatory mechanism around it or a façade to please the ego and to remain in denial mode. But, if good case taking is done then a well-trained physician can join the dots of the current disease condition of the patient to its initial starting point.

examples from MateriaMedicaFollowing are a few rubrics from ‘Repertory of Homoeopathic Materia Medica’ by J T Kent (Kent 1992), first published in 1897. These rubrics highlight how great homeopathic physicians observed and recorded physical reactions of the body stimulated by emotions, excitement, anger, grief, mortification, vexation, fear, fright and other mental symptoms.

The author has in several cases found value in

the psychosomatic rubrics of the Hahnemann's system. For instance, a close friend consulting for stammering was unable to speak intelligibly for a month. Despite neurological examination pointing out no apparent cause, she was advised medicines that gave her no relief. She expressed that she had had a difficult day at the workplace and was annoyed, frustrated and angry. Referring to rubric [Kent] mouth; speech, stammering, vexation a single remedy mentioned was prescribed (Caust2+). Within a week she started showing signs of improvement.

Another common condition is the flaring up of asthma after getting angry. Patients opine that they force themselves to remain away from anger to help manage asthma, although in some cases they find it almost impossible. The rubric that proves useful in this situation is [Kent] respiration; asthmatic, anger, which not only relieves the asthma attack but also the incidence of anger induced asthma over time (Ars2+ and Cham3+). Stress and asthma are often seen together. Anxiety, crying, yelling, stress, anger, or laughing hard can bring on an asthma attack. According to Asthma UK, 43 per cent of people with asthma report that stress can trigger their symptoms (Asthma UK 2019).

In the year 1810, Hahnemann started to promote the essential relationship between the physical and the psychic condition of the patient. In his book, Organon of Medicine, he writes, “… there does not exist a single so-called somatic illness where we may not discover constant modifications in the psychic condition of the patient …”. He continues, “It will never be possible to effect a cure in conformation with nature—that is to say homeopathically—if, in every individual case disease, even acute, we do not at the same time observe the changes which have taken place in the psychic or the mental state of the patient.” “Furthermore, we shall no longer be able to cure if we fail to choose from among the medicines a pathogenetic force capable of provoking not only symptoms similar to those of the disease, but even more, one that is similar to the mental state and character of the patient.”

Way ForwardHahnemann recognised the role of stress, emotions and mental symptoms in giving rise to


different physical disease conditions and he was successful in developing a complete therapeutic protocol or treatment system to restore the sick to health. Today modern science is also recognising the same in the name of psychosomatic diseases, but the curative approach is not that well defined. For today’s fast-paced stressful life with low emotional quotient, homeopathy provides a therapeutic science for both acute and chronic diseases. This will not only heal the person physically but also deep at the emotional or mental level for multi- dimensional cure.

referencesAsthma UK. 2019. Emotions. Available at: https://

www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/emotions/. Accessed on February 21, 2020.

Cohen S., R.C. Kessler and L.U. Gordon, 1997. Measuring Stress: A Guide for Health and Social Scientists, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Genzlinger N. 2017. Lousie Hay, Widely read self-help author, dies at 90.The New York Times, September 2017. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/obituaries/louise-hay-dead-widely-read-self-help-author.html.

Kaya F.L. 2014. Dictionary, Dreams-Signs-Symbols: The Source Code (The Ultimate Spiritual Guide to Dream Interpretation), Quebec, Canada: Universe/City Mikael (UCM) Publishing.

Kent J.T.1992. Repertory of the Homoeopathic MateriaMedica, New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers.

Salleh M.R. 2008. Life Event, Stress and Illness, The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 15(4): 9-18. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3341916/

Simmons S. and J.C. Simmons. 1997. Measuring Emotional Intelligence: The Groundbreaking Guide to Applying the Principles of Emotional Intelligence, New York: The Summit Publishing Group.

The book, Repertory of Homoeopathic Materia Medica and a Word Index, is authored by James Tyler Kent and printed in 1897. Frequently referred rubrics for psychosomatic diseases are found in this repertory.


Homoeopathy, as a system of medicine, is a science of ‘similars’ and ‘overalls’. The role of homoeopathy in alleviating chronic ailments like skin, respiratory, gynaecological, joint, paediatric and psychiatric problems is promising.

Harleen KaurBy

The author is a Research Officer (Homoeopathy) at Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, Ministry of AYUSH. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Kaur H., 2020. Triaging for Mainstream Homeopathy, Geography and You, 20(3): 42-46


TRIAGING foR

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MAINSTREAMING

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There is a bigger scope of triaging for the inclusion of homeopathy in many national health programmes

in an integrative manner. One such programme, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and

Stroke (NPCDCS) is now adopting this approach.


Picture these—a couple is expecting their first child and the excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty of what to expect is eating up into the charm of the cherishable period that pregnancy

is otherwise; A toddler is crying incessantly due to his earache that is not letting him sleep, or even eat; A teenager just got her first pimple and does not know whether peeling it off would make it better, or worse—and the prospect of letting it be for a couple of days sounds scary; A young woman is worried about her marriage—what if the cysts in her ovary fiddle with her chances of conception, just as they are doing with her monthly cycles for two years now; An elderly gentleman is very disturbed with his enlarged prostate and the already weak urine stream seems to be getting even weaker, faster than he imagined; An elderly woman is suffering from bed sores. The pain and discomfort they cause is worse than her other long standing disease.

Well, most of us either have been in or know someone who has been in one of the above situations. Although we hope that dark clouds of illness will stop looming over our heads one day, in reality, though, the future looks grim. The pollution levels we are exposed to on a daily basis, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits, poor sleeping patterns, and not to mention work pressures—are silently writing a ruthless story for human health. Much as we would not want to accept it, we are the culprits for allowing each of these components to creep into our lives to reduce our health scores, except, of course, pollution which we cannot directly control.

Having said that, what can we possibly do to avoid these? Remedying the situation is grit-based and seeking fitness goals is not tough. Thanks to social media, we can set our daily goals of fitness from any of its myriad platforms which are full of success stories about fighting illnesses, staying fit and aiming to live longer.

While some diseases are expressed by our body, there are others that are expressed solely by our minds. These may not even be considered a disease by family or friends, because they manifest at a different level than what our eye is trained to see. Awareness drives for health encompasses physical, social and mental wellbeing—which, in other words, can also be called holistic health. However, instances where we find ourselves fit to get out of bed every morning, but not inclined to report to

work or attend a social event has become all too common. These could be the initial worrying signs, which, if ignored, can show up on the physical level, with problems like migraine, hyperacidity, musculoskeletal pains, or even unexplained headaches or chest pains. Another understanding of holistic health is to identify and appreciate that when we are dealing with a physical illness, we are affected mentally too. For instance, in diseases like, osteoarthritis or kidney stones we may find disease coming in the way of our day to day routine, which eventually affects our mental and social make up.

Holistic treatment for a 360-degree management of illnesses is best offered by various traditional and complementary medicine (TCM). The recent Global Report of the World Health Organization(WHO) on TCM reviews global progress over the past two decades and is based on contributions from 179 WHO member states (WHO 2019). As per this report, homoeopathy is practiced by 100 out of 179 member states and is popular in many South-East Asian and European countries.

Homoeopathy, as a system of medicine, is a science of ‘similars’ and ‘overalls’. In the six scenarios shared above, it is possible that two of the six people discussed get the same medicine for different ailments, as their underlying ‘personality’ or ‘constitution’ match with the drug. Also, these six individuals might report a particular ailment to their homoeopathic doctor, but are cured of peripheral sufferings that was not primemost on their minds. As the medicine acts holistically, it is not uncommon for a homoeopath to have patients coming back surprised that even though they wanted treatment for their ‘sinusitis’, their constant pain in the back and corn in the foot are gone too. Or, for that matter, it is a common experience to see a patient with breathing trouble reporting an improved quality of life, better appetite and sound sleep.

Even before many evidence-based studies validated the traditional knowledge, homoeopathy was used as the preferred choice of treatment for many chronic ailments like those of the skin, respiratory system, gynaecological system, joints and for paediatric and psychiatric problems. In India, its usage was already widespread, with many allopath-turned-homeopath practitioners. Consequently, the Indian government recognised it as one of the national systems of medicine through the Homeopathy Central Council Act of PH

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V


1973. For progress and development purposes of this system, that blended well into the ethos and traditions of the country, homoeopathy was taken under the ambit of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (later termed AYUSH-ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy). Ever since, the Indian Government and state governments have been the propeller and provider of homoeopathic cure based on people’s demands and its classic virtues of affordability and gentle healing.

A literature review of recent surveys and articles to assess the morbidity trends and the treatment modalities being sought by patients in India revealed homeopathy is well represented in public health, being a close second among the AYUSH services. Homeopathy wellness centers run by the Indian government comprise 31 per cent of the total for AYUSH and seven out of 10 diseases recognised as part of the national health burden in India are in the category of most commonly reported diseases at the homeopathy wellness centres. It also revealed that homeopathy practitioners constitute 37 per cent of all AYUSH practitioners, and homeopathy units comprise 1/19th of the number of allopathy units. Yet the annual patient footfall in the homeopathic units is 1/5th of the allopathy units. The paper concluded that homeopathy services, wherever available, are being used fully and thus sharing the patient load in the government-run wellness centres and that there is the potential for more homeopathic practitioners to contribute importantly to health care delivery in India (Kaur et al. 2019).

Furthermore, the role of homoeopathy as an adjuvant to modern medicine is also an integration that seems to be working well as a model that fits easily in many public health delivery centres. In many private and government hospitals, such co-therapy is being offered. Doctors do not hesitate and are, in fact, supportive in cross-referring or co-referring the patients where they feel such a combination can be more beneficial than a single treatment method. The examples of such references in healthcare setups are innumerable. Search engines bring up many examples of such successful integration, if one looks for ‘homeopathy as adjuvant’ or other similar terms. In fact, such an integration leads to benefits like lesser hospitalisation, reduced hospital admission days, better quality of life, better patient compliance and improved tolerance to drugs.

In what can be seen a motivating occurrence was the visit of a UK Conservative Party member, David Treddinick to India in October 2019. Treddinick toured many parts of India to understand how India was running the model of integrated healthcare. He noted that a large number of people flooded the treatment centres offering AYUSH therapies. Visiting the homoeopathy and ayurveda units, he found it impressive that the National Institute of Homoeopathy in Kolkata saw about 2000 patients in its outpatient department every single day. Treddinick visited the research centres of homoeopathy and remarked that it showed the quest for evidence is as high in homeopathy professionals as is the desire of the people of India to seek homeopathic treatment. Upon returning to the UK, Treddinick gave a high-spirited lecture in the British Parliament about how the UK remains several years behind India in holistic health care delivery, advocating the idea of integrated health or medical pluralism.

Triaging for homoeopathy in the health care mainstream is already being done, or so it seems, when it comes to primary health care offered by the central and state governments. But there is a much bigger scope for inclusion of homoeopathy at many levels. Many national health programmes are now adopting an integrated approach. One such programme, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) launched by the Indian government in 2010 later adopted AYUSH systems for offering holistic care. This led to wider screening of patients with more practitioners available to conduct screening, timely referrals of more serious cases and early intervention with homoeopathy or other therapies wherever required. Similarly, in a national campaign on mother and child care launched in 2007, homoeopathy was taken to the district level through ‘train the trainer’ module, where health workers like Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) were trained to provide timely homoeopathic treatment to mothers and children. Whenever efforts of integrating homoeopathy at the national level, have been made, they have yielded promising results (Taneja et. al, 2019). Yet, such ventures are few and far between.

Way ForwardThe promotion and development of AYUSH


systems are now directly under the purview of the Ministry of AYUSH (earlier a department under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare). This has resulted in wider acceptance from the health authorities of the integration of AYUSH systems in national programmes. Patients with diseases with limited scope of treatment with modern medicine should be referred for homeopathic treatment by government run health centers. Some examples are non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, dyslipidemia, hypertension and osteoarthritis. Many of these diseases tend to co-exist and contribute to ‘multimorbidity’ in the patients. Secondly, epidemic diseases of viral origin, like influenza-like illnesses, seasonal flu, or bacterial or other infections that have no vaccine readily available, like diarrhea, dengue (Nayak et. al. 2019), chikungunya, malaria and acute encephalitis syndrome (Oberai et. al. 2018) can be considered for co-therapy to maximise the treatment possibilities. Thirdly, it is prudent to discourage incorrect use of antibiotics and other Schedule H drugs that people self-prescribe for day to day illnesses. This eventually leads to rise in drug-resistant cases, which primarily means that disease-causing microorganisms (usually bacteria) turn resistant to the drugs they were once sensitive to, due to repeated, undue exposure of antibiotics. Drug resistance is a major concern being voiced by the WHO of late. However, the best way to stop people from self-prescribing antibiotics is to provide them an alternative, which can be homoeopathy.

referencesKaur H., D.S. Chalia and R.K. Manchanda. 2019.

Homeopathy in Public Health in India, Homeopathy, 108(02): 076-087.

Nayak D., V. Chadha and S. Jain. 2019. Effect of Adjuvant Homeopathy with Usual Care in Management of Thrombocytopenia Due to Dengue: A comparative Cohort Study, Homeopathy, 108: 150-157.

Oberai P., R. Varanasi and M. Padmanabhan. 2018. Effectiveness of Homeopathic Medicines as Add-on to Institutional Management Protocol for Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Children: An Open-Label Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial, Homeopathy, 107: 161-171.

Taneja D., A. Khurana and A. Vichitra. 2019. An Assessment of A Public Health Initiative of Homeopathy for Primary Teething, Homeopathy, 108: 2-11.

World Health Organization. 2019. WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Creative Commons, Mountain View: USA. Available at: https://bit.ly/3abtnbY

The Indian government recognised

homeopathy as one of the

national systems of medicine with

the passing of the Homeopathy Central Council

Act of 1973.


Of the total number of AYUSH practitioners, 37 per cent belong to the system of homoeopathy, which is about 0.3 million homeopathic doctors.

Broadening the role of homeopathy in India’s health careAnil Khurana, Director General, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) shares his perspective on the need for homeopathy to be significantly integrated with the holistic health care needs of India.

I n c o n v e r s at I on+


G’nY. In the developed part of the world, homeopathy is not part of the mainstream health plan. In India, however it is. Do you think that the efficacy of homeopathic treatments is undermined in the health care trajectories of the developed nations?It is not only homoeopathy treatment, all complementary and alternative treatment options are not accepted as a part of mainstream health care in several developed nations globally. In India, homoeopathy as well as other traditional systems of medicine are accepted and made available by the Indian government at many health centres through co-location within an allopathic set-up, like dispensaries and hospitals. India has been cited as an ideal example by health care delivery professionals and policy makers of developed nations for its health model—‘cafeteria approach’ for offering treatment choices to its people. Recently, health care users in many developed countries have urged their governments to offer alternative health care modalities. A campaign ‘your health, your choice’ was launched in 2019 by the people of Australia to demand an enabling environment regarding treatment plans in their health delivery system.

G’nY. Does India have any robust research methodology for documenting the efficacy of homeopathic treatment? Please provide a peer reviewed research status of Indian papers in global publications. Yes, most Indian researches in homoeopathy follow robust,

scientists. Special committees have been set up for various kinds of research such as Clinical Research, Fundamental Research, Drug Standardisation and Drug Proving. Besides, CCRH also has an Ethical Committee and Scientific Advisory Board for overseeing all research projects. The policies, directions and overall guidance for the activities of the Council are regulated by a governing body.

Also, several clinical and fundamental research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals from India, ranging from autoimmune thyroiditis, multi drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy, acute otitis media, chronic sinusitis, diabetic foot ulcer, gastroenteritis, acute diarrheal diseases in children, HIV infection, kidney stones, to behavioural disorders, alcohol addiction, rhino-sinusitis and acute trachea-bronchitis.

G’nY. What is the infrastructure for homoeopathy in India like? What are the institutes involved with homeopathic research in India?Till date, 673 ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha, sowa rigpa and homoeopathy (AYUSH) wellness centres are being run in India by the central government, while another 25,000 AYUSH dispensaries are being run by various state governments. Out of these 7856 dispensaries are of homoeopathy alone. Further, there are 544 AYUSH medical colleges, of which 195 are for homeopathy. The annual student intake in these colleges

internationally accepted research designs. Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) is leading by example in conducting contemporary research in homoeopathy as per the scientific guidelines issued by Good

Clinical Research Practices of the World Health Organisation (WHO). It has expert committees that vet the protocols developed by the Council’s

India has been cited

as an ideal example by

health care delivery

professionals and policy

makers of developed

nations for its health

model—‘cafeteria

approach’ for offering

treatment choices to

its people.


is around 14,000. In fact 37 per cent of the total number of AYUSH practitioners are of homoeopathy, which amounts to about 0.3 million homeopathic doctors.

CCRH alone has 26 research institutes/ units across the nation. These units conduct research on diseases that are more commonly prevalent in their respective regions. Further, CCRH ties up with many science or research institutes for multidisciplinary research—Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, IIT Delhi, Bose Institute-Kolkata, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, Indian Council of Medical Research-Delhi, Delhi State Cancer Institute, Janakpuri, Super Speciality Hospital-Delhi, BRD Medical College and King George’s Medical University-Lucknow, JIMS Institute and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)-Hyderabad are some of our prominent collaborators for joint research projects.

Besides, there are private organisations and independent researchers too, many of whom seek grants from the government for conducting their studies under the Ministry of AYUSH’s Extramural Research Scheme.

G’nY. Do all homoeopathy practitioners follow a similar treatment protocol and are there any referral systems in place for homeopathic treatment? All homoeopathic practitioners follow common principles for homoeopathic treatment. However, their protocol can be slightly different from one another. To some extent, since homoeopathy

homeopathic treatment? As long as a homoeopathic treatment is aimed at treating the individual having the disease, and not merely the disease, it is all good. ‘Individualisation’ is the basic principle of homoeopathy. Classical method, as per the tenets of this gentle science is typically the way homoeopathy should be practiced. However, ‘modern stream of homoeopathic treatment’ can be interpreted in various ways. Using computer software for recording a patient’s symptoms and analysing his or her case may be modern, but could still be done for a classical prescription. On the other hand, there could be a doctor giving two or three medicines together for a multi-morbid patient.

G’nY. What do you think the future looks like for homeopathic treatment in India? With separate Ministry of AYUSH, the future is definitely brighter. India is a frontrunner in homoeopathy, be it infrastructure, research, number of practitioners, pharmaceutical firms, or even number of patients who use homoeopathy. In fact, many eminent practitioners and researchers from other countries turn to India for joint research and clinical programmes. India is also doing hand holding for its border countries who want to adopt our homoeopathy academic curriculum, treatment integration model, or learn through our conferences. But there is a huge responsibility. There is a need to add rigour in every aspect of homoeopathy—quality of education, infrastructure, research and even drug production.

CCRH has

multidisciplinary

research tie ups with

eminent institutes

such as IIT Mumbai and

Delhi, AIIMS Delhi and

CCMB Hyderabad.

is based on individualised treatment, which, in turn, is based on how the physician perceives you and your ailments, some degree of variation in prescriptions and methods are expected. However, largely, the treatment protocol can be the same. To bring in more uniformity in practice methods of homoeopathic physicians, the Council has developed Standard Treatment Guidelines, a two-volume publication that has laid out a

standard approach of a practitioner to various diseases that are reported to a homoeopathy clinic and the most recommended or used medicines in those diseases are based on various study outcomes and experts’ opinions.

G’nY. What are your views regarding classical vs modern streams of


Girish GuptaBy


The Second MoST PoPular SySTeM of Medicine in The World

HomoeopatHyTeM

Samuel hahnemann founded homoeopathy in 1796 as a holistic system of medicine where ‘the person in the disease’ is treated and not ‘the disease

in the person’. it is perhaps the best alternative system of medicine, which is safest for the new born, the elderly and affordable even to the poorest. homoeopathic medicines are effective in infections, allergies,

auto-immune, surgical, hormonal and psychological diseases, in addition to veterinary and plant diseases.


Phot

o: P

rasa

d

Meticulous record keeping in the homeopathic facility of Kalyan Banerjee in South Delhi marks the key scientific structure of

homeopathic treatment.

The author is a Chief Consultant at Gaurang Clinic and Centre for Homoeopathic Research, Lucknow. [email protected]. The article should be cited as Gupta G. 2020. Homeopathy: The Second Most Popular

System of Medicine in the World, Geography and You, 20(3): 50-55


Homoeopathy was invented by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann, in 1796, rising from his discontentment with the contemporary mode of treatment.

The Cinchona bark was to him what that falling of an apple was to Newton. The bark of the plant was used to alleviate malaria symptoms at the time. He used it on himself to find that Cinchona elicits symptoms similar to the disease itself. That set him thinking, leading him to conduct several experiments with different substances, which in each instance produced symptoms in the healthy individuals, similar to those in the unwell. Subsequently, he coined the phrase ‘Similia Similibus Curantur’ which means ‘Let likes be treated by likes’ (Hahnemann 2007). He also demonstrated the therapeutic potential of ultra-high diluted or potentised drugs on healthy as well as ailing individuals. Homoeopathy is a holistic system of medicine in which a person is treated in totality, not only a diseased organ or a pathological condition. From the point of view of modern medicine, it is a psychosomatic system where a ‘person in disease’ is taken into consideration and not the ‘disease in person’.

Homoeopathy has spread in almost all the countries of the world and has been accepted by the public as an alternative system of medicine. Its affordability and lack of adverse effects marks its increasing acceptance despite poor support by the governments. Homoeopathy, since its inception, has always been a target of criticism by modern scientists and physicians the world over. This is mainly due to a lack of scientific evidence of medicinal materials or molecules in the potentised formulations. However, ‘absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence’. Scientific investigations have elicited the presence of nanoparticles in homoeopathic drugs beyond Avogadro's number which may explain the mechanism of action of these formulations (Rajendran 2015).

As observed during clinical trials and subsequently presented in research papers, the author finds that the best system to treat ‘idiopathic diseases’ is through homoeopathy where the exact cause of the disease is not known. Various auto-immune diseases like psoriasis, lichen planus, vitiligo, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis ulcerative colitis (Pal et al. 2017), thyroid

disorders (Chauhan et al. 2014) can be cured by homoeopathy. These are only palliated in the allopathic system through immuno-suppressive treatment. Long term use of these immuno-suppressive drugs leads to a lot of side effects which further complicates the original disease.

Homoeopathy can successfully treat a number of diseases requiring surgical interventions like cystic hygroma, fibroadenoma of the breast (uterine fibroid, ovarian cysts, benign prostatic hyperplasia, thyroid adenoma, tonsillitis, adenoidal hypertrophy, ganglion, chalazion. Apart from this, stones of the kidney (Bhalerao et al. 2019) and gall bladder can also be dissolved in a good number of cases if the stones are not very large or multiple in number. Not only this, but the tendency of stone formation can also be prevented with constitutional treatment. Nowadays allergic disorders like allergic rhinitis,bronchitis, urticaria, conjunctivitis and even asthma are on the increase. These disorders are being treated by antihistaminic drugs and steroids, which only provide temporary relief. Homoeopathy, however, can cure all these conditions in an effective manner (Fig 1-Fig 5). Long term use of steroids is known to cause side effects which can be avoided by using safe homoeopathic medicines. Various hormone disorders like hypothyroidism (Manchanda et al. 2010), polycystic ovarian syndrome (Lamba et al. 2018), hyperprolactinemia can also be successfully treated with homeopathic medicines whereas a patient has to take lifelong therapy in allopathy for such conditions (Table 1).

Case of uterine FibroidA 35 year old lady with two children, both through caesarean section, suffered from clotted, profuse and long lasting menstruation for 17-18 days since mid 2019, visited for consultation near the end of the year. Her ultrasonography revealed cervicitis and small myoma on anterior uterine wall measuring 2.28 x 1.54 cm. Her rubrics match was considered and Pulsatilla as similimum was prescribed. The post treatment ultrasonography in early 2020 was normal without any evidence of fibroid.

Case of ovarian CystA young unmarried eighteen year old suffered from pain in the right iliac fossa since 2015 with agonising, clotted menstruation reported


Table 1: Multiple conditions/diseases which could be treated by Homoeopathy

disease disease

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Herpes zoster

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Chicken pox

Anxiety neurosis Measles

Schizophrenia Mumps

Depression Influenza

Autism Hepatitis B & C

Chikungunya Dengue

Swine flu Conjunctivitis

Fig. 3: Success rate in fungal infections

100

Succ

ess

rate

(Per

cen

t)

80

60

40

20

0

Skin

Nail

Hair

Oral

Fig. 4: Success rate in arthritis

100

Succ

ess

rate

(Per

cen

t)

80

60

40

20

0

Gout

Rheu

mat

ic

Rheu

mat

oid

Fig. 1: Success rate in surgical diseases

Source: Compiled from various studies conducted by G. Gupta and team between 2003-2016. For instance, Role of Homoeopathy in Kidney stones: A Pilot Study, National Journal of Homeopathy.

100

Succ

ess

rate

(Per

cen

t)

80

60

40

20

0

Ovar

ian

cyst

Brea

st le

sion

s

Beni

gn p

rost

atic

hy

perp

lasi

a

Uter

ine

fibro

id

Neph

rolit

hias

is

Chol

elith

iasi

s

Fig. 2: Success rate in skin diseases

100

Succ

ess

rate

(Per

cen

t)

80

60

40

20

0

Psor

iasi

s

Vitil

igo/

Le

ucod

erm

a

Mol

lusc

um

cont

agio

sum

Lich

en p

lanu

s

War

ts

Source: Compiled from various studies conducted by G. Gupta and team between 2014-2016. For instance, Photographic evidence based study on the Role of Homoeopathic medicines in Vitiligo, Asian Journal of Homeopathy.

Fig. 5: Success rate in various difficult to cure diseases

100

Succ

ess

rate

(Per

cen

t)80

60

40

20

0

Hypo

thyr

oidi

sm

Polyc

ystic

ova

rian

synd

rom

e

Fatty

infil

tratio

n of

live

r

Chro

nic r

enal

fai

lure

Source: Compiled from various studies conducted by G. Gupta and team between 2010-2014. For instance, Role of Homeopathic drugs in case of Rheumatoid arthirits, Asian Journal of Homeopathy.

Source: Compiled from various studies conducted by G. Gupta and team between 1997-2015. For instance, A short clinical study on Alopecia Areata, Asian Journal of Homeopathy.

Source: George Guess, 2016. American Journal of Homoeopathic Medicine (AJHM)

Source: Compiled from various studies conducted by G. Gupta and team between 2010-2017. For instance, Role of homoeopathic medicines on inhibition of Serum TSH in cases of Subclinical Hypothyroidism, Advancements in Homoeopathic Research (formerly Asian Journal of Homoeopathy).


for treatment in the latter half of 2019. She was under allopathic medications but had found no relief. Her ultrasonography revealed right ovarian cyst measuring 33 x 30 x 30 mm (vol. 15.6 cc). During consultation she mentioned stress in the family and the remedy considered for her ailment was Natrum muriaticum. Post treatment ultrasonography of the pelvis in early 2020 was normal with no evidence of any cyst in the ovary.

Homoeopathy is also effective in the treatment of diseases of the liver, like fatty infiltration, cirrhosis caused by alcohol or prolonged use of drugs, viral hepatitis B (Gupta and Pandey 2016) and hepatitis C (Gupta and Pandey 2017) infections. These drugs can not only turn the patients seronegative but can also reverse the pathological process (Table 1). Likewise, homoeopathic drugs can tackle cases of chronic renal failure caused by hypertension, diabetes and prolonged use of painkillers. The urea and creatinine levels in blood come down drastically by using suitable medicines which can prevent patients from undergoing dialysis or a renal transplant. There is a need to work together with nephrologists who have an open mind and are willing to make use of homoeopathic drugs in ‘super-specialty’ cases. A joint effort will inculcate confidence in the specialists and the public as well, which will ultimately benefit the patients at large.

Viral infections like measles, mumps, chickenpox, dengue, influenza, chikungunya, herpes zoster and swine flu are posing a significant threat to a large population around the world. The modern system of medicine has little to offer in such conditions. Homoeopathy, on the contrary, has effective drugs to mitigate almost all these infections. Unfortunately, homoeopathic physicians are unable to prove their dexterity in the absence of an opportunity.

Homoeopathic medicines have also been found effective in the treatment of plants and animals. Various research studies have proved their efficacy in viral and fungal infections like that of tobacco mosaic virus (Singh et al. 1980), aspergillosis (Gupta and Srivastava 2002), mango rot and tomato and potato mosaic viruses. Crop yields can be increased if these drugs are used at the right time. These formulations can also treat veterinary diseases like foot and mouth disease, distemper,

Long term use of steroids is known to cause side

effects which can be avoided by using safe

homoeopathic medicines.


mastitis and other viral diseases of cattle and pets safely and successfully at a meagre cost.

Various psychological and developmental ailments like depression, anxiety neurosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and insomnia can also be treated with non-addictive homoeopathic medicines. These drugs are safe and cost-effective in the treatment of fever, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, dysentery and constipation especially in children and elderly patients where the side effects of medicines must be kept to a minimum or nil.

No system of medicine can stand equal to homoeopathy in treating skin diseases like leucoderma, psoriasis, warts, molluscum contagiosum (Gupta and Pandey 2014), acne rosacea, eczema, fungal infections rapidly, gently and permanently. Other systems only have palliative and suppressive treatment with high rates of recurrence after stopping the medication.

Despite the acceptance of homoeopathy by the public, evidence-based science is wanting. Pharmaceutical companies and modern physicians have been pressing governments world over to not include homoeopathy in its national health care systems. Methodical research can prove the scientificity and efficacy of homoeopathy provided that this work is done without any prejudice. A large number of politicians, bureaucrats, scientists and even physicians of other systems of medicine are using homoeopathy for their families. They should come forward to safeguard this system.

Way ForwardThe Indian government has established the Ministry of AYUSH, a National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH) and many other institutes for alternative therapies of national importance. But more has to be done to bring these alternative systems into mainstream health care. Once integrated, homoeopathy can engage in a wider spectrum of ailments, assisting the developed and developing world, to follow the lead of the Indian government. The World Health Organization (WHO) should ponder over this without being skewed towards a single system of medicine, so that its mission of ‘Health for All’ can be achieved.

referencesBhalerao R., P. Oberai, P. Mehra, Y. Rai and G.

Choubey et. al. 2019. Lycopodium clavatum for the Management of Urolithiasis: A Randomised Double BlindPlacebo Controlled Trial,Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, 13(3): 139-149.

Chauhan V.K., R.K. Manchanda, A. Narang, R.K. Marwaha and S. Arora et. al. 2014. Efficacy of Homeopathic Intervention in Subclinical Hypothyroidism With or Without Autoimmune Thyroiditis in Children: An exploratory Randomized Control Study,Homeopathy, 103(4): 224-231.

Gupta G. and A.K. Srivastava. 2002. In-vitro Activity of ThujaOccidentalis Linn. against Human Pathogenic Aspergilli,The Homoeopathic Heritage, 27(1): 5-12.

Gupta G. and D.K. Pandey. 2014. A clinical study on Molluscum contagiosum, Asian Journal of Homoeopathy, 82(27): 13-18.

Gupta G. and D.K. Pandey. 2016. Efficacy of Homoeopathic Medicines in Cases of Hepatitis B,Advancements in Homoeopathic Research, 1(1): 16-27.

Gupta G. and D.K. Pandey. 2017. Role of Homoeopathic Medicines in the Patients of Chronic Hepatitis-C. Advancements in Homoeopathic Research (formerly Asian Journal of Homoeopathy), 2(2): 24-32.

Hahnemann S., Translated by William Boericke. 2007. Organon of medicine, New Delhi : B. Jain Pvt. Ltd.

Lamba C.D., P. Oberai, R.K. Manchanda, P. Rath and P.H. Bindu et. al. 2018. Evaluation of Homoeopathic Treatment in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Single-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled Pilot Study. Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy. 12(1): 35-45.

Manchanda R.K., A. Narang, S. Arora and L. Nagpal. 2010. Homoeopathic Perspective of Thyroid Disorders, E-Journal of Hpathy.com, 1-19. Available at: https://bit.ly/2P5NM9y

Pal P.P., M.S. Ghosh and A. Chakma. 2017. Homoeopathic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: A case Report, Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, 11(1):74-78. Available at: https://bit.ly/32fL72s.

Rajendran E.S. 2015. Nanodynamics, Kerala: Mohna publications.

Singh B.P., G. Gupta and K.M. Srivastava. 1980. Homoeopathic Drugs as Inhibitors of Tobacco Mosaic Virus,The Hahnemannian Gleanings, XL-VII: 265-267.


homeopathy: The Complete Guide to natural remediesBy: albert-Claude Quemoun, sophie pensaCover: Paperback

isBn: 978-1454926375published: 2019publisher: Sterling Ethospages: 352 price: USD 3.79 – 9.39

The Companion to homoeopathy: The practitioner’s GuideBy: Colin GriffithsCover: PaperbackisBn:

978-1906787714published: 2019publisher: Watkins Publishingpages: 864 price: USD 33.70

healing with information: The new homeopathyBy: Maria sagiCover: PaperbackisBn: 978-1782798583

published: 2018publisher: O Books pages: 422price: USD 27.43

What’s The remedy For That? The definitive hom. Guide to Mastering everyday self-Care Without drugsBy: Kathleen K. Fry

Cover: PaperbackisBn: 978-0984753420published: 2017publisher: Collett Avenue Presspages: 222price: USD 17.99

Cardiac examination in homeopathy: a practical approach to examination, in the Tradition of the homeopathic MastersBy: Janice BlockCover: PaperbackisBn: 9789659001323published: 2018publisher: Block Publicationspages: 278 price: USD 16.7

This book examines in detail the topic of homeopathic

cardiology and also looks into the different technical instructions found within the classical texts of homeopathy. It covers topics like the physical examination of heart and blood vessels, the circulatory system, the cardiac anatomy and the materia medica. The book also analyses the common types of

heart disease like coronary artery disease, arrhythmias which are prevalent in our society and also provides a useful summary of the associated symptoms of the diagnosis for each of the mentioned heart conditions. Thus, this book shall be an ideal foundation in cardiology while also helping to build the skill sets of practitioners already in the field of homeopathy.

Website B o o k S+

ayush research portalwww.ayushportal.nic.in/This portal comes under Ministry of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy (AYUSH), Government of India. AYUSH Research Portal helps to spread information about various AYUSH systems and also updates on a regular basis various research activities in the domain of AYUSH.

homeopathy research institutewww.hri-research.org/HRI is an international charity organisation developed to promote quality research in the field of homeopathy. HRI is trying to find homeopathic solutions to the various challenges faced by the contemporary society such as—overuse of antibiotics and methods to control increasing health budget.

liga Medicorum homoeopathica internationalis (lMhi) www.lmhi.orgLMHI is a non profit organisation that brings together homeopathic doctors and various associations in the field of homeopathy. Founded in 1925, the goal of LMHI is to promote homeopathy worldwide and create links between medical practitioners of homeopathy and civil society interested in homeopathy.

RNI No. DELENG/2001/5002

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