Modern health check-up reports and the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh, India

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

'Hi Pankaj, I just got my blood results. Not good at all. My blood cholesterol level has gone up considerably since I did the test four months back. Looks like the herbal preparations did not have any difference. I had to go back on medication with the cholesterol lowering drug. It was high by 2-5% than normal. In medicinal terms it is 7.5 mmol/L normal is between 3.9-5.5. My triglycerides is also high 2.1 mmol/L. Normal is 0.5-1.7 and Calc. LDL cholesterol is 5.1 whereas normal is 1.7-3.5. Will you please tell the traditional healers about this report. I am eager to know their comments'.

I receive these letters frequently from different parts of the world. These are the patients who have visited Chhattisgarh to meet and to take treatment from the traditional healers. The traditional healers refuse to treat the patients coming from far areas even from different parts of India. They have scientific explanation for this refusal. As I always mention in my articles that any patient can be treated more efficiently with the herbs present in surroundings. The same fact is mentioned in different reference literatures related to indigenous systems of medicine in India. In simple words, the patients of Tropical countries can not be treated efficiently with the herbs of Temperate countries.

I have used the word efficiently specifically because the herbs can be used with less beneficial effects. When the visitors from far areas force the traditional healers to give at least some herbs for their troubles, the healers recommend herbs and herbal formulations after examine the patients. You can not expect advanced pathological laboratories with the traditional healers. By simply observing the patients and asking them about the trouble, the healers decide the herbs to be given. In case of serious troubles, the healers perform small test. I have mentioned many such tests in my previous articles. For example, to find out the problem of fertility in male and female, they instruct the patients to urinate on Cucurbitus plants and after observing the reaction of test plant in 24 hours, they conclude. These diagnosis methods are very simple. They are practicing these methods since time immemorial and this knowledge is transferring from one generation to other. Many healers diagnose the patients by feeling their pulses. Through these crude methods they are keeping us alive and disease free since time memorial. Why the test plants show specific behavior in response to different urines- the healers have no scientific explanation. Also they do not feel it necessary to know the scientific explanation like us.

The visitors coming from far areas, take the herbs with deep faith and when they go back to their native places, having modern medical facilities, specialist doctors and advanced pathological laboratories, they feel it difficult to convince their health experts regarding the perfection of traditional healers. Our modern education has named these healers-Neem Hakim or Quacks. After taking herbs recommended by the healers, when visitors try to get good results in terms of positive health reports, the things go in wrong direction. Aware of these problems, the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh instruct the patients to stay near to them till complete cure, but unfortunately it is not possible for everyone. When the modern health check-up reports come, the visitors write to me sending the report and asking the healer's comments. In Chhattisgarh most of the healers are illiterate, they are not able to write their names then how we can expect from them to give comments on advanced medicinal reports. Many visitors force me to send more powerful (?) Herbs on the basis of reports. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me, also for the healers. Many efforts have been done to bring the modern experts and traditional experts in same forum. But most of these efforts were gone waste. I am aware in future, I have to do the same efforts to establish the traditional medicinal knowledge, our healers are practicing. Many experts believe that the diagnosis methods of modern sciences are promising and the treatment of traditional experts are better. Based on this integrated approach many health resorts have been established in different parts of India.

I got opportunity to visit one of these resorts, named Arogyadham, situated at Chitrakoot near Satna city of Madhya Pradesh. This resort is situated around a small hill. At the base, you will find advanced laboratories and diagnosis tools. On the basis of this diagnosis, the experts recommend Ayurveda and naturopathy treatments, that are available at the top of hill. I was very impressed with this integrated model but when I started regular ethnobotanical surveys and came in contact with the healers, I came to conclusion that it is wrong to say that our healers are weak in diagnosis. If they are poor in diagnosis, how their treatments are effective ? It is not possible to treat any patient without knowing the exact information on trouble he is having. My friends aware of my documentation work always motivate me with hope that one day the whole world will show the interest in learning this unique traditional knowledge.

After receiving such letters from visitors, now we have decided to allow only those visitors who will stay with the healers till complete cure or able to make frequent visits at specific interval recommended by the healers. We are expecting that through this step we can serve the patients in more promising ways. I have also decide to limit my role only upto a researcher not as a resource person.

Thank you very much for reading the article.