Health, Wellness and Homeopathy

Health, Wellness and Homeopathy 

“Understanding health, is it really difficult?” may be not, but the world surrounding us today is full of complex situations and medical jargons – immunity boosters, maintaining optimal levels of micro & macro nutrients in the body, and the fancy list of investigative reports goes on and on; which, believe it or not, keeps us under a constant fear of being sick or falling sick – levels of these psychological fears may be different for different sets of people say who are in their 30’s or 40’s (not to mention the quinquagenarians and older lots), notable point is that most of us go through these pangs. Not that a regular health-check is not important – staying on top of your body statistics and body chemistry is important but allowing it to bother you to the extent of losing your balance, is not good by any means. Actually, health is not only very interesting subject but also very simple to understand and maintain. In layman terms, if you feel energetic throughout the day, get hungry, do all your chores without feeling any discomfort whatsoever, enjoy a good night’s sleep and generally stay happy; then You can call yourself HEALTHY !

According to WHO-

”Health is a state of complete physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.”

Physical Wellbeing – when all your body parts are working properly, you don’t feel any pain while doing work, you feel energetic, you don’t need to take any medications to keep working or to maintain your fitness levels, you would be considered physically healthy.

Mental Wellbeing – It’s human nature to have emotions, which is absolutely normal for instance – if you get hurt, you may feel sad or the company of friends could make you happy – similarly, loss of a near one can put you to grief and such grief if troubles you for a long time and you ain’t able to take it out from your mind then it could lead you into the grip of a series of emotions; consequently, you may not be able to concentrate on work and in grave situations it could lead to depression; this is surely not normal and it means that it’s affecting your mental health.

Social Wellbeing – you must have heard that ‘man is a social animal’. If you like to meet people, enjoy social togetherness as much as you enjoy your company, you are socially healthy.

In the past 2 years, thanks to the pandemic, world has undergone a change by creating a new normal. We were not able to go out and meet people. The fear of contracting the virus was paramount. We lost some of our close friends and family members to Covid. It affected our mental, emotional and social health directly or indirectly. But when one faces such adversities with courage, one develops the ability to handle stress, acquire skills, to maintain relationships and one can eventually create a healthy state of being.

Maintaining good health may sound complicated but its us who bring in the complication otherwise its really simple to understand and maintain.

Some factors contributing to good health would be :-

Food – Don’t get confused with different types of celebrity diets and programs rife across the social media and so on viz. keto diet, protein diet, intermittent fasting etc. Having a properly balanced diet and maintaining a basic routine is the name of the game and it can be easily followed. Start by filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Fill in the rest of your meal with a selection of proteins, whole grains and dairy. Eat what makes you feel good after eating, listen to your body instead of nutritionists, dieticians and the universe. Your body will tell you how much to eat, when to stop and what you should not eat by giving you signals – you have to learn to listen to your body! Limit the alcohol intake, quit smoking, cut processed & junk food and you should be good 😊.

Proper Hygiene– It includes personal cleanliness like bathing, brushing your teeth, etc. As well as keeping our surroundings clean. The pandemic has surely oriented and educated the citizens globally to make personal hygiene and sanitization a top priority. Washing hands frequently and frequent sanitization measures are now a part of our lives.

Exercise-Regular exercise is another key element to maintain good health. Exercise keeps our muscles in good tone, makes bones stronger and helps the lungs, heart and blood vessels work well. People of all ages must engage in some form of an exercise with optimal activity to stay healthy.

Sleep– We should take a couple hours of good sleep in a day. During the rest period, the cells of the body rejuvenate and recuperate by building supplies of energy for the next period of activity. Thus, regular sleep and relaxation are very important conditions to maintain good health. Adhering to a sleep schedule or bedtime rituals can reinforce your body’s “sleep-wake” cycle, such as consistently going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. The addition of relaxing rituals, such as reading a book or listening to music, also allows your body to wind down at the end of the day… and if you have any problem in having proper sleep, homeopathy can be a safe solution… it helps you to get rid of your sleeping problem without causing any side effects.

Yoga and Meditation– practicing yoga and meditation helps us to maintain our mental and emotional health and today these unique practices from ancient India are followed with great fervor world-wide. Yoga improves our focus span, sharpens our memory, and enhances creativity. To maintain a positive mindset and physical health, yoga is must. In the hustle-bustle of our daily lives, our emotional stability gets affected, and yoga & meditation can help us to restore that.

Homeopathy-

Homeopathy renders a holistic treatment by addressing end-to-end symptoms of a person – mental, emotional, and physical. This is what makes homeopathy special! Homeopathic remedies are gentle and non-toxic and may be used in acute and chronic conditions, in new borns, and in pregnant ladies as well. But there are still many misconceptions about homeopathy. Some of the myths are-

• Myth-It acts slow, it takes a long time to show results.

Fact– People generally seek a homeopath advice after trying a lot of other treatments. So, when you are coming for a chronic problem, it will take a little time to be completely cured but improvement starts to occur as soon as you start medication. And in acute diseases like fever, diarrhoea etc., you can witness immediate relief. And yes, homeopathy works for acute problems too with its limitations for instance if you get a fractured limb then you will need a cast for sure.

• Myth-These are just sugar pills.

Fact- sugar pills are just a medium to take the medicines which are prepared from raw materials after a process of serial dilutions and potentisation. Raw materials can be of plant origin- like Aconite, Pulsatilla or animal origin- like Apis, Lachesis, Blatta or mineral origin- like Natrum Mur., Kali Carb. Etc.

• Myth– Allopathic medicines can not be taken along with homeopathic medicines.

Fact– in chronic disorders like Hypertension or Diabetes mellitus etc, where the patient is already on allopathic medicines, we don’t stop the existing treatment suddenly as it can aggravate the condition and both medicines can be taken simultaneously. Later if necessary and under strict medical guidance, the doses of the allopathic medicines can be gradually reduced.

• Myth– homeopathy can treat anything.

Fact– like any other treatment method, homeopathy also has its limitations and we should be aware of that. For example- if a patient comes with a complaint of kidney stone which is large and stuck in ureter, it needs to get operated. If a case of fractured bone comes, it needs a cast.

To conclude, staying healthy is a mix of good eating habits, staying active and a positive state of mind and a healthy regime can be followed with small but consistent efforts. For the rest, sweet magic pills of homeopathy can always be there to help you.

About the Author:

Shruti Singhal {BHMS, CNCC, MD(AM)} is a homeopath with over a decade of practising homeopathy. She did her BHMS from National Homeopathic Medical College, Lucknow, India followed by MD in Alternative Medicines. She has been quite active in supporting community healthcare initiatives for instance organised camps and successfully cured 100’s of patients during ChikunGuniya outbreak in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India); has been briefly engaged in teaching profession (taught her favourite subjects of Materia Medica and Physiology to students of medicine); and most recently (in COVID-19 era), finds herself indulging in many social events viz. focused webinars, sharing knowledge & spreading awareness about different diseases. She is a firm believer of homeopathy and thinks homeopathy is no less than a miracle if applied in its true form.