The healing touch
Homeopathy as a method of treatment is increasingly accepted by many
It is no secret that homeopathy is becoming increasingly popular. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is the second largest system of medicine, growing at a rate of 25 per cent across the globe. Approximately 600 million people have benefitted from homeopathic treatments worldwide, and over 100 million in India depend on it.
According to the latest Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) report, homeopathy has also become the first choice for the cure of hair and skin disorders, ailments affecting women and children, gastric disorders and arthritis. Today (April 10), on World Homeopathy Day, Dr Mukesh Batra, a Padma Shri recipient for his contribution to the field of homeopathic medicine, shares the benefits of opting for homeopathy as a treatment method.
“As far as the scientific basis and validation of homeopathy is concerned, it has been proven to be clinically and therapeutically effective in several studies. Over 300 studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews, published in journals across the world, provide testimony for its long-standing efficacy,” says Dr Batra.
He also shares a few case studies to reaffirm the benefits of homeopathic treatments; the first being that of a patient whose ailment was a result of the long-term usage of a particular drug. “There was a patient who was suffering from chronic cough, and was not responding to medication. It was only when we analysed his case history that we could deduce the cause, which was actually a side effect of the anti-hypertensive drug that he was consuming,” says Dr Batra.
Homeopathy is ideally suited for treating lifestyle or psychosomatic disorders, because it lays holistic emphasis on treating the individual who has the illness. An individual’s personality, sensitivities, sensibilities and idiosyncrasies are all taken into account; the disorder is not considered in isolation.
“Most illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, allergies and insomnia (sleeplessness) are primarily the damaging consequences of our stressful lifestyles. They are multi-factoral with a host of causes, right from emotional stress, depression and anxiety to relationship problems,” says Dr Batra.
He shares another example to explain how the psychological structure of a person is taken into consideration before administering any kind of homeopathic treatment. He says, “There was a child whose asthma attacks coincided with his father’s foreign trips and absence from home. This, we analysed, was triggered by feelings of separation and anxiety. We prescribed him the homeopathic remedy, Magnesium Carbonicum, which helped him. Soon enough, he was free of his asthma episodes.”