Ever since I came into conscious existence, I have witnessed an endless debate over "Which form of medicine is superior?"
Well, I am not a qualified medical practitioner in any branch and therefore I really cannot recommend or prove any superiority of one form of medicine over the other .... and anyway that is not the intent of this post. But, I would like to share the gist of my own experiences as a student or single employed individual and finally as a mother responsible for her family.
I left home at a very young age of seventeen to join college. My mother believed very strongly in homoeopathy and it's safe results. In fact, my father shared the same trust with her and he made a little plastic medicine box for me with the tiny medicine drums labeled neatly and arranged alphabetically. I still have it with me amongst three other bulkier wooden boxes. To help me with a ready reference they stuck a note which listed the most common ailments along with the corresponding medicines. So, all I had to do was to open the box, read the page and administer the medicine on myself. It was such a life saviour and I remember treating myself of common cold, mild fever, nervous breakdown during exams, constipation, wounds/cuts and other stomach ailments without any doctor's help. I had also become sort of a quack amidst other hosteliers who would come to seek medical help from me.
But, it was not long before I discovered that there were occassions when I could not blindly rely on this little homoeo box and it helped to try out other form of medications. For instance, high fever, acute stomach infections, painful infected boils during summers, open wounds etc. were beyond homoeopathy. My body deserved an instant relief from high temperature through anti pyretics and analgesic allopath drugs, an open wound had to be stiched up to avoid scars and infection and the 9th loose motion within a span of 3 hours had to be attended to immediately or else the long term effects of such ailments could become irreversible.
I became a family person quite early in life due to an early marriage but K~ came along much later .... almost after 4 years. Nevertheless, after my hostel and job life, I enjoyed continuing my quack homoeo practice over my unsuspecting husband and trusting in-laws. I felt so important when my mom-in-law would ask me for medicines and my ego would be massaged when my sis-in-law would declare being treated through my medicines. I used to derive pleasure delivering homoeo lectures and describing my exaggearted success stories over the dinner table as a self proclaimed homoeo doc.
Enter K~ into my life and my scope for domestic homoeo practice increased. It felt good to treat K~ of her teething troubles, rashes, constipation and worms. But, I would never forget to consult K~'s paediatrician during acute ailments of high fever and loose motions. Bio-chemic combinations deserve a mention here because of their long term benefits. They are universally numbered and each number stands for a different set of symptoms. K~ benefitted greatly from No.8 making her teething a smooth affair without loose stools or fever, No. 5 & No. 6 keeping common cold infections and cough at bay and K~'s father is relieved of his digestion related troubles with No.25.
I am giving a link below which lists down these combinations along with the associated symptoms.
http://www.sblglobal.com/bichemics.html
I would like to summarise three key learnings made in the last few years:
Learning I: No form of medication can boast of a 100% success rate. Every doctor irrespective of his medical lineage will most certainly have failed cases to his credit, where his treatment would have failed to bear the desired results. A successful doctor in the public perception actually thrives on the word-of-mouth publicity done by his healed patients.
KEEP YOURSELF OPEN TO ANY AND EVERY FORM OF MEDICATION. DON'T BE FIXED!
Learning II: Homoeopathy and Allopathy actually complement each other making up for each other's limitations. Allopathic drugs treat the ailment while homoeopathic pills prevent it from recurring. If one was to consume allopathic medicines too often at every small occurence like an occassional watery nose, it kills the body's mechanism to fight diseases (Immunity). I see the kids around the worst affected ones. The child consuming too much of those coloured allopathic syrups gets caught in the vicious cycle of fever/cold/stomach infection ---> Anti-Biotic Medication ---> Lost Immunity and Weak Body ---> Vulnerable to Infections around ---> fever/cold/stomach infection. This cycle has to be broken somewhere .... we cannot create a safe atmosphere artificially by keeping the child's sick friends away or not sending her to school. The only key solution to the problem is building Immunity. And, homoeopathy goes a long way in doing that.
Having said that, one cannot risk the life of her child in certain cases like fever above 100 degrees F or constant loose motions. An immediate treatment is required in such cases and visiting the paediatrician is the safest bet. But, I have always waited for K~'s body to heal itself through homoeopathic medicines during cough, cold, mild fever or loose motions to the tune of 4-5 times/day. It requires patience and faith during these testing times. But, it has helped K~ in building resistance against the common infections even in the most vulnerable times like season change, playing with sick friends, getting packed off in the closed school van during winters with a bunch of coughing kids etc.
TREAT THE FIRST SYMPTOMS OF COMMON ILLNESS WITH HOMOEOPATHY AND PATIENCE. HOWEVER, DO NOT HESITATE TO TAKE ALLOPATHIC DRUGS IF IT WORSENS BUT FOLLOW IT UP WITH PREVENTIVE HOMOEO BIO-CHEMIC MEDICATION.
Learning III: I was unaware of the power of Ayurvedic herbs until I witnessed the successful healing of two chronic ailments in my family - Piles and Frozen Shoulder. Milk reduced by boiling crushed Ashwagandha twigs in it and consumed actually helps in relaxing the nerves and it's related problems like insomnia or frozen shoulder. Similarly, piles gets treated with ashes of coconut hair consumed with a cup of warm water.
WHEN EVERYTHING FAILS IN HEALING CHRONIC CONDITIONS, TRY AYURVEDIC OR NATUROPATHIC TREATMENTS.
However, the most important learning I have made is that a happy state of mind is the best defence mechanism of our body against all diseases. No amount of healthy food, body discipline or exercises can keep a family healthy if there is lack of love and care amongst it's members. More than the body tonics or religious discourses, they are the tight hugs, kisses and smiles that we share with our family and friends which keep us going a long way. The warm cuddle a child feels while sleeping, getting squeezed between a loving mom and dad and that soft motherly touch over her forehead is her best Immunity .... against any form of illness - related to body, mind or even soul. All stress related ailments can be combated with a daily self-catharsis or confessions made to an understanding partner.
Simple loving phrases indeed have magical powers to heal and preserve, especially if heart felt and each one of us should be saying and hearing them more often .... however senseless or irrelevant they might appear, for it is the ultimate medicine to all woes.
.bmp)
