The best things, they say, come in small packages... with a big price of course. Health remedies as well, if you take a look at the stores around you. Guess what? Panacea now comes in capsules.
So what’s new? The fact is that we are not discussing conventional medicine. Welcome to the world of alternative medicine and the new herbal remedies doing its rounds. Meanwhile, the consumer is only too happy to lap it all up to keep himself healthy and fit, the easiest and supposedly ‘safest’ way. Consumer is the king, undoubtedly and herbal remedies are banking on him.
While lifestyles are changing (for the worse?) as far as consumption of a healthy diet is concerned, irrespective of the fact that he or she follows a nutritious diet, exercise regime or not, the consumer is ready to pick up that herb or vitamin which promises many an immediate cure. And that indeed calls for debate. 
After undergoing wide research in the West, alternative medicine has just arrived in India. ‘Svaasa…A breath of life’, for instance, has  recently opened its store in Bangalore and promises vitamins, minerals, herbs and organics, all under one roof. Located at Indiranagar, “it is the first of its kind in the field of alternative medicine in India and provides natural remedies for health concerns and prevention of illnesses,” says founder and chairperson Rama Ranjit Mehra, who is also a qualified functional medical practitioner. Is this the heralding of ancient medicine combined with the right use of modern science? Alternative medicine is that treatment sometimes used instead of conventional ones or along with it. They have been claimed to be ‘safe and effective’. Which is why it has been seen being adopted into conventional health care, say some.
“Svaasa’ offers a chemical and synthetic free lifestyle, practising and promoting natural and organics. Rama adds, “a lot of research has gone into it. All the details in the quality is fully observable. We believe on well-being. This is one medication which keeps you safe by enhancing immunity. What we use is global traditional herbs, taking all botanical extracts. And definitely no side-effects,” she assures.
But there are of course some who are sceptical about alternative medicine or for that matter any herbal remedy available in the stores. Saloni, a software engineer, says she’d rather have a right and nutritious diet  than take supplements. “When it comes to alternative medicine, I’m quite sceptical about it,” she says. 
A matter of debate
While it is important that the stores should have those who can offer advice or a trained practitioner, how many of them do really have the right person to explain the pros and cons? What remains a matter of debate is whether the patients reveal their health history, lifestyle and who would provide medical advice. “Svaasa’s wellness boutique offers a very simple lifestyle change. We have staff who are trained and provide the basic advice. For complex situations, consultation is required, which we offer. What we have complements conventional medicine like detoxins for all the organs,” Dr Rama says.
As consumerist tendencies are skyrocketing, a large chunk will not think twice before picking up herbal remedies. After all herbs are known to be harmless. But there are those like Deepti Pookat, a hardware engineer who feels, “even if I have the money to splurge, I would not buy them unless they come from known brands.”  But those willing to give it a shot are not uncommon either. You can see them picking one or two of the health remedies on your shopping rounds, come what the cost may.
“Brands like Nature’s Essence are doing great business because we believe completely in quality. We are not willing to compromise on the purity of the product,” says Saurabh Nanda, Executive Director, Nature’s Essence. The company has its own in-house research lab and eight manufacturing chemists and doctors on its panel of experts. “We tell our consumers the cosmological possibilities — for instance, we do not promise fairness which is not possible but we do promise clearer skin,” he explains. He assures that the products go through stringent quality tests and side-effects are negligible.
Seconds Dr Reena Mary Margrette, “herbal medicines are generally harmless and have no side effects. Unless one sees the ingredients, one would not be able to comment on the ingredients used. But it is always better to consult your physician before you just go and purchase it.”
Side-effects
When asked about the possible side-effects, Rama has this to say: “The hazards of today’s lifestyle is mainly because there are toxic contents and pesticides in the diet we consume. ‘Svaasa’ has the highest quality natural and organic vitamins, minerals and combinations, botanical herbs, specialty nutrients and nutritional oils, tinctures and other organic herb teas, infusions and more. We choose the most authentic manufacturers internationally, known for their purity and quality, either natural or organic, awarded or certified by international boards as SKAL or Soil Association, with good manufacturing processes (GMP) and brings them to India for the purpose of giving good health.” A lot of shop talk but it seems there is truth in what she says too.
Rama says, after her and her husband’s battle with cancer in 1998, during her husband’s chemotherapies in the US, came across doctors of natural medicine and therapeutic nutritionists. It was here she says, she noticed the West more scientific in using vitamins, minerals, herbs for treatments of ailments. And that’s how her belief in nature turned into a reality.
Another company that’s leveraging its belief in nature is Herbalife.  A well-known nutrition and weight-management company, A well-known nutrition and weight-management company, Herbalife has established its own medical and scientific advisory board. Says Shekhar Sethu, Managing Director, Herbalife India, “It is a complete myth that there are side-effects with products such as Herbalife. Precisely to convince our consumers about the quality of our supplements, we offer money-back guarantees.” Herbalife’s flagship product Formula 1, a protein powder, has “the best of nutrition and is an ideal meal calorie intake”, he adds.
Natural and safe?
Dr Jame Abraham, FACP Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director from West Virginia University says, “alternative medicine has several meanings: complimentary medicine is the more preferred term, as far as I am concerned. Probably that is because, I am a man of ‘modern medicine’. Alternative medicine includes several things, from prayer, vitamins, Ayurveda, yoga etc. In general alternative medicines are safe. Again, it depends upon what the approach is. But there are certain medicines from different branches of alternative medicine which could be as toxic as allopathic medicine is. There was a study from Boston recently showing that several Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines having significant toxic effect.”
On supplements being apart of everyday life, he says “multi-vitamins are fine. But mega doses of vitamins could be toxic. I usually recommend, one multivitamin a day for my patients. Majority of the patients who have chronic diseases, especially cancer etc. seek alternative approaches also (upto 80 per cent in some studies).This can be anything from prayer to shark cartilages. It is a multi-billion dollar industry.’’
It sure is. So what does ‘Svaasa’ offer? “We have  medicines that help patients battle with ailing health, low energy, imbalances in their body, weakening immunity, stress-inflicted illnesses and chronic degenerative diseases.” Whew! A long list for sure. But the bottomline is alternative medicine has surely made inroads, though its early days yet.

Inputs from Rashmi Vasudeva