SocMR

Alternative medicine is a significant enterprise in India. In November 2009, the government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the actions it would be taking to promote ‘Indian Systems of Medicine’ in the country, including spending  Rs. 922 crore on the promotion of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga &amp naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). Major claims have recently been made for alternative medicine – such as that Ayurveda can be employed for anaemia or ano-rectal ailments, and that homeopathy can be used to stop or cure swine flu, or to treat Aids and malaria.

 

In an era characterised by evidence-based science and politics, need to official endorsement be given to remedies that can’t be scientifically proven? Is alternative medicine a form of quackery, which puts patients at risk? Or is the interest in alternative medicine a positive sign that we are beginning to move beyond a too-narrow approach to illness, towards recognising the far more subtle relationship between mind and body and the will need to find holistic cures? Do traditional medicines play an important role in preventive medicine, contributing to a more reasonably priced and successful healthcare system than the Western medical model?

 

The debate in context:

 

What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

A lot of discussions about option medicine these days take place under the umbrella term ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM). This implies that alternative medicine should not be seen solely as some thing that can be used instead of conventional medicine, but can and really should be used alongside it. CAM refers to treatments that differ from conventional, or ‘allopathic’, medicine – medicine based on scientific testing that is taught to medical experts. Systems of CAM have typically evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the Western world. Some such systems, such as homeopathy and naturopathy, have developed in Western cultures others, such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, have developed outside of the West. 

 

Does CAM work – and if so, how?

Critics of CAM argue that the quite term is problematic, giving mysticism far more scientific credence than it deserves. As the editors of the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have argued: ‘there is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine’. Advocates of CAM, even so, argue that the lack of scientific evidence about the efficacy of CAM betrays too narrow an approach to the understanding and treatment of illness. They point to the failure of conventional medicine to cure certain severe diseases, such as cancer, and the extent to which patients suffering from these diseases can be helped by therapies like Ayurveda. They note that conventional medicine has itself moved towards a far more holistic appreciation of the treatment of disease, and that some natural remedies or techniques, such as the use of quinine to treat malaria, have been adopted and accepted by practitioners of conventional medicine.

 

Even critics of CAM do not dispute that in many instances, option remedies can make patients feel much better, despite not curing the illness – so isn’t this a worthwhile goal in itself? The significance of preventive medicine, which includes lifestyle modification, has been globally acknowledged: it is seen as better and a lot more cost-efficient to enable people to keep away from physical or mental illnesses in the 1st location, rather than simply trying to treat the disease when it emerges. Alternative medicine, it is argued, has a essential role to play in this. Furthermore, in a society like India, for which the affordability of healthcare is a main challenge, distinct models want to be sought that make the most of the country’s expertise and expertise, including in the field of option medicine. Advocates argue that the orientation of CAM ‘towards self-healing and health promotion (salutogenesis rather than pathogenesis)’ make ‘alternative medicine approaches to chronic diseases particularly attractive and reasonably priced for the developing countries’.

 

The rise of CAM

1 of the key aims of the government scheme the National Rural Health Mission is to ‘encourage a healthy way of life and alternative systems of medicine through AYUSH’. In November 2009, Chief Minister, BS Yedyurappa, told a conference that access and awareness of option medicines ought to be spread in rural areas. The officially-recognised status of option medicine in India is also indicated by the reach of the Indian Institute of Option Medicines, established in 1991 by Dr.Suresh Kumar Agarwal and the appointment of Smt. S. Jalaja IAS as secretary to the Department of AYUSH.

 

The growing interest in, and promotion of, option medicine by the political and medical authorities is not confined to India. Despite being at the forefront of advances in conventional, ‘Western’ medicine, the USA offers a considerable market for traditionally Indian and Chinese remedies. Organisations such as the National Center for Complementary and Option Medicine contribute to the official status of alternative medicine in the USA. In the UK, a major debate took location in 2006 about whether or not CAM should be supplied by the National Health Service (NHS). In the USA and UK, affordability of healthcare is also a key issue, raising questions about whether attachment to the Western model of medicine is appropriate even for Western societies, let alone other cultures.

 

A various type of medicine?

These developments show that CAM is not an unregulated, maverick marketplace, but is quickly becoming subject to official and scientific research and regulation. Advocates of CAM argue that quacks can be weeded out by much better training and regular-setting. Some also argue that criticism of option medicine arises from a Western bias, which distorts the facts about CAM and refuses to countenance its effectiveness. Critics, however, point to concerns about the safety of specific forms of option medicine. Discussions about the affordability of alternative compared to allopathic medicine lead to concerns that patients are being duped by irrational treatments that will not make them far better. Shouldn’t a universal healthcare system ultimately seek to provide proven cures for illnesses, rather than taking the cheaper but less effective route of alternative medicine?

 

Key terms:

 

Complementary and option medicine

 

Conventional medicine

 

Preventive medicine

 

Quackery

 

AYUSH

 

Ayurveda

 

Homeopathy

 

Placebo effect

 

Essential reading

 

Alternative System of Health Care Indian Government

 

Necessary: ‘basic’ doctors of modern medicine Meenakshi Gautham and K.M. Shyamprasad The Hindu 5 November 2009

 

When East Meets West: Why Customers Turn to Alternative Medicine ScienceDaily 20 November 2009

 

In defence of scientific medicine Michael Baum Manifesto Club

 

Q&ampA: Complementary therapies BBC News On the web 23 Might 2006

 

Interview With Ashis Nandy: ‘Every tradition has its dark side’ Parshuram Ray Humanscape January 2001

 

 

For:

 

‘Alternative’ Medicine Is Mainstream Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish, Rustum Roy and Andrew Weil Wall Street Journal 9 January 2009 

 

Reflections on Ayurveda Dr Mohana Krishnaswamy The Hindu 4 September 2001

 

Health Care Reform Ought to Include Preventive Medicine Navi Radjou Harvard Enterprise Review 7 August 2009

 

Holistic medicine demystified Dr Hiramalini Seshadri The Hindu Magazine 15 May well 2005

 

Against:

 

Where doctors fail Dr. Sudha Vidyasagar The Hindu 5 September 2009

 

Sticking a needle in alternative medicine Stuart Derbyshire spiked 28 November 2007

 

Ayurveda under the scanner Meera Nanda The Hindu Magazine Vol 23, Concern 07, April 08 – 21, 2006

 

Book review: Suckers – How alternative medicine makes fools of us all Eisha Sarkar Mumbai Mirror 5 November 2009

 

 

Further reading:

 

An interview with Dr. V. Sukumaran MBBS, MD (ped) health and mind science consultant Malini Suryanarayanan 14 June 2000 The Hindu: Opportunties

 

Role of Ayurveda in the Management of Cancer Dr. Joban Modha and Dr. Neha Modha Boloji.com 2 December 2007

 

Focus: Alternatives in holistic healing Pratibha Gadhalay The Hindu: Opportunities 14 June 2000

 

Skin Deep: Ancient, but How Secure? Abby Ellin New York Times 17 September 2008

 

Awash in Ancient Hindu Wisdom Peter Jaret New York Times 9 March 2006

 

Bottling Ancient Secrets Michele Orecklin Time Magazine 31 July 2000

 

Placebo effect Robert T. Carroll The Skeptic’s Dictionary

 

Sense About Homeopathy Sense About Science September 2006

 

All in the mind? Anjana Ahuja The Times (London) 24 Might 2006

 

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States National Center for Complementary and Option Medicine December 2008

 

Kerala’s Crisis in Public Health C.R. Sonam Boloji.com 3 February 2007

 

Complementary and Option Medicine May possibly Minimize Risk of Some Diseases US Disease Control Project June 2007

 

 

 

In the news:

 

Drugs for cost-effective health care sought The Hindu 21 November 2009

 

Ayurvedic techniques to cure ano-rectal ailments Naveen Kumar Times of India 21 November 2009

 

Promotion of Option Medicine System Press Info Bureau: Government of India 20 November 2009

 

Anaemia treatment by ayurveda from December 8 Simran Virk Times of India 17 November 2009

 

CM bats for option medicine Expressbuzz 15 November 2009

 

‘Need to combine Ayurveda with modern medicine’ Times of India 15 November 2009

 

Medicine takes an alternative route Nikhila Henry Times of India 26 September 2009

 

‘Homeopathy can prevent, cure swine flu’ Times of India 18 August 2009

 

Alternative medicine to the rescue Chitra Nair Times of India 13 August 2009,

 

Increase for public healthcare Times of India 9 July 2009

 

‘Rs. 4,000 crore for option medicine’ The Hindu 22 March 2009