Alternative Therapy (Updated)

My friend Ramesh had to undergo a major surgery for a serious back problem at a five-star corporate hospital specialising in Cancer treatment. A biopsy after the surgery revealed that he was suffering from Multiple Myeloma in an advanced stage. Doctors wanted to start him on chemotherapy and other related treatments. Having heard that the treatment is worse than the disease, he took a bold decision that he would look at alternative therapy. He was already a believer in naturopathy and his Bangalore-based doctor agreed to treat him and promised him that while he may not be able to cure the disease at such an advanced stage, he could at least contain the disease and prevent it from spreading fast, thus giving him the chance to continue to lead a comparatively normal life. Of course, he had to submit himself to a strict regimen of diet and herbal medicines. His wife supported his decision and helped him adhere to the regimen. Whereas the cancer specialists had predicted that without the chemotherapy treatment, he would not live for more than six months, he lived for more than three years, leading as normal a life as he could. During this period, he attended all social gatherings and visited  the USA to spend time with his children and grandchildren. Only in the last two months, he was bedridden and was looked after at home by a full-time attendant/nurse. No ICUs and no life support system.  When his time was up, he made a peaceful exit from this world, surrounded by his family. I believe, besides the treatment, his immense faith in the alternative therapy kept him going.

 I want to share my own experiences with alternative therapy. When I was only thirty-eight, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, a dreadful eye disease that can lead to blindness if not treated in time. The eye specialist told me that I would have to live with specific eye drops for the rest of my life and that if the problem worsened, he would perform surgery. The drops had exactly the opposite effect of those used for dilating your eyes when you go for any eye check-up. The result was that I found it difficult to read or drive my car. I was shattered! Instead of bottling up, I always talk about my health problems openly, so that someone can refer me to a possible solution.   A  good friend recommended that I try Magneto Therapy as it had cured his uncle of double vision when all other systems had failed. I found a person in Kilpauk who was a specialist in Magneto Therapy. I underwent the treatment for nine months, after which, when I went to the same eye specialist I had gone to earlier, for a check-up, he was surprised to find that I was cured of the problem. Of course, I had to strictly follow some instructions to prevent the recurrence of the problem, such as not to strain my eyes by reading books lying down or with very small typefaces.

 About twenty years ago, when I was diagnosed with kidney stones and recommended surgery, I found a solution through a grandma’s remedy. For six months, every morning, I took banana stem juice. When I went for a check-up, I found that the stones had vanished.  It is another matter that the mixer-grinder, which was used to make the juice daily, broke down under the stress of churning out the juice every day!

 During the peak of my career, in my late twenties and early thirties, I used to suffer from frequent attacks of mouth ulcers–sores on the tip of my tongue—making it very difficult to talk or eat anything. Each time, the allopathic doctor would give me a B12 injection and put me on a course of Riboflavin. That would give me only temporary relief. I was cured of this problem by another grandma’s remedy. As soon as I get the first signs of a possible attack, I would buy a bundle of ‘Manathakali Keerai’- a variety of spinach- make juice from the leaves in a mixer and take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The very second day, I would get some relief. I have recommended this treatment to several friends with positive results. Recently, a long-standing stomach condition I was suffering from has been controlled through Ayurveda.

 Every time doctors recommended an urgent surgery for my other problems I have refused to go under the scalpel and found a remedy in alternative therapies. While my fissure problem was cured by Ayurvedha, I had to undergo  prostate surgery recently when it became impossible to postpone the decision. I believe in the theory–use Allopathy for diagnosis and emergency, but try alternative therapies for chronic problems. It has always worked for me.

Even if Allopathy, Homeopathy, and Naturopathy fail, I can always count on Venkatachalapathy and now Shirdi Saibaba, who entered my life four years ago. Miracles can and do happen in everyone`s lives. Om Sairam!