Medical pluralism and the element of choice

When my second child was to be born, my doctors put me on a handful of vibrantly coloured capsules and tablets, considering that I had a tough time with my first. I dutifully appeared at every checkup and nodded energetically when asked whether I was following the prescription. Wonderful, the doctor chirped, you seem to be doing great, she said. Once, I was nearly caught. She asked me for the size of the new tablet she had prescribed, to which I muttered, small..ish…?

Homeopathy medications, administered by one of the finest doctors of the nation, Padma Shri Dr Kalyan Banerjee, steered me through an effortless pregnancy. For more than two decades now, I have reposed my faith in a science that purportedly still needs to prove itself in the medico-academic circles. Placebo many say, simply water says others, yet millions flock the gates of reputed practitioners. As India is perhaps one of the very few countries that still holds on to medical plurality, it is perhaps time that the medical fraternity look towards the benefits of holistic treatment. This issue of G’nY, brings insights into the science of homeopathy, in addition to several other traditional systems of medicine. Proven lines of treatments originating from ancient schools, such as the bone setting  technique of traditional medicine systems needs to be integrated into the mainstream health care system of India. The onus for this successful incorporation is on the entire medical fraternity of the country.