Alternative Treatments
By Limana Solaiman Mridha
We all have those days where some ailment in one or another part of our body lets us down. Be it backache, migraine, neck pain, or conditions that render productivity, such as chronic pains, asthma, fibromyalgia, sleeplessness and such. At times, we might not respond as well to medications as we would wish for, which may prompt us to seek alternatives that might provide relief or aid in overall healing. Let us take a look at some recognised modes of alternative treatments that have provided relief for a host of diseases and have been in practice for ages.
Acupuncture
This mode of treatment has been in practice for a long time now and has a recorded history that dates back to 2000 years, but many experts in the field claim its origin back to almost 4000 years. Known to be a part of traditional Chinese medicine, this practice has been refined through research, tests and has been developing over the centuries. Practitioners of acupuncture are rare in Bangladesh and since this is an invasive procedure, it is very important to consult a trained and licenced physician to avoid exacerbating your condition.
The Weekend magazine talked with Dr Shariq H Khan, an associate professor of medicine and acupuncture who has been practising for over 25 years. About the proven benefits of the procedure, Dr Khan said: In October, I will be attending a seminar in Japan and present my findings on acupuncture and autism as I have been administering this treatment to a number of my patients. People associate acupuncture with pain only and seek us out as an alternative, but there are other conditions for which acupuncture has proven to be effective such as cerebral palsy, paralysis, chronic sinusitis, tonsillitis, intestine related diseases, digestive problem, hyper acidity, etc. It also helps with all types of headaches and a myriad of psychological problems, and has successfully aided people who suffer from sleep irregularities as well.
We get a lot of patients who look us up on the internet and also word of mouth is as effective as ever. Patients usually seek us out when they do not respond to medications or they cannot take medications due to kidney complications and other ailments. Now, the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College Hospital has a unit where I administer this treatment for free. This is the only government hospital that has this practice, and more units like this in other government health facilities would really help a lot of people. I am grateful for this opportunity and since it is free, a lot of people seek out the treatment. I provide the needles required as they are not subsidised, it would be great if they were but I do not mind giving back a little. Ensuring hygiene is a major part of the process and a set of needles are used on one individual only and after each session, the needles are given to the patients and they are requested to bring those back for the next session. Reusing same needles in several individuals can be risky and we avoid doing so. I have sent many manuals to district level hospitals to let people know that we are offering treatment for free so that more people benefit from this process.
Khan also said: Since no medication is used for the procedure, and it is a minor invasive process, there is no harm in trying it out if you go to a highly trained and licenced practitioner. But I must urge people to be careful because even though it is a minor procedure, I have come across many malpractice victims which shows that it is quite prevalent in Bangladesh.
Cupping Therapy
Wet cupping, or hijama, has Persian and Greek origin and is mentioned in the Hadith. This mode of treatment has also been part of traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times. This alternative procedure requires small cups to be placed on the skin at the site to be treated to create suction, and draw some blood by vacuum from a small skin incision. Many go for this option to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow and relaxation. It also gives the benefit of deep tissue message.
In an interview at the Hijama Planet Clinic in Dhanmondi, Dr Mohammad Saiful Alam Talukder talked about this ancient alternative treatment method. I learned about cupping therapy from the Hadith. In Bangla, this is commonly known is shinga therapy and is recognised as sunnah in Islam and it has been advised to take this therapy on 17th, 19th and 21st of the lunar month. This form of treatment is very popular worldwide and the WHO (World Health Organisation) is trying to promote this more as it is natural and nothing foreign is introduced into the body, it just pulls out a small amount of blood. When we donate blood, about 450ml is drawn from our body, but in cupping therapy, as little as 50 to 200ml blood is drawn. The process is not as scary as it looks and is almost painless and many talk about a tingling feeling while the skin is penetrated, that is all. People might think that a deep incision is made by looking at therapy images. But on the contrary, the superficial level is just scratched to draw out the blood, which hardly causes pain. The incision is made in such a manner that until or unless it is pulled, no blood will come out, this draws out the broken red blood cells.
This is highly effective in pain management and it many cases, it has been recorded that with a single session, a patient gets immediate relief and in some cases they do not even need a second session. A way to explain how cupping therapy works is that there are pain mediators in our body and when those come in contact with nerve endings, they send signals to our brain and we feel pain. When cupping is done in the location, these are diluted, thus reducing pain. This is a kind of simplified explanation of the science behind the therapy, said Dr Talukder, adding, It is a recognised alternative treatment by the WHO and is in practice all over the world.
Homeopathy
Widely practised and recognised all over the world as a popular form of treatment, homeopathy has been in practice since German physician Samuel Hahnemann created it in 1796. Based on the theory of like cures like, ailments are treated by very small doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the disease. It has been observed to be effective in the treatment of asthma, chronic eczema and conditions such as tonsillitis and sinusitis.
In an interview, Dr Abdul Matin, an assistant professor at the Government Homeopathy Medical College and Hospital, said: The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the type of medication you are given and whether the doctor is properly trained or not. This is a proper discipline and you cannot just do a diploma and claim yourself to be a practitioner in this discipline. Another reason the treatment might not be effective for you is the use of counterfeit medicines. You have to be careful about that. I bring medicines from abroad and the price and effectiveness depends on the potency of the medicine. High level of potency increases the price of the medications and dosage and administration can only be effective if the doctor is properly trained in this field. A lot of diseases can be cured or individuals can get relief if properly treated. Fake or quack doctors are the reason why this practice is not as effective in Bangladesh as it should be.
This discipline has been incorporated in the government hospitals across the country as well and I hope that awareness about the benefits of homeopathy and proper education will slowly eradicate the common misconceptions regarding homeopathic treatments. It is very safe as the medicines we use are all natural and have no side-effects.
Ayurveda
Ayurvedic massage has also been proven to have its benefits in pain management and is quite popular around the world.
It is one of the oldest holistic healing systems, developed millenniums ago in India. It is based on the belief that good health depends on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit.
In Bangladesh, the Ayurveda Research and Health Centre in Banani was founded by Sarwat Abed and Zahida Ispahani to promote Ayurvedic lifestyle. There is an in-house doctor who you can consult through appointment, and all their therapists have been trained in Ayurveda techniques from Kerala, India. The various massages are said to be effective for bone and joint conditions such as arthritis, spinal problems, spondylitis, sport injuries etc.
Sleep Medicine
Sleeplessness and insomnia are common terms we hear everyday. The reason behind this is the changing pattern in lifestyles among a large number of people. Dr AKM Mosharraf Hossain, a professor of respiratory medicine who also specialises in sleep medicine, identifies the changing patterns of sleep associated with the rise of insomnia among a large number of people and also explains sleep apnoea, which is more prevalent but not widely recognised.
In an interview at his chamber in the Lab Aid Specialised Hospital, Dr Hossain said: In Bangladesh, the proper and structured treatment of sleep apnoea, which is a common condition among people, started in 2005 with the inauguration of the first sleep lab. A sleep physician from India and I started this. I am a pulmonologist and I have completed a year-long fellowship in Singapore and there, sleep medicine was an integral part. I have worked in research in the sleep lab and have published in international journals as well. And later a basic research of mine was published in the Bangladesh Medical Research council. Here I discovered that a quarter of our male population is suffering from sleep apnoea, and among women it is a little less. A persons breathing is hampered and he/she snores and for a while cannot breathe properly resulting from lack of oxygen. That is when a patient wakes up and the lack of sleep reduces a persons productivity throughout the day. This condition if left untreated increases mortality among patients and may lead to other detrimental health conditions. Many patients die in their sleep and it is very risky for patients with sleep apnoea to drive. This disease is not widely recognised in our country and if the knowledge and treatment is made available in government hospitals, more people will be benefited as private treatment is expensive. Patients need to be aware about malpractices in this field as well.
In sleep medicine, apart from sleep apnoea, which is highly prevalent, there are other conditions as well which are pretty common such as sleeplessness. Many misconceptions about sleep exist among people. In a normal person, the range of sleep required varies from person to person and the range is five to 10 hours. If you sleep for about five hours every day and can function normally and carry out your daily activities with efficiency, while your friend sleeps for over eight hours every day _ that cannot be an indicator for insomnia or sleeplessness. Another thing to keep in mind is that sleep medication should not be taken more than the prescribed length of time. If you continue to do so, it may result in rebound insomnia which is more detrimental. The cycle of sleep is a biological process and it is a part of your bodys rhythm. Maintaining somewhat stern sleep hygiene is important for all suffering from insomnia.
Photos: Internet
