Lack of spirituality in modern health care

[Guest guest]

Dear Mohanji,

 

I too have read various books on the subject including those by mainstream

doctors who wish to reform the system. An interesting blog is

www.doctorandpatient.blogspot.com by a Mumbai based doctor, Dr Aniruddha

Malpani. He is a well meaning, well educated doctor and has extensive knowledge

about what exactly plagues the system. However some of his ideas provoked me to

post my own comments below the topics, as under,

 

1. Traditional Medical Practices need to be skeptically examined.

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/07/traditional-medical-practices-need-\

to.html

2. The Joy of Medicine: Finding meaning in medicine.

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/06/joy-of-medicine-finding-meaning-in.\

html

3. Dealing with Ghosts.

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/06/dealing-with-ghosts.html

4. Poking fun at Quacks.

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/03/poking-fun-at-quacks.html

5. Quackwatch.

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/03/quackwatch.html

6. Protect yourself from quacks!

http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/2005/02/protect-yourself-from-quacks.html

 

A sample comment of mine is reproduced below, in reply to the post, "Protect

yourself from quacks";

 

Dear Doctor,

 

Your excellent articles on this site point to the fact that you have a good idea

about medical ethics and proper medical procedures. However some posts reflect

your entrenched "old mindset". Hence I have chosen to reply to those posts that

stuck out.

 

This is one such post.

 

Till today it cannot be definitely said that modern medicine has a final

solution to our ills. As modern medicine develops, disease too seems to grow in

leaps and bounds. Perhaps this is an issue to be studied in depth? There is

definitely some connection between the two facts.

 

We are told of "intelligent viruses" when in fact scientists today are critical

of the virus theory. (You can go through the site www.virusmyth.net for the

ongoing debate whether HIV causes AIDS). If we study the life of Louis Pasteur,

the "father of viruses", we come across a very interesting statement by him.

"Viruses require a prepared field to breed". Therefore the "prepared field" is

the cause for disease and not the virus per se.

 

When the garbage starts to rot, worms and flies appear. So is it not common

sense to infer that rotting precedes the viruses?

 

This grand statement has been echoed in the "Charaka Samhita" an ayurvedic test

written between 500 to 300BC, ie approximately 3000 years ago. Ayurveda stresses

on good health, building a good immune system, living a life in tune with

nature, and the prevention of health breakdowns. Modern medicine, on the other

hand, thrives on disease

..

Similiar views are expressed by homeopaths, Reiki healers, Nutritionists and

other alternate healing systems.

 

Thus we can safely infer that it is modern medicine which is thriving on "hype

and promotion" AND ALSO "fraud, greed and misinformation" and not the alternate

health sector. Health is today a burdgeoning money spinning industry. Healing

has been thrown out of the picture.

 

Hoping you will suitably correct your blog.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

Ps: I have written down my comments because you have requested visitors to air

their opinions.

----------------------

These doctors continue to view alternate medicine to be quackery. In some cases

they prefer it to be complementary, that is they can be used alongside modern

medicine. However I don't understand how holistic systems can be used alongside

modern medicine which is reductionist in approach.

 

The mainstream doctors feel that, with certain modifications, modern medicine

can win back the confidence of the people. But I personally do not agree with

that.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.