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Sidestep the side effects
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The general belief is that homoeopathy has no side effects. A group of homeopaths say this is not true. `Predictive homoeopathy', a method adopted to overcome this bane, is gaining popularity, says SHIVA KUMAR THEKKEPAT.
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MURALI, EIGHT, (identity changed), was suffering from tonsillitis. His father took him to doctors, specialists, ayurvedic experts and the works. The condition disappeared, reappeared, became better, and got worse. Tired of the fluctuating condition, the father finally approached another homoeopath and took his advice and medicine.Within a few days, the tonsillitis had disappeared. Within a month, Murali's tonsillitis was a distant memory.
Strike one for homoeopathy.
The scene six months later: Murali's father meets the doctor at a local shopping centre. The doctor enquires about his former patient. "Oh, he's fine doctor, no attacks now,'' says the parent. The doctor is all modest pride. Butthe father complains of another problem: Murali, a bright student, started failing at school. His teachers complained that he was inattentive and dull in class. Incredible though it may seem, the very medicine that had `cured' Murali's tonsillitis was the reason why he was now a `bad' student requiring `treatment'. Where Murali's homoeopath had gone wrong was in treating the `disease' and not the `person.'
The medicine the doctor prescribed had not cured Murali, it just shifted his disease from the `physical plane' to the `dynamic.' And since this occurred gradually over a period of six months, the effect could not even be remotely linked to the medicine Murali had taken for tonsillitis. "There is this belief that homoeopathic medicines have no side-effects," says Dr. Deepak B. Shah, a homoeopath practising in Ernakulam, and official consultant to the Southern Naval Command. "But people don't stop to think that what is effective should necessarily have side-effects."
This is the point a small group of homoeopaths are trying to drive home. That the right diagnosis requires a holistic view.
As was emphasised at a paediatric homoeopathy seminar organised by `Padavukal,' an offshoot of the Institution of Homoeopaths, Kerala (IHK), in Aluva recently. `Padavukal,' which has 60 members, spread over 14 districts, aims to create public awareness about homoeopathy.
An audio-visual presentation by Dr. Pravin Jain from Mumbai, which formed the main part of the seminar, illustrated the changes taking place in the field. A member of the faculty of Dr. Prafull G. Vijayakar, who has devised a method of diagnosis and treatment called `Predictive homoeopathy,' Dr. Jain illustrated Dr. Vijayakar's method of case taking in paediatric treatment with the help of a flow chart and video clippings of his classification of types of patients.
In homoeopathy, the disease, when treated, moves and shifts planes until finally it is `thrown' out through the skin. Dr. Vijayakar's `Chart of Suppression' is the backbone of Predictive homoeopathy. It lists the seven layers of disease starting with the skin and going up to changes in the genetic code. When the classification of the patient type is accurate, the chart helps pinpoint the layer at which the disease exists and the appropriate medicine to treat it with. It also predicts the course the disease should take and the possible side effects.
In Predictive homoeopathy, the course a disease will take can be predicted.
"Paediatric history taking is one of the most difficult tasks for a homoeopathic physician," said Dr. Jain in his lecture. "With the help of the flow chart for classifying children types (into extroverted or introverted, hyperactive or hypoactive, destructive or non-destructive, etc.) it is easy to arrive at the medicine for treatment. Before this chart was formulated, there was no definite criteria for the new doctors to follow," added Dr. Jain. "It was just trial and error. Before I followed this method, I was not very successful. Now I know it is the only way to achieve the `rapid, gentle and permanent cure' mentioned by Dr. Samuel Hahnneman, the father of homoeopathy."
But surprisingly, of the 1,500-odd homoeopaths in Kerala, only about 25 practise this method. "But going by the participation in this and previous seminars, I feel that doctors are becoming more receptive to it," says Dr. Praveen T. Dharmaratnam, general convener, `Padavukal.'
Dr. Dharmaratnam has been following the Predictive method for the past three years and feels a definite qualitative improvement in his treatment.
"Earlier, treatment was like a shot in the dark," says Dr. Shah. "We used to look at things in isolation. Now we are confident of what to expect and what not to after a certain prescription. If, for instance, a treatment for asthma induces digestive problems, we know there is a mistake. We can correct the treatment before any permanent damage occurs."
The irony is that the Predictive method is enshrined in classical homoeopathy practice, long ignored by the rapid commercialisation in the field. Dr. Vijayakar has merely gone back to the roots of homoeopathy.
The success of this method is reflected in the fact that it is being taught in post-graduate level courses conducted by the Central Council of Homoeopathy, Delhi. Evidently, the system is opening up to the vast possibilities of Predictive homoeopathy. How well it can hold up against the rampant commercialisation that has stunted the system, will decide its course.
Myths
SOME MYTHS about homeopathy.
* Homoeopathy is slow: It's not. In acute diseases like cold and fever, homoeopathic medicines are effective within an hour. In chronic diseases within 10 days.
* It is only for children: From one-day-old children to the oldest of them, it is effective for everybody. It is even used to treat foetus in the womb through the mother.
* It has no side effects. It has. Only, it may be too gradual to notice.
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