Dr Sreevals G Menon MD

Today, at the wake of a forever complicated lifestyle and amidst the worst of industrial, noise and automobile pollution, one often find him at the brim of a very challenging situation related to his physical and mental health. The omnipotent stress factor, other causes like irregular diet habits, over use of fast foods, irregular sleep pattern & poor exercise conscience has slowly evolved a new race of humans more prone for a group of diseases which in other words is the fallout of the present lifestyle. 

Our very unstable environment, a forever decaying ecosystem, more use of triggering diet, a larger pool of a pro-allergic genetic traits have all contributed to a higher incidence and prevalence of illnesses in these steams which often affected the quality of life and productivity at times in the most demanding age-groups.

The prevalence of alcohol, smoking and substance abuse has always been on the rise portending a new generation of complex diseases which proves to be a very bad presage for the human race in terms of health. Medical science in the years to come would probably face the worst challenges to deal the forthcoming scenario.

Homoeopathy here shall be of a greater significance, the benefits extending from an absence of side effects to being the treatment of a complete nature. More than two hundred years away from its inception Homoeopathy stands tall with its presence in more than 160 countries across the world and as the fastest growing alternative medicine across the world with an ever increasing fraction of the population to its use and efficient delivery. Though the inception was a sheer coincidence, the history of this magnanimous system actually dates back to ancient times, as the major working principle behind it "Simila Simibus Curentur" was known to man as early as ancient Hindu mythology. Even Hippocrates the father of medicine described about it in Fifth century B.C. It was then up to Dr.Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homoeopathy to understand it fully, the capability and scope of that law in the late eighteenth century and refine it to such a fine therapeutic tool, that within no time Homoeopathy gained international acclaim and momentum.

Effectiveness: Homoeopathy today means a huge answer to those suffering from acute and chronic diseases in majority of the clinical specialties and diseases. The most leading among them are Dermatology, Allergy, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Life-style diseases, Gynaecological diseases, Rheumatology, Gastro-enterology, Nephrology. Eve in leading surgical specialties like Urology, ENT and Orthopaedics homoeopathic medical solutions often fairly relieve diseases where otherwise surgery is indicated. Conventional medicine always stands far ahead in Emergency management, Trauma, Poisoning, Life threatening situations and pure surgical conditions. The drift of priority in medical treatment in the therapeutic form is observed to be in favour of alternative medicines across the globe, a large fraction of which resort to Homoeopathy.

Solution for Allergy: The role of Homoeopathy in Allergy requires special mention. This hyper-responsive crisis is often a fallout of an unfavourable genetic descend or an outcome of a very unfavourable environment the patient is exposed into. The treatment is often based on a constitutional approach though at times bio-chemics and mother tinctures are used as well. Some allergic complaints coexist with other diseases complicating the situation.

Allergy at the level of nose is often related to allergic rhinitis which normally couples with recurrent sinus impactions and inflammation and occasionally with one or more allergic nasal polyp. The treatment in Homoeopathy is very effective and convincing for the patient. The allergy spectrum study about inhalant and ingestible/food allergy often reveals the active agents involved and helps a lot in general measures. Immunological allergy marker is commonly IgE which gives an idea of the depth of the situation though the eosinophil fraction at the differential wbc blood count, absolute eosinophil count and peripheral smear gives a larger picture also talking about the functional and environmental role in developing the allergy.

At the lower levels allergy presents as allergic phraryngitis, allergic laryngitis (which often also shows up again with an allergic laryngeal/vocal polyp), allergic bronchitis and the most discussed bronchial asthma, which has its dreaded significance though has variable levels of being affected.

Allergy at he level of the skin is often related as Eczema or Atopic dermatitis. This is an arena of disease where the Homoeopathic philosophy actually comes to life in terms of the expression of the disease, the alternative habits of the disease between respiratory and skin complaints etc. Dr Hering, a second generation Homoeopath after the founder, had mentioned about such developments in chronic diseases near two hundred years ago !

IN lifestyle disease management: It would be incomplete talking about Homoeopathic possibilities if one does not mention about the lifestyle diseases. This is one platform which talks about a few most important diseases of the present day which has a close relation to our advanced modes for civilization. In other words these are diseases of longevity; when people live longer and the environment get too industrialised and polluted with the latest technology and its fall out. The major factors influencing  lifestyle diseases are diet, lifestyle and often the immediate environment including the house factor. Drug abuse, mostly tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking and the lack of physical exercise in spite of a greater awareness to it are the secondary risk factors favouring lifestyle diseases at a latter age.

The lifestyle diseases  include  Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, asthma, cancer, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, Crohn's disease nephritis or chronic renal failure, osteoporosis, acne, stroke, depression and obesity. A very effective drastic but slowly adapted change in lifestyle is crucial for the treatment of lifestyle diseases. Some of the diseases are too risky for life and often lead to intense and prolonged hospitalization destabilising the whole family.

In cancer treatment: A very recent research release about Cancer in developed and developing countries say - "In many developed countries, people’s diet changed substantially in the second half of the twentieth century, generally with increases in consumption of meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, fruit juice, and alcoholic beverages, and decreases in consumption of starchy staple foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, and maize flour. Other aspects of lifestyle also changed, notably, large reductions in physical activity and large prostate, endometrium, and lung; by contrast, individuals in developing countries usually had diets that were based on one or two starchy staple foods, with low intakes of animal products, fat, and sugar, and low rates of these cancers."

"These observations suggest that the diets [or lifestyle] of different demographic population might partly determine their rates of cancer, and the basis for this hypothesis was strengthened by results of studies showing that people who migrate from one country to another generally acquire the cancer rates of the new host country, suggesting that environmental rather than genetic factors are the key determinants of the international variation in cancer rates." Homoeopathy has an immense role in Cancer treatment at the very earliest stages of detection and has great substitutes for chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and Surgical interference into Cancer is often invited when they are the real choice of the moment. Similarly, at the terminal stages, the pain and palliative mode of treatment of Homoeopathy is widely discussed and appraised across the world. The medicine used has no contra effects when compared to crude drugs and often relieves the patient from suffering both the primary ailment and the immediate consequences from the drugs used.

Depression:  With the changing times depression is a common but dreaded lifestyle disease, but is one of the most efficiently managed problem with Homoeopathy. The nature of case-taking and the habitual introspection exercised by the physician gathers the root cause and helps render solutions even beyond dispensing the right constitutional remedy. Many modern Homoeopathic centres often couples counselling techniques with the treatment and it proves immensely effective.

obesity: Among the other worst challenges among lifestyle diseases are obesity and metabolic syndrome which indirectly causes rest of the diseases as well. The very comfortable and luxurious lifestyle and eating habits, high intellectual draining, high per capita income all has contributed into a lethargy at the physical level requiring much more motivation for exercise. In metabolic syndrome often the physician encounters high electrolyte levels, low physical endurance and at times associated with obesity to multiply risk factors.

Homoeopathy is at its best whenever humanity needed them the most and has fixed protocols and approaches for such illnesses through the philosophic deduction pertaining to a case on the same platform and wavelength. Among the approach and methods other than the mainstream classical Homoeopathy, there are multiple combinations, specific mother tinctures, triturations and bio-chemics which can exclude the risk and often take good care of the presenting crisis. The ramified methods, medication concepts and offshoots among the Homoeopathic methods have off late given extensive relevance to Homoeopathy in specialties related to Lifestyle diseases [Cardiology, Nephrology, Rheumatology etc] among the new generation multi-specialty Homoeo clinics.

The person seeking Homoeopathic treatment undergoes a very detailed c se taking incorporating every dimension as discussed at the beginning of the article. The diagnosis of the person takes place prior to the actual clinical or disease diagnosis. Though there are offshoots like specific remedies, combinations, tincture therapies etc prevalent among Homoeopaths, the most sought and the most complete is always classical homoeopathy which takes more effort for a doctor, be it a case of any specialty or clinical discipline. Here the approach to the case is more close to the philosophic fabric of Homoeopathy, but the clinical skills stand tall in terms of diagnosis and prognostic assessments using criteria. Every patient needs to open up too well to the Homoeopath who has to sincerely extract the delicate information and observation from the patient which respects him/her as unique. The patient’s compliance to it is crucial for an effective Homoeopathic delivery.

I conclude by urging the readers to have an open mind towards the Homoeopathic approach to disease management and for those who have never been through one, it would be a delight to be treated by the most post-modern therapeutic discipline on the face of the earth. I say so considering the fact that Allopathy was 650 years old when Homoeopathy took shape approximately 220 years back. The management of Allergy and Lifestyle diseases was never too easy until we have the safest mode of therapeutics with us and its practitioners just across our street !

Author is National Mass Media Officer, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association (www.ihma.in/media.html)

He is Director & Senior Consultant AIHMS Homoeopathy Ltd. and Chief medical Officer, RM Group of Homoeo Concerns. He can be reached at: sreevalsm@gmail.com and +91 9349117833