Common Fuss & Discussion About Systems of Healthcare

I always believed that side effects of medical drugs are the finest indicators (that speak loud enough that any body can't deny to hear it) of the holistic and integral nature of human body.

How could it be possible that hundreds of thousands of most incredible and brilliant minds of medical researchers all over the world, spending about US $800 million in getting a medical drug licensed after tens of years of researches, and enjoying a great portion of GDP of most countries devoted to Modern Medicine, still are incapable of producing a single drug that doesn't have side effect?

This is not a remark against Conventional or Modern Medicine! I will never do this. However, this might be a clear indication about the flaw in one of the paradigms.

Medical Researchers understand holistic and integral nature of human body more than any practitioners, however, they fail to decipher it when they try to define what should be an ideal drug. And this single erroneous paradigm has failed time and again, thousands of times, repeatedly without any exception!

So, my conclusion is, "The Holistic and Integral Nature of Human Body and Life is only Mainstream, everything else is Alternative"

The Appropriate Perspective of Practitioners about The Mainstream System of Healthcare from Person-Centric Approach:

The nature of human body is one of the greatest examples of holistic and integral system. That is why it is mandatory and should be a life long pursuit for all of us to understand and align our practices along holistic and natural measures.

Again, the purpose of all systems is to serve human beings. Each system has its strength on some fronts and its weakness on others. If we accept them and the healthcare system can accommodate these strengths and weaknesses in the balanced and synergistic manner for the benefit of a person or patient, that can be the best model for perfect healthcare.

A surgeon is of best service for the person who broke his arm or met an accident. A person chronically stressed or having Anxiety can best be served with herbs, meditation and relaxation techniques. The right perspective is one that is person centric or individual centric, instead of system centric.

When we are following person-centric system, we can try to know and accept what would be best for the person - which system could be mainstream, which could be alternative and complimentary for that person. It can vary for the same person based on his age, condition or disease.

And it warrants all of us to be open and appreciate of others and to have a broad and balanced perspective. Because, any system is as good or bad as the perspective, thinking and practice of its practitioner. Systems or pathies represent bodies of knowledge or wisdom. It is we who are fighting over this or that issue.

Do you agree with "The Right Perspective of Mainstream System of Healthcare" - One that focus on the condition or specific requirement of a person at any given time or to fulfill his or her health objective?

Discerning About System Versus Tradition Versus Folk Remedy Versus Isolated Method or Independent Processes:

This is what most holistic and natural practitioners find confusing. It will be fruitful to discern the difference.

Folk Remedies are the suggestions of few persons or group of persons who find something - herb, diet or other practice - to be helpful for specific condition. It might not be justified or logical or explainable. However, many times, they can point toward some important insight for further research and validation.

Traditional Methods are more mature and often are validated based on years and years or generations of experience. Many such great traditions of healing and herbalism do exist. They provide important clue to further test and validate and systematize them.

Systems are refined methods based on theories, concepts, practices and results. When you follow a system, you should have some assurance about the outcome or possibility of the outcome or scope of this in a specific condition. Yes, you can compare it with Prognosis.

Again, system has its own terminology or jargon to explain certain ideas and its working. Of course, it is possible many times to refine a system with further research and understanding. Most mature systems like Ayurveda, TCM, Homeopathy and Modern Medicine are its examples. Modern Medicine is definitely the most prolific, diversified and evolutionary system. You can't say NO if you study the history of medicine even in past 200 years.

Even, many theories or practices become outdated and replaced by newer ones in Medicine. But this body of knowledge is a system. When you as a practitioner, suggest something to a person, you already know why are your suggesting this. You are following a logical and practical framework.

While in a traditional system, you might not have the clue, you just feel confident and know that it might help.

Most of the systems have also great traditions and might include several streams of traditions and gradually refined them as systems.

Many times, many of the practices might be natural or holistic, still they are merely practices. It would be erroneous to label them as Systems of Holistic and Natural Health. Many immature alternative practitioners tend to ignore this and beat around one or few such practices without taking time to understand the underlying system of knowledge that it might belong or fit in.

And if you devote some time to learn a system, you should be able to do so.

Do you agree that YOURS is not the only system of healthcare and are ready to broaden your perspective?

The Diverging and Converging Platform for Different Systems and Traditions of Healthcare:

If there is no platform where you could understand and share about different systems and traditions, it might look like that you speak and understand only Russian and you are dropped in either Italy or Germany or England. You say something and they utter something and there is no communication.

(I have been under similar conditions on Verona Airport in Italy when some officers surrounded me, opened all of my luggage on a big table, and asked me tons of questions. It was intimidating, frustrating and embarrassing for first 5 minutes. Then, I tried to cool down and requested one of them to bring in one who can understand English. When that person came, they felt sigh of relief and requested me to go as a delegate of Ayurveda to Carrara in Italy.)

As Modern Medicine has a broad framework of anatomy, physiology, pathology of human body, it is natural that many professionals from other systems try to interpret their knowledge through their terminology. It is good, sometimes successful and sometimes might fail.

However, many of the deeper benefits and specific strengths can be gained only through the terminology of the system to be described. If a Yoga Practitioner tries to describe benefits of meditation, he could go on and on doing research and finding benefits of meditation but he can't understand the uplifting experience of consciousness. However, he could get it experienced by any person or practitioner in less amount of time and investment.

I do personally find out and realize, and it is my personal opinion, that Ayurveda along with Yoga when combined together has the capacity to become a platform where you can find convergence and divergence of most other systems of healthcare. And it doesn't carry any notion of insignificance or lesser relevance or context to any other system.

So Interpretation, further research and validation should ideally be guided along with the paradigms of the system that is to be studied. The methodologies can definitely be used from any other system or branches of science.

Responsible Practice by Holistic and Natural Practitioner:

As there is not enough standardization in terms of education, regulations and policy in most countries of world, some of Holistic and Natural Practitioners might tend to literally cross the limits out of zeal.

Many practitioners tend to be overzealous of their systems. They should always consider that they are not dealing with an automobile or piece of machinery, they are dealing with HUMAN BEINGS - persons like you and me, like members of their family and friends.

One of my personal philosophy is to overdeliver in RESULTS, and play and talk as confidently and remain on back foot in my clinical practice. It means not to overpromise, not to create false hope, not to exaggerate the positive outcome of the system. It also means working my on my butt day in and day off to update my knowledge and skills and going overboard to really deliver great results.

It does also mean respecting the Rules and Regulations of your country. I have been fortunate to visit several countries - each having different regulations for Ayurveda and Herbalism. I followed them and you should also.

Ayurveda is Government Licensed system of Healthcare in India, while it is not accepted in other countries. Still, I managed successfully personal consultations, public workshops, seminars, sales team training, programs of medical doctors and postgraduate university students.

So, behave confidently and intelligently and legally while learning and harnessing your expertise and skills!