More doctors, more drugs and more diseases in India - Know why and how

India has lots of Gods to worship. So are religions and sub casts within every religion. Diversity of Gods starts from ‘my god’, ‘your god’, ‘the god who would not like women visiting them’ and ‘the god exclusively for women’ etc. Similarly, we have plenty of devotees also in our country who are willing to torture and traumatize themselves in the name of true devotion. Similarly according to some religion, the God will please only when innocent poor animals are sacrificed.

The big question is why despite having plenty of Gods; the true devotees suffer from various problems?

Is God creates problem or human problems have created several Gods? If we carefully examine the God-problem relationship, both possibilities look bright. The existence of plenty of problems in human life supports the possibility that God might be creating problems than solutions, may be to keep the devotees always thinking about God. It means, God may be creating plenty of problems to man to make him pray to God with unshakable faith and then feel relieved. It means, god is creating more problems and man creates more Gods without knowing when, why and how God is going to solve the problems?

If we look at the multitude of health problems and its diversity, we might ask the same question as why with plenty of institutionally qualified Ayurveda doctor, Siddha doctor, Unani doctor, Homeopathy doctor, Naturopath and YOGA specialists and more than lakh AYUSH products as drugs, still we have several health problems in rural India?

For example, treating Tuberculosis, Siddha system offers its drugs, Ayurveda offers its drugs, Unani has its drugs and so is Homeopathy. Of course scientifically proven allopathic system also has effective drugs for tuberculosis. But still we have high prevalence of Tuberculosis in India.

Starting from mud, stone, deadly toxic metals (Mercury, Arsenic, Lead etc.,), pearl, deer horn, excreta and urine of many animals, turtle shell to grass….and what not, AYUSH does not treat as drugs or drug compositions!!! All these AYUSH products as per the respective systems are time tested, effective, absolutely safe and empirically developed by the enlightened sages. Further, God himself only has gifted the essentials of Siddha and Ayurveda to man.

The question is different. Why when we have more than a lakh AYUSH products legally defined as unscheduled drugs and close to 8 lakh AYUSH vaidyas and every year their number is increasing not just in arithmetic proportion but in geographic proportion, people in rural areas battle with several health problems?

Another truth also we must recognize. Besides over one lakh AYUSH drugs, we also have plenty of allopathic drugs and MBBS doctors from scientifically proven allopathic science.

The reach of allopathic drugs in every nook and corner of India is quite high thanks to the lackadaisical rules and regulations that permit rampant cross pathy by most of the institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice.

It means, most AYUSH vaidyas are treating patients predominantly with allopathic drugs and not with AYUSH products. It means, these AYUSH vaidyas have already disqualified and discredited AYUSH products might be due to the truth that none to the AYUSH products are drugs having any curative effects.

Allopathic drugs are proven by science and are effective. When most of the AYUSH vaidyas engaged in allopathic practice in their private clinics in remote areas, why still people suffer the worst from various health problems? Does that mean even the allopathic drugs are not effective?

We need to trace the truth truthfully and dispassionately. The truth is that the allopathic drugs may not be failing. Then what is the big reason?

The reason for our medical problem is not lack of allopathic drugs or their reach, but wrong diagnosis, wrong medications and wrong conclusions most likely by the institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice (cross pathy).

According to AYUSH, Tridosha (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) is the cause of diseases. Therefore balancing the Tridosha is sufficient to cure diseases. This is what most AYUSH graduates have studied during their UG and PG degree.

The sickening truth is that how to measure Tridosha, their presence and how to know their imbalances etc., the AYUSH vaidyas could not explain and demonstrate to the scientific world. If we ask such question, they simply would say, Tridosha is philosophy and not science.

How the philosophy based diagnostic approaches of diseases can be called medical science? How the graduates who have studied such science can diagnose the diseases as per the scientifically proven allopathic science and can engage in cross pathy?

If they claim they have knowledge to diagnose the diseases as per allopathic science, then what they have studied from AYUSH and what is its use? Then why we promote AYUSH as medical science, products AYUSH graduates to promote AYUSH? Instead why not we accept the bitter truth that AYUSH is paramedical practice?

Have they not studied how to correct pitta or vatha or kapha using various AYUSH products and then correct Tridosha? How they have acquired competency not only in the diagnosis of the diseases as per allopathic science but are also competent in prescribing allopathic drugs?

The misery and tyranny of our health problem is mainly due to corss pathy. In cross pathy, it is not ignorance and half baked medical knowledge are experimented on poor patients, but AYUSH philosophy and scientifically proven allopathic science are mixed and as a result, the health and welfare of poor patients are undermined.

The bitter truth is that the early diagnosis of diseases suffers the worst but cross pathians never delay medical treatment to the poor patients irrespective of the diagnosis. Some AYUSH vaidyas have shared that they would refer their patients to allopathic doctors and get the disease diagnosed and then would treat them with allopathic drugs and with some AYUSH products. This is even worst.

The treatment of any diseases does not end or start just with the diagnosis. For example, the mere diagnosis of the disease – for example Psoriasis, is not sufficient to treat the patients. The treatment requirements can vary and sometime it may warrant emergency admission especially during inflammatory flare up. It means, AYUSH vaidyas should treat patients only from their domain and should not show medical adventurism at the innocence of poor patients.

If just by knowing name of the disease, treatment can be given means, then treating any disease become so simple and easy. Even by google search, the treatment and drugs can be identified. Then how cross pathy is different from self medication?

Are we not joking at our health care system and medical care by promoting cross pathy by institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas?

What have we achieved by promoting AYUSH as medical science? More medical problems only, it looks like, we have gifted to our society by keeping blind eye on cross pathy.

To solve the abundant health problems, we are producing more AYUSH graduates as doctor. Then we are opening back door to them to practice allopathic drugs. More doctor, more medical problem because more cross pathy, wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment. The saga continues.

Indian needs robust and scientifically proven allopathic science to solve our disease burden and AYUSH for its palliative and paramedical support.

While we scientifically question the drug merit of AYUSH products, we also must ask how accurate are the diagnosis of various diseases done by non MBBS doctors when they use the clinical methods of diagnosis of allopathic science than AYUSH Tridosha methods? If the diagnosis of diseases and prescription of allopathic drugs are correct by those AYUSH vaidyas engaged in cross pathy in their private practice, then why we have so much of disease burden in rural India?

Cross pathy not only likely to result in wrong use and or dosage of allopathic drugs but also likely to cause serious problems in proper diagnosis. Improper diagnosis and or delayed diagnosis would cause bigger health problem like no or wrong treatment.

Cross pathy should not be seen as respite to meet the shortage of MBBS doctors in rural India. AYUSH must be promoted for paramedical benefits and scientifically proven allopathic system for treating and curing people from various diseases.

The best way to solve the confusion is re-promoting AYUSH as Indian Traditional Medicine and its graduates as Indian Traditional Medicine Practitioners. Once such distinction is done clearly and visibly, we can promote AYUSH effectively.

Dr S Ranganathan