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Homeopathy in Tribal Health
(A Presentation)
By
Dr. Dhiraj Nanda*MD (Hom.)
Aim
– The aim of this paper is to present an
outline how homoeopathy can play a role in improving
heath status of tribals.
Introduction
The word 'Tribe' denotes a
group of people living as an ethnic group in archaic
conditions. There are around 636 schedule tribe
categories in India. Most of these are
socio-economically backwards and are deprived of even
basic necessities.
Situation is so bad that in some areas that pregnant
women carrying the future of India still answer nature’s
calls in the open come rain or storm.
Villages in these tribal areas have
little potential to grow, as those with intellectual
possibility and who possess any leadership quality have
to migrate to cities for better opportunities. The
gradual encroachment by the modern society on the
natural resources of the tribal and depleting them of
their habitat and exposing them to modern culture is a
continuing stress, which could result in a variety of
socio-behavioral problems.
The common problems faced by these tribes
are:
1. Widespread poverty,
2. Illiteracy,
3. Malnutrition,
4. Absent / poor availability of safe drinking water and
sanitary living conditions;
5. Absent / Poor
health services in many of the tribal
areas.
Understanding Tribal behavior
Each such ethnic group or tribe has its
own:
1. Territorial prevalence - these
tribes have been settled for centuries in certain
territories. The environment of that particular area may
affect the health of tribes in a particular way. For
example, certain type of nutritional deficiencies may be
higher incidence among a certain area.
2. Endogamous breeding patterns –
due to endogamous breeding certain genetic diseases are
more prevalent in particular tribe.
3. Culture, traditions and beliefs
- the common belief, customs and practices connected
with health and disease influence their choice of
treatment methods. They visit their own 'doctors'.
Studies related to treatment seeking behavior show that
the health facility in form of public health
infrastructure and the local healers are the most
utilized.
4. Hierarchical social structure –
Understanding the Hierarchical social structure that
exists within the tribe helps to formulate and execute
preventive and curative programs.
Health problems
General health status of the tribal is
poor as compared to the modern society. Due to above
mentioned four features and non-availability of proper
health services in many of the tribal areas, tribal
populations suffer from certain diseases. Common health
problems that the tribals face are:
1. Endemic infective disease like
malaria, etc;
2. Endemic socio-behavioral problems like
addiction to opium;
3. Health problems due to nutritional
deficiencies as tribal diets are generally grossly
deficient in calcium, vitamin A, B, C riboflavin, etc;
4. High neo-natal mortality and
infant
mortality;
5. High pre-natal mortality and
post-natal mortality;
6. Poor life-expectancy;
7. Psychiatric health problems;
8. Sexually transmitted diseases; etc.
Difficulties faced addressing health problems of tribals
The beliefs, customs and practices
connected with health and disease, illiteracy, poverty,
non-access to scientific information contribute to lower
status of good health among tribals as compared to
modern man. Magico-religious practices are frequently
resorted to for treatment of various diseases. Most of
the tribes visit their own 'doctors'.
As for prescribing of
homoeopathic medicines there may be two types of blocks.
First, the expectation that an injection is needed to be
given in order to feel better. The other was elaborate
homeopathic case taking; requiring lot of personal
information which people found unnecessary. They do not
understand why the doctor ask them so many questions as
the allopathic and other practices tell them what is
wrong without asking much details.
Role and scope of homoeopathy
Homoeopathy, as one of leading system of
medicine can play a role important role in improving
tribal health status. The efficacy of homoeopathic
medicine can be utilized under two main areas:
1. Preventive treatment; and
2. Curative treatment.
Preventive treatment includes:
1. Awareness programs, attempt to educate
in the tribal population in specific required fields;
2. Use of homoeopathic medicines in
prevention of:
a) Health problems due to nutritional
deficiencies;
b) Prevention of epidemics.
a) Health problems due to nutritional
deficiencies
Homeopathic preparations from iron,
calcium, magnesium etc can be used effectively in health
problems due to nutritional deficiencies. The process of
trituration has two main advantages:
1. Cost-effectiveness; and
2. Negligible adverse reactions.
b) Prevention of epidemics
Homoeopathy has already proved it
efficacy in epidemics. A lot of information is available
on this aspect. Here a news-item from The Hindu – Online
Edition - Wednesday, April 02, 2003, is given for
perusal……Andhra Pradesh witnessed the disease for the
first time in 1979 and subsequently in almost every year
until 1986 and several children were affected. Since
1999 the Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy
started distribution of homoeo drugs in a systematic way
throughout the State. The mortality rate that had
touched a high of 638 deaths from 2038 cases in 1986,
but fell to four from 33 cases in 2001, following the
implementation of BCT programme, which enunciates
administration of three drugs--Belladona, Calcarea Carb
and Tuberculinum in succession to all children to boost
the immune system. The BCT programme has been a great
success in the State, as the incidence of JE during the
last three years has come down significantly. Even the
World Health Organisation and the Medical and Health
Department have recognised that administration of BCT
has been a vital factor in the sharp decline of JE cases
in AP….
Curative treatment includes:
1. Treatment of individuals by
individualized homoeopathic medicines;
2. Treatment by ‘Genus epidemicus’ for an
epidemic disease in a particular tribe.
Treatment of individuals by
individualized homoeopathic medicines
The constitutional approach of selecting
a medicine for the diseased individual based on
personality, mind and physical body are capable of
treating efficaciously a health problem occurring
endemically. In fact, the efficacy of individualized
homoeo medicines has been replicated in different
populations. To cite an example, a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial study to
investigate whether the finding in a previous study that
homeopathic medicines decrease the duration of acute
diarrhea in children could be replicated in a different
study population was done in a private, charitable
health clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal. These results are
consistent with the finding from the previous study that
individualized homeopathic treatment decreases the
duration of diarrhea and number of stools in children
with acute childhood diarrhea (The Journal of
Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume: 6 Issue
2: 2000 / September 24, 2007).
Treatment by ‘Genus epidemicus’ for an
epidemic disease in a particular tribe
Epidemics are treated by medicine
selected for each particular epidemic. Each individual
epidemic is studied for selecting a general medicine for
that epidemic and is known as ‘Genus epidemicus’ for
that epidemic.
Preventive and Curative treatments will
be successful when conducted with survey camps followed
by regular visits.
* Dr. Dhiraj Nanda
E – 93, Sainik Puri,
Secunderabad – 500094.
Phone – 924615882
Email: dr_dhirajnanda@yahoo.com;
info@achcure.com
Website:
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