CHENNAI: In his 29th K Gopalakrishna Endowment Oration on the topic of ‘Holistic and Integrative Medicine’ organised by Chatnath Trust in city, Dr Isaac Mathai, the homeopathy physician of global repute recalled how the traditional systems of healing had prevailed in India dating back to five millennia.
“Home remedies and ancient wisdom were the only reliable, affordable and effective medical cure for the majority of Indians. Unlike modern medicine, the traditional systems took a holistic approach by taking care of body, spirit and soul for an integrative approach,” he said.
However, Dr Isaac was quick to point out that holistic healthcare is not against western medicine. “It incorporates traditional systems (ayurveda, homeopathy, siddha, etc) with allopathy for a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or illness,” he added.
Citing a study from World Health Organization, he said contrary to a popular perception, 80 per cent of westerners still depend on herbal and other ancient systems of medicine. “And that may be one of the reasons why US President Barack Obama signed an agreement with Prime Minister Modi for collaboration and further study on such types of medical cure. A holistic physician is a catalyst to encourage the remarkable and innate capacity of the body to heal itself but early intervention is always better while treating chronic diseases like cardiac ailments, diabetes and cancer,” he explained.
Taking a dig at the so-called health check-ups being offered in hospitals, Dr Isaac said traditional medicine has a better assessment of one’s body and health through an integrated approach that insists on lifestyle management and adopting habits like yoga, right breathing technique and a balanced diet that prevent diseases for longer life. “The simple art of breathing nourishes the brain, makes us self-conscious and ensures emotional balance,” he said.
Dwelling on each and every system of traditional medicine, the physician said ayurveda is considered to be the oldest system of health-care with literature dating back to 5,000 years.
“A subset of ayurveda is Panchakarma – a five-fold purification therapy that aims at correcting the imbalance of doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) in the body. Panchakarma is usually done for body rejuvenation as it has anti-ageing effects,” he said.
Soukya Health Centre, a 30-acre organic farm in Bengaluru, set up by Dr Mathai offers traditional systems of medicine under one roof for Indian and global patients. On the way forward, he said there is a need for dialogue and more integration between western medicine and holistic health in India. “We need a policy framework, programmes and good institutions for holistic medicine and the Modi government is doing all the right things,” he said.
In his address, Infosys chairman R Seshasayee gave full credits to ancient seers of India who through intuitive knowledge came to the conclusion that there were some universal concepts or theories that could not be explained by humanity at all.
“Modern physics has discovered only recently that scientific laws and theories cannot explain certain aspects of universal occurrence or happenings,” he said.
Dr Isaac Mathai
He is an internationally renowned holistic health consultant and the founder, chairman, managing & medical director of SOUKYA International Holistic Health Centre, Bengaluru. Dr Mathai has been incorporating yoga therapy and Ayurveda in his practice for years. He has a patient network of more than 1,000 people in 60 countries. He hails from a family with a tradition of homeopathic practice spanning more than five decades. His late father, Nooranal Mathai was a prominent priest in the Indian Orthodox Christian Church and his mother, Dr Annamma Mathai is an active Homeopathic Physician.