Understanding Medicine
No system of medicine competes with others as they work on different levels, writes Dr KK Aggarwal.
According to Sankhya Vedic philosophy, the universe is made of five basic elements i.e. space, air, fire, water and earth. They combined together represents macrocosm and these same five elements when in the body represents microcosm. According to the theory of dualism (duath) microcosm and macrocosm are different. On the other hand, qualified dualism science talks about microcosm being a part and parcel of macrocosm. The traditional Indian science talks oneness of microcosm and macrocosm with total dependence on each other.
The science, which deals with these five elements, their role in the causation of disease and using them as part of treatment is called Naturopathy. The examples are water therapy, air therapy, mud therapy, sun therapy, colour therapy. It also deals with the natural disasters and their prevention by following the laws of nature. All disasters involve one or two of the basic five elements. It talks about the laws of nature in great details and advocates one to follow them strictly.
The science which deals with space or akash element (the void) and uses it for therapeutic purposes is the natural science of healing which deals with reiky, pranik healing, meditation, soul searching etc. The soul as described in Gita has no weight, height, form, air can not dry it, water can not wet it, fire can not burn it, weapons can not cut it, it is immortal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. It is the web of energized information present in the body which once leaves the body the body gets degraded fast and people don't like to touch it any more.
The five basic element of the microcosm within the human body make three important functions. The functions of movement, metabolism and structure. The human body is nothing but a composition of these three functions of life. These three functions in ayurvedic language are called three doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha, respectively. The science which deals with the imbalances of these three doshas and how to bring them back into balance is what ayurveda is. They are called doshas as they have the natural tendencies to get vitiated and efforts are required to bring them in balance.
These three doshas make seven dhatus i.e. rasa, rakta, mamsa, medha, majja, ashti and shukra. In allopathic language they represents plasma, blood, muscle, tissue, bone marrow, bone and immunological essence. Ayurveda again deals with imbalance and balance of these seven dhatus. These dhatus are formed in sequence from food as the source.
Dhatus collectively make organs. Organs have receptors and use of medicines to counter the effect at the level of receptors is what allopathy or modern medicine is. Allopathy therefore is a science of opposite, medicine with opposite action to that of symptoms.
Molecules are made up of sub-molecules and sub-molecule of further sub-molecules, which are made of atoms. Atoms similarly are made up of sub-atomic particles and so on. Ultimately, there are protons, neutrons and electrons, which are made up of photons (bundles of light) and photons are in turn made of quantum (bundles of energy).
Quantum is finally made up of a potential called void. This void is invisible, indestructible, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.
The science, which deals with this void, is meditation and science, which deals with the quantum level of knowledge, is homeopathy or bhasma therapy in ayurveda. In both these sciences the matter is converted into non-matter before it can be used for the therapeutic purposes.
No systems of medicine, therefore, are competing with each other as they are working on different levels.
If you really want to talk about one since then it should incorporate these principles in harmony with each other. If some one asks me which one is the best, East or west (eastern medicine or western medicine) my answer is always a combination.
(The writer is a senior Physician, Head Department of Cardiology and Deputy Dean Board of Medical Education-Moolchand Hospital, President-Heart Care Foundation of India, President Delhi Medical Association and Member-Delhi Medical Council.)
