Alternative practices: ‘Homeopaths are more accessible to the masses’

Experts argue that Unani medicine should be practised on a wider scale.

KARACHI: Experts in homeopathic medicine believe that it is time for the Pakistani government to take a leaf out of its Indian counterpart’s book and use traditional medicine to bridge gaps in country’s floundering healthcare system.

On Tuesday, they gathered at an international conference organised at Hamdard University to discuss the benefits of Unani. “Homeopaths, along with the current allopathic system, can prove to be very good option to address health needs,” said Prof. Seema Mumtaz, the principal of Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry. “The system may have a larger reach because of its low cost and can work well for country.”

Dr Ashhar Qadeer, from Jamia Hamdard India, said, “Unani medical system has been developed in India to work with mainstream medicine. It has helped to improve the lives of a large segment of the population.” He added that India’s experience in implementing the Unani system can be used by other countries. It has proven to be cost effective and highly potent even in areas where allopathic medicine has been lacking or has side effects, said Dr Qadeer.

Syed Faisal Zaidi, a researcher from Japan, said Unani and other traditional medication can successfully prevent unwanted illnesses. “Unani medicine treats the entire immune system to inoculate it unlike allopathic medicine which attacks the pathogens instead.” He said countries should share their research on traditional medicines so that myths about them can be quelled across the globe.



Ahsana Dar, a researcher from India, said, “The promotion of collaborative research work between Pakistan and India will help growth of Unani medicine in region.” She said the research can only be conducted if the government supports the initiative.

Dr Ikuo Saiki, the director of the Institute of Natural Medicine at the University of Toyama, shared his research on the use of curcumin - an Indian spice - in treating cancer. “The research reflects that the use of curcumin is highly encouraging against cancers especially lungs and liver cancers,” he said.

The traditional method of treating cancer provides better and faster recovery of patients without side effects such as weight loss through chemotherapy, he added. He said the treatment from basic and simple natural elements has  a larger impact as compared with complex drugs.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2013.