Keeping the body and mind going
A book has a therapeutic effect on Muhammad Abdul Hai
Voltaire, a French author and philosopher of the eighteenth century, once said, "Physicians pour drugs of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, into humans of which they know nothing." If he were alive today, he would definitely make some amends to what he had said, for research has made so much progress in medical science that a disease that was considered incurable a few years ago now awaits only a single tablet to disappear. Andrew Weil, an intrepid investigator into how healing occurs, had his degrees in biology and medicine from Harvard University. His curiosity arose tremendously by an interesting yet apparently insulting snipe at Voltaire. He made it his life-long mission to find out how a malady occurs in a human body and how healing takes place. He made a thorough analysis of his own physical discomforts when it occurred and made a meticulous record of the questions his physicians asked and the prescription that followed. As a physician, he sometimes, couldn't agree with the doctors, and in such situations he used to discuss the alternative ways regarding healing of the illness. In different hospitals and clinics, he had elaborate discussions with patients to apprehend the mysterious ways of healing a disease. The book makes an elaborate discussion of homeopathic treatment that formally started in 1810, the year of the publication of Samuel Christian Hahnemann's most important work, Organon of Medicine. Hahnemann was a German physician who lived from 1755 to 1843, which was roughly the Age of Heroic Medicine. It is called so because physicians used to resort to reckless vigour in their healing methods. The favourite heroic treatment was bleeding. It was popularly believed that cure for a disease lay in the purging of a patient's body impurities and toxins, and bleeding, vomiting and sweating were caused by administering various medicines. This so called heroic treatment, in most of the cases, resulted in further complications of the ailment, and quite a few deaths were also reported. Andrew Weil in Health and Healing has given a brief description of how George Washington, who was supposed to get the best medical care America could afford, fell victim to the heroic treatment. The president died of dehydration that was caused due to the removal of the so-called bad blood. Perhaps he would have died in any case, but the treatment was certainly not the appropriate one. The book contains elaborate discussions of the nature of illness and how it is healed. The author describes an illness or disease as being a breakdown of equilibrium in the human body, and healing is a natural process which is accelerated by the application of medicine. Even then, he observes that administering the same dose of medicine to two different patients for similar symptoms and discomfort may not yield similar responses. Hence he admits that medical scientists may understand many things related to human beings and yet many things remain mysterious to them. Healing is, therefore, a mixture of spiritual and psychological willingness of patients. One will certainly find the brief argument of the author interesting, by which he tries to establish that blood is the key bearer of healing energy. He cites the condition of a diabetes patient. Diabetes, he says, obliterates tiny arteries throughout the body, causing destruction of organs by cutting off the blood flow to them. The slightest injury may develop into an ulcer that refuses to heal and offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Even with full medical support, an ulcer of this kind may turn into gangrene that will necessitate an amputation of the limbs. The book enlightens health-conscious people on how to breathe and work consciously because, according to the author, simple, safe and effective breathing while working promotes good health of mind and body. Proper and effective breathing means full, deep expansion of the lungs with expiration at least as long as inspiration. The breathing also needs to be slow and quiet. There is also a brief reference of faith which is said to have a magical power to accelerate healing. Dr. Weil presents a full-length discussion of alternative healing practices, including holistic medicine, homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic and Chinese medicine, outlining how they differ from each other. It is an ideal handbook for people who want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of conventional and alternative medicine. It is a practical guide to exploring how the body stays healthy.
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