Studying holistic medicine

 

Dear Dr...

Studying holistic medicine is easy if one is not carrying the baggage of allopathy. However there are many allopaths, including a childhood friend of mine, an ophthalmologist of my city, and an MD of my State, who have studied and practiced with elan.

The present day doctors are not troubled by disease so long there is a treatment plan. The diagnosis and treatment are everything. The cause and outcome are never researched with integrity. Sending the patient home with a life long prescription "after recovery" does not raise eyebrows.

So long as disease is accepted, and disease management considered science, the interest in cures will not arise. Holistic systems aim to keep people healthy and cure the sick. Cure; not palliation of symptoms.

It is only when you have the responsibility of understanding health and of actually curing a person that your intellect is stimulated enough for you to delve deep and you are confronted with those very things that are brushed away as confounding and quackery.

The holistic systems do not look upon the living as physical bodies. Their approach is aimed at the environment, body constitution, inputs, outputs, emotions, mental makeup, lifestyle, energy, spirit, and beyond. They go into the interconnectedness of things. They study health, the ways the body falls sick and how it heals itself. To cure you have to step into the invisible and immeasurable. Here the tools are the doctors self preparation, mind, intuition, education, and experience.

This does not mean that the holistic sciences are spooky. They are very well structured. African medicine is shamanism. Systems like naturopathy, ayurveda, acupuncture and acupressure, homeopathy, and Siddha are not. If one has the interest and intent to study, one can easily understand their principles.

At present the approach is designed to subjugate using the one-upmanship approach. The intent is to belittle and condemn. This cannot be called a scientific approach by any means.

The scientific approach was demonstrated by those allopaths who wanted to prove Hahnemann wrong. They studied the Organon, the principles of medicine, the materia medica, and the repertory. Then they applied the remedies as per the principles. They were amazed at the results and became full time homeopaths. Similarly they also became naturopaths, herbalists, energy healers, and chiropractors. They were interested in their patient’s wellbeing.

Reform in the medical structure is not easy. It is difficult to tackle the system where there is stupendous conflict of interest and to go beyond the shenanigans of the pharma giants. To break this stranglehold sincere practitioner must quietly and without bias study what holistic medicine is.

Personally I was a diehard reductionist. I opened up to holistic systems only when I stared at complete incapacitation and death. I was also alarmed by the threats I was subjected to when I pointed out the obvious cause.

But this need not be the case. Holism is both interesting and extremely rewarding. For me it has enabled me to extend my life by 44 years so far. It has also helped me to help others. Holism opens up the path to self development. Both the practitioners and the patients gain from it.

Medicine is about altruism - benefitting others. If the efforts are instead leading to disease, disability, and death then it is ones responsibility to change track. Otherwise we invite infamy. History will never forgive us if we continue on the path and do not contribute to health and cures.

Regards,

Jagannath