Clinical trials of holistic drugs

The problem is we cannot test holistic systems with standards meant for reductionist systems. This is because;

- The holistic systems are about the person and not the disease or pathogen
- There is no one disease, one medicine approach
- The cure is not linear
- The attention is on curing the person and not relief from symptoms

Thus a homeopath may have to provide 10 medicines to 10 persons presenting with the same disease name. Under homeopathic treatment disease layers will progressively present themselves according to the constitution of the person. Therefore the treatment combination too will be different for each individual. Standardization is the bane of homeopathy, not boon.

Ayurvedically also the constitution of vata, pitta, kapha and sattwa, rajas, tamas has a huge role. Again calling for individualized approach. There is some effort at standardization in ayurveda but that limits the science. The standardization has led to the demise of ayurveda.

While reductionist approaches are aimed at reducing symptoms and their severity, cures of holistic symptoms can and do result in an initial aggravation as the vital force picks up the thread and goes on a self correction mode. All parameters tend to go awry, symptom intensity increases before slowly declining. As these systems aim for a total cure the treatment period can be longer. But the opposite is also true. Amazingly short recoveries are also possible, particularly as the disease process is aborted. With coronavirus this is being observed.

Thus circumstances have a great role to play and the watchful physician observes the pattern and goes with the flow. The physicians knowledge and skill, and the condition of the patient are determining factors.

Both ayurvedic systems and homeopaths have treated coronavirus patients with a group of remedies that they have presented to the government. They are not happy at the way things are being taken forward. The government is talking of an integrated approach when the right approach should be to allow the holistic practitioners to treat patients as per their specialities. The vital force of the patient is the determining factor.