THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The fifth edition of the Homeopathy Vijnana Sammelan, spearheaded by the Global Homeopathy Foundation (GHF), has called for an integrated approach to solving health problems by utilising the capacities of homoeopathy.
The 2023-24 event, held at the CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) campus in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, showcased cutting-edge research in homoeopathic treatments for ailments affecting humans, animals and plants.
Researchers who spoke at the one-day event also highlighted homoeopathy’s shortcomings, which they stressed could be addressed by improving basic and inter-disciplinary studies.
Dr Jayesh V Sanghvi, chairman of GHF, in his presidential address, spoke about the foundation’s initiatives in creating awareness about homoeopathy. Speaking about the international and interdisciplinary collaborations undertaken by GHF, he said anti-microbial resistance (AMR) offers homoeopathy great scope and hope. “Time has come to work hand in hand. Post pandemic our eyes have opened. No one system is 100% complete by itself. Rather than looking at each system with suspicion we need to work hand in hand for humanity,” said Dr Sanghvi.
“Homoeopathy is the greenest medical science in the world with the least side effects and with excellent solutions for humans, animals and agriculture. It has the perfect low carbon solution and it is going to help in achieving net-zero emission by 2070 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added.Chief guest Dr P K Sudhir, vice chancellor of Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, highlighted the significance of integrating homoeopathy with advancements in science and technology.
Labour Commissioner Dr K Vasuki shared personal anecdotes underlining the benefits of homoeopathy. “Health is multidimensional. So the approach has to be an integrated one involving traditional and modern systems. We need to have an open mind towards holistic health,” she said.
Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, director of CSIR-NIIST, discussed homoeopathy’s significant market potential, emphasising the necessity of scientific support for Ayush systems and offering NIIST’s resources for research and testing.
Praveen Ramdas, national secretary of Vijnana Bharati (ViBha) asserted that homoeopathy is a time-tested system like other Ayush systems. Vivekananda Pai, secretary of ViBha spoke about the differences in eastern and western philosophies that prevent Ayush from getting its due recognition.Researchers including Dr Radhakrishnan K V and Dr O S Nirmal Ghosh stressed the importance of scientific and interdisciplinary approaches to unlock homoeopathy’s full potential. In a panel discussion on public health, Dr Radha Das, former advisor- homoeopathy to GoI, advocated for increased inclusion of homoeopathy in government health programmes. Abga Ravindranath, organizing secretary, south India, ViBha, presided over the valedictory function.
Event organisers honoured the principals of homoeopathic medical colleges in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A special session to posthumously honour legendary practitioners of Kerala was also organised. The delegates were also treated to a musical performance by Dr Narayanan K, a Tamil playback singer part of A R Rahman’s team.
‘Effective in treating animal diseases’
Dr Surjit Singh Makkar, veterinarian and Punjab’s former joint director of animal husbandry, said homoeopathic medicines are effective on animals, adding that practitioners need to look for peculiar symptoms to administer the right medicines. Dr Surjit has treated fever, food poisoning, separation anxiety, hormonal imbalances, gastritis, and skin diseases in dogs, cats cattle, horses, parrots, etc. “Homoeopathy has excellent medicines for treating animal diseases. But we need to observe them closely for peculiar symptoms. It is a challenging task in finding the totality, considering that there are different breeds. The medicines given for treating left cystic ovary are different from those for the the right,” he added.
‘Helps fight baldness & promote hair growth’
Dr Jyothi Kannan, homoeopathic cosmetologist and trichologist presented her success in the treatment of male-pattern baldness and hair loss. She said her treatment is cost-effective and provided long-lasting results to patients without any side effects. Citing a recent study, Dr Jyothi claimed that homoeopathic medicines were far better than minoxidil and finasteride, which are two major medicines used in modern medicine to treat hair loss in men. She however said that the treatment is most effective when alopecia is at stage 4 and below. “Hair growth activity for allium cepa was found comparatively similar or efficient than marketed formulation of minoxidil which is known to have side effects such as infertility. When compared to hair transplant, it costs only 10-15% for homoeopathic treatment with no side effects,” she said. According to her, homoeopathy will soon have creams with anti-ageing properties.
'Has potential in treating mental illnesses’
Dr Dinesh R S, psychiatrist at Karunagapally taluk hospital, sees potential for homoeopathy in treating mental illnesses. Homoeopathic medicines are effective in psychiatric emergencies and treating psychosomatic conditions, psycho-oncology, etc. “There are so many limitations in modern medicine. It has to be taken life long. There is huge scope for alternative medicine because it can abort or delay illness if we start treatment early enough,” said Dr Dinesh. “Mental illnesses have been on the rise, especially after Covid it has risen by 25%. Suicide rates, anxiety, and depression are all increasing. There is a need to integrate systems,” he added. According to him, there is a huge mental health gap in psychiatric management practice due to shortage of therapists, psychologists, social workers, and alternative medicine practitioners.