India's Mentally Ill Turn To Faith, Not Medicine

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste,

Over the last couple of days, National Public Radio (NPR) had a two part series about how most mentally ill people in India turn to Hinduism and traditional healing instead of conventional medicine.

It seems like people who suffer from things such as schizophrenia are believed to be possessed by evil spirits and such. Instead of turning to psychiatrists and doctors, they are turning to priests, healers, and gurus.

I've heard of Ayurvedic remedies and such, but I've never heard of anything in Hinduism like the ritual described in the first story, with the women shrieking and wailing and beating themselves up in front of Lord Shiva.

It's a very interesting series and I'd like to know what you all think about it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=126143778

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=129091680

Jai Sri Krishna

[Lajila]

Namaste,

I have heard similar things to this within Christianity, where parents prayed for their daughter rather than take her to a doctor, sadly the girl died.

I will have a look through the links you posted too

[atanu]

Namaste,

Over the last couple of days, National Public Radio (NPR) had a two part series about how most mentally ill people in India turn to Hinduism and traditional healing instead of conventional medicine.

It seems like people who suffer from things such as schizophrenia are believed to be possessed by evil spirits and such. Instead of turning to psychiatrists and doctors, they are turning to priests, healers, and gurus.

I've heard of Ayurvedic remedies and such, but I've never heard of anything in Hinduism like the ritual described in the first story, with the women shrieking and wailing and beating themselves up in front of Lord Shiva.

It's a very interesting series and I'd like to know what you all think about it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=126143778

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=129091680

Jai Sri Krishna

Namaste Ramakrishnaji

There a short story by Rabindranath Tagore. Two brothers followed two different medical schools, violently opposing each other. They however, had one common fierce love-- the daughter of the younger brother. They both adored her equally and could die for sake of her protection.

This loved daughter fell terminally ill. Both brothers exhausted their skills of their respective professions but realised that the illness was beyond them. This crisis changed the whole situation. The Allopathic brother sought Ayurved doctors and the Ayurved doctor sought allopaths. Finally, the servant of the house prevailed on the brothers and went out to get prasad from a temple. Both the brothers concurred the decision of the servant without any resistance.
------------------

It has been conveyed many times that the view of this world can be totally opposite-- the materialistic view or the spiritualistic view. One may see only the print on the paper, another only the paper, and the third may see both the paper and the print. I feel personally that west, in general, follows the materialistic view.

Veda teaches that Rudra may be virulent disease and Rudra is also the most beneficient doctor of all ills. So, medicines of this school will be aligned towards this understanding -- including prayers.

Moreover, this school believes that illness helps to exhaust the sanchita karma (accumulated karma).

Whereas the materialistic schools will see bacteria and virus everywhere (just as they may see enemies everywhere but not within) and will annhilate them as in a war.

Moreover, materialists will not see illness as mitigation of karma. Neither will they like to miss their worldly affairs because of being indisposed. So, a war must be declared on the virus and bacterias.

With abnormal increase of pouplation in India and surroundings, this hammer method has gained importance, since the natural purifiers like air, water, sun, cannot cope with purifying the output of such huge mass of defecating people who pollute the atmosphere just by their existence.

Both views and ways may have some benefits over the other. But I leave the decision to readers.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Ramakrishna:

You are correct. This is an interesting topic. I personally believe there is a middle ground. Some of this, some of that. Most 'mentally ill' people would be best served if they were open to many ideas, not just one. For as much as India relies on temples and ayurveda, the west relies on psychology and psychiatry.

My Guru once said "Ganesha is the world's greatest psychologist." A lot of stress issues that manifest in gut problems, rashes, hypertension, heart disease etc., could have been prevented in a high percentage of people simply by learning how to breathe properly. Breathing is a bit like walking. You have to learn it. Doing even 20 minutes a day of relaxation or yoga can be immensely beneficial. Very few doctors here will ever prescribe that.

But having said all that, there are also definite disorders or conditions that western medicine can help with. But we need to be careful, as the God of Money fronted by the pharmaceutical companies is at work. Just a few days ago, they were advertising a new pill that dealt with the side-effects of some antidepressants - the very same ones sold by the same company. Next it will be a new drug that deals with the side effects of the drug that deals with the side effects.. you can see where this is going.

Another point I have is that often the simplest things are overlooked. In my career, it has happened a few times. (This was by 5th grade, and no one else before me saw it, which in itself is sad.)

Whenever a parent would come in and we'd discuss the particular 'problem' their child was having, one of the first things I'd do was suggest a physical. I remember some cases distinctly: one of poor hearing or wax in the ears, some of poor eyesight, one of severe malnutrition for food and love, and another with Tourette's Syndrome. So sometimes that is the case as well.

Of course yet another problem is who is defining 'mentally ill' . One person's illness is another person's quirky nature. Some of our own greatest sages would have been found to be nuts by western psychiatrists. Especially the mystics.

So my overall take is there is a middle ground. Best wishes for anyone finding it. I did find the articles western biased, and I think a similar article on the dangers of western psychiatry and pharmaceuticals could be written, and probably has been.

Aum Namasivaya

[atanu]

Vannakkam Ramakrishna:

-----But we need to be careful, as the God of Money fronted by the pharmaceutical companies is at work. Just a few days ago, they were advertising a new pill that dealt with the side-effects of some antidepressants - the very same ones sold by the same company. Next it will be a new drug that deals with the side effects of the drug that deals with the side effects.. you can see where this is going.

Aum Namasivaya

Namaste EM

My poor father who is no more got entangled into this labyrinth of 8.

He was taking a medicine for a heart condition. He developed a persistent cough. He took Salbutamol and his heart problem aggravated. I read the packets. Yes. The heart medicine said that it promoted cough and in some cases asthma. And the Salbutamol aggravated palpitation and hypertension.

That I say is getting lost in labyrinth of 8. I am not condemning the war strategy of modern medicine but one needs to be careful.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste EM

My poor father who is no more got entangled into this labyrinth of 8.

He was taking a medicine for a heart condition. He developed a persistent cough. He took Salbutamol and his heart problem aggravated. I read the packets. Yes. The heart medicine said that it promoted cough and in some cases asthma. And the Salbutamol aggravated palpitation and hypertension.

That I say is getting lost in labyrinth of 8. I am not condemning the war strategy of modern medicine but one needs to be careful.

Om Namah Shivaya

Vannakkam Atanu: My mother as well. Dad, somewhat, but not as bad. But I must say that one anti-anxiety drug extended my own career for some ten years. I'm now hooked on it, and withdrawal, although not impossible, would be very difficult, let alone dangerous. Fortunately there are no side effects (yet) that can be treated with more drugs.

I did discover you can get almost anything in India over the counter that you couldn't get here because of tighter controls. I asked a pharmacy there one day about the prescription drug I take and he said, "How much would you like?" That's scary stuff as well.

Aum Namasivaya

[saidevo]

namaste.

When I was a primary school boy (1960s), I witnessed the case of another boy of four or five years old unwittingly swallow a two-paise coin (it was small and heavy with wavy corners). The father was away and the mother ran with the child to a doctor nearby. He simply said, "Give one or two bananas to the boy, and the coin will come out in the morning with his stool." The mother was rather skeptical, and by the time she reached home, the father had come back. He rang up another doctor who came in his car (I still remember the spoked wheels of that old type, black car). This doctor also prescribed only solid curd rice which the child took immediately. Just like they said, the coin dropped with stool the next morning. I shudder to think what today's doctors would have done in such a case, but I don't blame them either.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Saidevo et al:

There is so much wisdom in old remedies. Kerosene does wonders for head lice (my mother's wisdom) , but you can buy the very expensive shampoo here that works nowhere near as well. The consumer society is on the whole, not operating at full intelligence. Here you can actually buy lettuce as a bedding plant, and it grows by itself from seed in about 3 weeks. The agricultural experts have really been socking it to the urban idiot.

The other day I saw a bottle triphala in an upscale health supplement place for $18.99. A few blocks a way in the Indian import grocery store the exact same size and brand was $3.95. I had to laugh.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste atanuji, Eastern Mindji, and saidevoji,

You all have raised excellent points. I agree that a middle ground would be the best solution. A combination of traditional religious healing as well as some modern Western medicine, when needed.

I'm very skeptical of modern Western medicine and pharmaceutical companies as well. A lot of them are just out to make money and get you to buy more drugs. However, there are obviously times when those drugs are needed.

I also noticed that in the first article, it says that one of the ill people is more comfortable with the traditional healing than the drugs. If she feels like the traditional healing is better for her and she's more comfortable and satisfied with that, then that's fine I guess.

Jai Sri Krishna

[Ramakrishna]

It has been conveyed many times that the view of this world can be totally opposite-- the materialistic view or the spiritualistic view. One may see only the print on the paper, another only the paper, and the third may see both the paper and the print. I feel personally that west, in general, follows the materialistic view.

Veda teaches that Rudra may be virulent disease and Rudra is also the most beneficient doctor of all ills. So, medicines of this school will be aligned towards this understanding -- including prayers.

Moreover, this school believes that illness helps to exhaust the sanchita karma (accumulated karma).

Whereas the materialistic schools will see bacteria and virus everywhere (just as they may see enemies everywhere but not within) and will annhilate them as in a war.

Moreover, materialists will not see illness as mitigation of karma. Neither will they like to miss their worldly affairs because of being indisposed. So, a war must be declared on the virus and bacterias.

With abnormal increase of pouplation in India and surroundings, this hammer method has gained importance, since the natural purifiers like air, water, sun, cannot cope with purifying the output of such huge mass of defecating people who pollute the atmosphere just by their existence.

Both views and ways may have some benefits over the other. But I leave the decision to readers.

Om Namah Shivaya

Namaste atanuji,

Very thought-provoking points. I never thought of it that way.

Do you know the verses in the Vedas that refer to Rudra as the most beneficient doctor of all ills?

And you say that some people believe that illness helps to exhaust their sanchita karma. But would it not be their dharma or duty to try to alleviate the illness, either through Rudra and traditional healing or modern Western medicine?

Jai Sri Krishna