Time and again, homeopathy has proved its effectiveness in managing lifestyle diseases. MUSBA HASHMI speaks with DR KUSHAL BANERJEE who busts myths related to the treatments and tells how it is taking centrestage
How many times do we actually take to homeopathy for curing lifestyle diseases? Rarely. Why? Because we believe it is a tedious treatment. However, the fact of the matter is it isn’t.
“This is a misconception. Homeopathic medicines can act within minutes of consumption. In cases of acute headaches, high fever and acute asthma, homeopathic medicines can provide relief in a very short span of time. However, when addressing a skin condition which is considered incurable or a long-standing case of Diabetes for example, the medicines show an apparently slow but incremental effect,” Dr Kushal Banerjee, Consultant Homepath, Dr Kalyan Banerjee’s Clinic, tells you.
In fact, for those who are still skeptical of homeopathy’s effectiveness in the management of lifestyle diseases, Dr Banerjee tells you that the importance of lifestyle and providing lifestyle advice to patients was understood first by homeopaths, much before conventional medicine. “The holistic approach employed in homeopathy helps provide extremely effective management of a wide range of lifestyle related conditions like hypertension, elevated cholesterol, Diabetes, and various other disorders. In many cases exclusive homeopathic management of these conditions is undertaken. In advanced or old cases, homeopathy provides a clear add-on benefit to ongoing allopathic medicines,” he explains.
With that being said, there are people who have long understood the effectiveness and the advantages of homeopathy over the conventional medicine and have been demanding the same for years.
“Patients have been demanding homeopathic treatment ever since it was discovered. Now, greater awareness of the adverse effects of conventional medicine is fuelling even more interest in homeopathy. Patients have ready access to information about the harmful effects of medicines they may be taking and are looking at options to reduce or stop allopathic medicines,” Banerjee tells you.
Also, since homeopathy attempts to address the root cause of disease, patients fed up with their recurring illness and the temporary nature of the relief provided with conventional medicines are turning to homeopathy. Practitioners of conventional medicine are also beginning to acknowledge the important role homeopathy can play in the management of difficult illnesses.
Now if this leaves you wondering what all diseases are in homeopathy’s cure list, Banerjee is here to your rescue.
“Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine and has a very wide scope. Allergic conditions of the skin and respiratory system, lifestyle and endocrinological disease, gynaecological conditions including infertility, poly-cystic ovarian disease (PCOD), musculo-skeletal conditions, gastro-intestinal disorders and neurological disorders are some of the diseases which have been effectively cured. The list, however, is very long,” he says.
He feels that given the benefits of the treatment, homeopathy should be promoted even more through activities of the Ministry of AYUSH and other relevant departments. “There should be a clear focus on popularising homeopathy and for making it available at the primary, secondary, and tertiary care level. All major hospitals should have departments of homeopathy and offer it to anyone who may want it. Homeopathy should also be considered as an add-on to conventional medicines wherever it cannot replace it,” he adds.
Practitioners of conventional medicine should also understand that homeopathy is an extremely effective option which should be suggested and supported if the patient is desirous of it.
“Not only this, research interest in homeopathy has grown and higher quality research involving homeopathic medicines is increasing. Homeopathy has demonstrated its ability to address emerging clinical entities time after time. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic homeopathic interventions were found to have a protective effect against it and homeopathic medicines are being used in the management of COVID-19 as well,” Banerjee says.