ALTERNATE MEDICINE OR A HOAX??

A large number of alternate medications are available these days for every medical condition imaginable. People claim to have prevention and cures for things ranging from cancer to AIDS to almost every disease known to the mankind. The truth behind these tall claims is what needs to be verified.

The biggest problem facing alternate medicine today is that the entire industry is not regulated. One can actually be selling plain water with some salt or sugar mixed in it, claiming it to be a cure for cancer and nobody can touch him. A large number of gullible people are taken for a ride by these false claims and spend fortunes on these “medicines” with little result.

Medical problems are such that one tends to try his hand at anything that has some hope of solving his problem. This is especially true in long standing, chronic problems. There are many conditions for which modern medical science only has supportive treatment, with no definitive cure available. These conditions are usually the ones which these alternate therapies claim to cure.

Allopathic medicine (a term not generally used by allopathic medicine practitioners), which is the regular stream of medicine, is the one which is widely used and practiced. It is governed by stringent rules, laws and approvals, with the regulatory agencies keeping a constant check, which make it very difficult for false claims to be made. This is not the case in most of the alternate streams of medicine. It is not to be thought that all these alternate streams of medicine are hoaxes, but most of them are. Without regulation, innocent people are taken for a ride.

It is not just the financial aspect involved in the alternative medicine that is bothersome, but also the mental agony a person has to go through. A person, afflicted with a chronic disease, would tend to clutch at every straw that is available. When he comes across an alternate therapy claiming to cure his condition, his hopes are raised. He follows the strict regimen usually accompanying these therapies and starts dreaming of a 'normal' life. Within a few weeks, his hopes start dwindling, exactly like the last thing he had tried before resorting to alternative medicine. The mental aspect of this can only be understood by someone who has gone through this.

The general public is usually more sympathetic towards practitioners of alternate therapies, with their methods never being questioned. The educational background of these “doctors” is never verified, who, anyway are not qualified to treat patients. The treatment they provide is also not backed by any formal education in the subject.

Most people decide to try these therapies based on hearsay. “Someone became totally alright after just two weeks of the particular treatment”, is a sentence that is enough for a person to go rushing to the “doctor” to try out the same treatment.

It is entirely possible that alternate therapies do actually have benefits in certain diseases, and yoga being of much help. But the claims which are made these days by quacks on the pretext of these sciences without any basis, bringing a bad repute to these disciplines, needs to be checked immediately.

Then there are things like Reiki and cosmic healing, faith healing and similar stuff. It is indeed true that faith is a very important aspect in healing, and can be practiced along with conventional treatment methods available. But how these methods can claim to cure chronic illnesses on their own, just without any medicines, still remains an enigma.

What is the urgent need of the hour is a strict regulation. This is an area where intervention of the government is required. People making tall claims without any scientific backing should be booked and stringent action taken against them. Initiatives should be taken by the government as well as various NGOs to ensure that people are made aware and prevented from falling prey to such horrifying practices. These practices tend to take our society many centuries back. These must come to end, the sooner the better.

TAKING ONE’S BODY FOR GRANTED: NOT “COOL”

When one diagnosed with a condition that is going to last one’s entire life, it can come quite as a shock. Most of the people go about their lives smugly thinking that these kinds of things will never happen to them. Then one day, all of a sudden, the world comes crashing down. Asking anyone who has been through this would fetch a similar response, “I never imagined that this could happen to me.”

That is exactly the motive behind this article, never to take one’s body for granted. A person has no idea what's in store for him. Living a healthy life is fairly simple to do. One does not have to go looking for 'nirvana' where one’s health is concerned. It is pretty much common sense and nothing else.

The problem with most of the people is that they go about their lives without thinking about the big picture. People get so caught up in their daily routines that they don't really stop to think about their lives and where they are going. This is true about one’s health as it is about anything else in his life.

In this rat race for earning money, people have really forgotten what they are working for. It has all become so driven by peer pressure that each individual simply ends up doing what everyone around him or her is doing. No one does what he truly wants to do. No one does what he truly enjoys doing.

The work people are doing is primarily responsible for this. It is the root cause. People become so preoccupied with it that it takes precedence over everything else. They forget that it can be ruining their lives. Because of work, they don't eat good food. Because of work, they don't exercise. And work is a huge contributor to the stress in their lives. One must never forget that work is only a part of his life, and one must not make it one’s entire life.

If one takes some time out and think about what it is about his life that is not healthy, he would easily be able to identify a few things which must be changed. Never should the thought creep into a person’s mind that he is too young to take care of or start worrying about his health. Chronic conditions are hitting the young at an alarmingly increasing rate.

There are simple things one can do- eat healthy food, don't eat processed food, don't smoke, drink within limits, exercise, work normal hours and most importantly, get a good sleep. It is no rocket science there, just plain common sense.

By taking a conscious decision now about living a healthy life, one would really feel better and reduce the chances of getting hit by lightning when least expected. Once diagnosed with a chronic condition, there is little that can be done about it. The key is to prevent it, which is not that difficult, if one takes it seriously.

If one puts in long hours and works on weekends regularly, does not exercise at all, eats non vegetarian foods at most meals or smokes and drinks regularly, it is time to stop and think. No one wants to die of a heart attack before turning 40. One must put into thought of all the unfinished things in his life. The most ironic thing about heart disease is that unless it is genetic, it is mostly one’s doing. It is totally preventable. And ways of preventing it are also not that tricky (most being common sense and been read hundreds of times previously).

- One should never let work rule one’s life. Time spent at office should be restricted, with no work to be brought home. One must change his job if it doesn't allow him this much freedom.

- One ought to exercise regularly, indulge in some sort of outdoor sport activity or find a partner to exercise with so that both can motivate each other.

- Fried food, sweets and red meat consumption needs to be restricted. If one really must have it, it must be kept to once in a while and definitely not every day.

- Alcohol consumption must be checked, restricted to social occasions. Binge drinking must be discouraged.

- One must totally quit smoking, with no relaxation allowed.

- One should get himself tested at least once a year for a complete blood picture, lipid profile, complete urine examination, liver function tests, blood sugar and anything else one’s doctor might want to add based on the person’s medical condition and family history. It is really a very small price to pay for catching early warning signs and getting treated effectively.

The author often thinks about his own life, which was seldom done previously. Life has been great so far to offer so many choices and chances, not getting any disease because of something that was being done. But as is said, it’s never too late, luck has been kind till now, but one never knows when the luck can run out.

Most of the people still have a choice. Many have previously thought, “This cannot happen to me”, and it has happened to them. It can happen to anyone. Being a smug would not be of any help. The time to take corrective actions is NOW.

DSAI: NOT JUST “ANOTHER” ASSOCIATION (www.dsaindia.org)

The world has seen a lot since the turn of the new millennium- destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre by terrorists, start of America’s war against terrorism, death of hundreds of people in communal riots of Gujrat, Hotel Taj attacked being by terrorists in Mumbai, Air Malaysia plane gone missing, India being successful in its maiden Mars mission, and many more. And what were the dentists of India doing all this time? The same they have been doing all these years- ruing about their choice to pursue dentistry as a career, blaming the government for the lack of job opportunities and the sorry state of affairs of the dentists, and lowering their self esteem by competing with “quacks” to make a living.

To represent dental professionals across the country, the Indian Dental Association (IDA) was founded in 1945 by Dr. R. Ahmed. It has been committed to create awareness among public about oral health care and advancement of dental profession through its initiatives in education, research and development of standards. Since its inception, the IDA has been doing a commendable job in creating public awareness and raising the general standard of dentistry in the country.

However, little has been done to safeguard the rights of dental professionals, which have been overlooked till date by the authorities. Apart from this, there is also a need to unite dental surgeons to lend a helping hand to each other in times of crisis. To counter the problems being faced by the dental professionals, an organization named Dental Surgeons Association of India (DSAI) was established.

DSAI was formed out of its sister organization- Dental Students Welfare Association of India (DSWAI), which had been working continuously to safeguard the interests of the dental students across India, to work towards the betterment of the dental profession in India. Objectives of this organization initially were laid down with certain key points, which included safeguarding the interest of the dental professionals, to work for the welfare of dental surgeons as well as the patients, to make the authorities aware of the irregularities in the working of various dental colleges and to make sure that a proper and timely action is taken, to prevent the commercialization of education, especially dental education, so that a person belonging to any class has access to it, to make the general population aware of proper oral health and to organize lectures, seminars, national conventions and meetings to promote the art and science of dentistry, to work for integrated development of dental practitioners so that they develop themselves socially, economically as well as professionally, and to organize various activities with the help of other government and non-governmental organizations which would be beneficial for all.

DSAI is currently running three projects in association with DSWAI. In addition, the framework of a number of future projects has been laid, which would be launched in the near future

The project Swatantrata: Ek Mukti was launched with the aim to fight against oral cancer. The project is being executed with the help of oncologists, by conducting seminars and conferences at school and college levels to demonstrate the harmful effects of tobacco, with free counselling also being provided to youngsters. The aim of this project is to make at least one person in each and every household aware of the basics of oral cancer as well as the deleterious effects of tobacco.

Dental camps (Project Aarogya) were initiated to make people aware about oral health. Several teams from a number of dental colleges organize dental check up camps on a weekly basis in different areas and also perform basic dental procedures free of cost in the camps.

Project Milap has been launched to make the dental surgeons of India interact with their counterparts abroad so as to make them gain exposure on a global level. The association also conducts a number of voluntary programs with the help of International Association of Dental Surgeons and young dentists worldwide in which a team of dentists from all over the world try and we reach every possible corner of the country to spread awareness among the public about oral health care. The association also sent its team of dentists to Sudan for voluntary work.

Apart from the above mentioned works, the association has also done quite a few things to safeguard the rights of dental students and professionals all across the country, and plans to continue with the same zeal. The office bearers of DSAI have been contacting the managements of various colleges where the interns are not being paid for their compulsory paid internship, and have ensured that their monthly stipend is paid.

DSAI has filed an RTI regarding number of sanctioned posts of dental surgeons in various states and the number of dental surgeons appointed till date, as compared to the number of vacant posts of dental surgeons. The details of dental surgeons appointed as well as the requirement of dental surgeons at government hospitals and rural centres have also been sought. It also includes a query on the appointment of dental surgeons under centrally sponsored schemes like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) along with the details of the guidelines of dentist-population ratio being followed by the government for recruitment of dental surgeons.

A memorandum was submitted by DSAI to the Union Health Minister regarding the inclusion of dentistry in national health policy 2015 under various schemes like NRHM, anti-tobacco campaign, school dental programs etc. throughout India, which has been accepted. Another proposal of this association was accepted by the Dental Council of India (DCI) which demanded that every dental college would have to adopt at least 4 villages, which along with providing proper oral health care to these areas, would also create more than 3000 job opportunities across the country.

DSAI, founded and being run by Dr. Chandresh Shukla (President), also a member of DCI, and his associates, is constantly striving for the upliftment of dental profession and a secure future of dental surgeons in the country.  The association endeavours to meet the needs and expectations of the Indian dental practitioner. It acknowledges that oral health is an integral part of general health and well-being, which can be uplifted only if the providers are working in a stress-free environment, free from any distractions. The members of this association pledge their knowledge, experience and expertise for the advancement of dental profession.

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE: ARE ONLY DOCTORS RESPONSIBLE??

“She needs urgent admission and treatment, as she might be developing a stroke”, the doctor told the relatives of a 70 year old, otherwise healthy, lady who was having recurrent episodes of tingling/numbness all over her body, with slurred speech.

The disturbed family, including the patient as well as her son and daughter (staying in different cities away from the patient), were not too pleased on hearing this. “You can suggest us the treatment and tests, doctor,” the son, who is based abroad, said, “but it is difficult to admit her as there is no one to stay with her in the hospital. I am in India only for three days, and I reached here only yesterday. I am very worried about my mother, so got her here today, but I have to return as we have an important project going on, that depends upon me.”

“I am not sure if she will agree for admission, doctor as she is very independent and never liked hospitals,” said the daughter, and asked her mother, “Do you want to stay in the hospital mom?” The question had anxiety, reluctance, formality and suggestion for a negative answer, all at the same time. The patient looked at the doctor, embarrassed smile and confused, “Well, if it is necessary…” she started, only to be cut off by her daughter, “Let the doctor write the treatment and tests, Ma, then we will decide outside.”

The doctor suggested an urgent MRI and few other tests, and gave a prescription. The son, before leaving the doctor’s chamber added, “Do we have to do the tests here only doc? Because we know this particular trust and its chairman is very close friend of mine.” The trust is known for free-of-cost, average quality MRIs. “It is your choice” the doctor had to answer legally correct, even if he may not have liked this decision. The doctor wrote notes and suggested urgent admission to start treatment.

Four days passed, with no word from the patient. Then out of the blue, there was a call from the doctor on duty in emergency department, “Sir you had seen this patient in OPD four days back, she has been brought here and is in coma. We are planning to put her on ventilator.” The doctor went there, anguished to the core but trained to shut up well when dealing with patients. The daughter rushed to provide details, “Doctor she was not willing for admission. We got the MRI done at the trust hospital yesterday morning, but she was very ‘sleepy’ since last night. We got the report in the evening. We thought she must be tired, so we waited till now. But now she is not waking up. Then we thought that you had advised admission, so we brought her here.”

The patient had had a brain-stem stroke, one of the worst forms of stroke. “When did she become unconscious exactly?” the doctor asked, to see if she was in the “window period” for clot-busting treatment of stroke. “The servant says about two days, but I saw her day before yesterday, and she said she was okay. I stay in a nearby city, and am in constant touch with her and the servant on phone.” There was no point in any discussion, they had all explanations about all decisions, and why things were delayed.

The patient required ventilator. The “busy” son kept on calling from abroad, and had his “expert doctor” talk with the doctor, conducting a cross-examination on phone, and telling things what were already known to the doctor.

On the third day, the family gathered its socio-financial-politico-legal experts in clever talk, and asked for a meeting. The discussion ensued, summarily, “When exactly will she regain consciousness?”, “How many more days in ICU?”, “Will she ever talk or walk again?”, “Will she become a ‘vegetable’?” The answer to all of these by the doctor could have been nothing more than, “Can’t say”. One smarty-pants asked with dismay “But Doctor, medical science has made such great advances in the USA, they say stroke patients can be treated completely, they have even done stem cell transplants etc. And you are saying we can’t do anything”

The doctor knew a hundred hurtfully true answers that could have been a handy reply, but again, his teachers shouted in his mind to “shut up”. And he just replied, “At this stage, after the stroke has happened, we cannot do much”, which was the technically correct answer. The family exchanged meaningful glances. “Doctor please understand the family’s situation. How long can we continue like this?”, the man conjured up the big courage, “We are ready to accept the inevitable. It is okay if you tell us she is not going to survive. We are prepared”.

All that was going through the doctor’s mind at that moment was to tell them, “But you all already had dumped her, killed her by delaying her treatment”. But he just could not say it openly.

The relatives waited another two days before requesting not to resuscitate the patient. Besides the question “When was the inevitable going to happen”, they were not interested in anything else. The more the doctors tried, the more that family started to hate the staff, constantly alleging and questioning them. If the doctor advised any new medicine, the first question was, “Will it definitely make any difference, or would it be alright not to try any new stuff and let fate take its own turn?”

So many patients die/develop disabilities because the family denies them medical care in time. Precious time is wasted in second opinions, finding cheaper options to everything, and idiotic presumptions and self medication, adding to which are the alternative medicines that are cheaper and available at home. Many parents don’t ensure the important drugs like medications for epilepsy of their own children, they do not stock medicines in advance to be used in case of any emergency and take huge risks by trying on their own to stop these medicines. Most of the elderly population is “killed by neglect masked by beautiful sweet language and excuses”, with only a few exceptions seen in real life. Critical/crucial surgeries are avoided, advice to patients for admission are neglected because the people keep on searching for cheaper options.

Patients continue to neglect doctor’s instructions not to eat sweet, to exercise regularly, not to drink alcohol or smoke. They just tend to quote, “It’s my life”. Then the doctor should not be held responsible when one develops complications of such a life? These instances are also of medical negligence, dumbly ignored by the Indian legal systems, causing more deaths than medical negligence by doctors. There must be a law to record and punish these too. Hospitals must also have a record of admissions advised, investigations suggested and in case of the patients not being compliant, reporting such cases for medical negligence. People admit patients at the last moment, and want the system to be responsible for a guaranteed good outcome.

In a country where the court decides the punishment amount for doctor’s negligence by calculating how much the dead/disabled person would have earned, what else can one expect from the general public? This is like open statement, “If a doctor neglects the health of a non-earning or an elderly person, it deserves lesser compensation, but if an earning member is affected by negligence, the hospital/doctor has to pay huge amounts.” Like the lives of our non-earning or retired parents is of a lesser value than our lives, and can be handled with a casual attitude.

If that be the case, the elderly do deserve to die by our own hands for failing to inculcate the right values within us.

(Courtesy Dr. Amandeep Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, IMA, Punjab State)