With the exponential growth of interest and public awareness about alternative medicine, increasing numbers of people are exploring new options for their personal healthcare. Alternative therapies include, but are not limited to the following disciplines: herbal medicine, homeopathy, faith healing, chiropractic healing, acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, and music therapy.
Alternative medicine looks into the root of the disease, taking into account various factors such as heredity, psychological condition, fatigue and anxiety. For instance, recurring headaches can be cured rapidly with few doses of Aspirin or Vasograin, but the underlying cause may be related to weak eyesight, sinusitis, a faulty diet or anxiety.
The prime difference between allopathy and alternative therapies is that while the former acts only on the body level (effects), the latter works on the mind (the cause).
'Ayurveda' means science of life. Ayurveda and nature cure practitioners particularly counsel you on lifestyle, diet and habits. Patients who use alternative medicine do so either for relief of symptoms in mild or chronic illnesses and in life threatening conditions, typically as adjuncts to conventional medicine.
Ayurveda and homoeopathy work wonders on ailments like asthma and some chronic skin problems. While interviewing several patients with chronic ailments like backache, sinusitis and arthritis, one found that most of them avoid painkillers because of their habit-forming qualities and instead rely on massages, yoga and homoeopathy. Steam inhalation, for example, is recommended by doctors to cure blocked sinuses and bad throats. This can be termed as aromatherapy, nature cure or just plain common sense.
A healthy person can realize his full potential and armed with better immunity prevent many illnesses. Another advantage alternative medicine has over conventional medicine is the significance it attaches to prevention. Preventing a disease is always easier than curing it.
Change is happening at a faster pace today. Drastic changes in lifestyle are leading to sweeping changes in our lives. Few of us see changes coming in our health because of our busy schedules. Either we are too wrapped up in the daily business of living to be aware of it, or we choose to take the ostrich approach and bury our heads in the sand not knowing that it has also brought in ill health. The result is, of course, that due to hasty decision-making we often don't opt for a safer mode of treatment thereby causing more harm than relief.
The author is the Deputy Managing Director, Dr Batra's Positive Health Clinics Pvt. Ltd