Recently I found an
interesting article on 'The Times of India', the leading newspaper of
India. It's an interview with a renowned Indian Allopathic doctor who
apart from relying on his skills with the scalpel alone, prays for his patients
!! Read this interesting interview :
He does not rely on his skills with the scalpel alone, he prays for his patients. This perhaps explains the miraculous recoveries after his operations, according to renowned surgeon
Dr V K Nigam. He is one of the few Indian doctors who has a medical technique patent to his name, that for window laparoscopy. Nigam spoke to Lalita Panicker about the role of a higher power in healing and the need to understand a patient's psyche before prescribing treatment.
Q.
Since you accept prayer as a part of medicine, do you accept therapies like reflexology and magnetotherapy as valid?
A.
I don't know much about these methods. But allopathy is scientific, it understands the body and now the mind. There is not enough research in other therapies, even Ayurveda.
Q. But people are increasingly getting put off by allopathy's side-effects.
A.
Nothing is foolproof. I can only say that allopathy is better than other systems, it is more scientifically tested. Don't blame the system for the side-effects, blame the men who administer the drugs. We doctors don't give the patient enough time today, we don't try to understand the patient's lifestyle, in fact, his very configuration. We tend to treat the patient as an OPD card number. We often say 'administer tetracycline to bed 9'. That is all the patient is to us, a number not a person as a whole.
Q. Is that why more people are turning to herbal and natural remedies?
A.
Perhaps, but not all herbs are necessarily good. For example, take herbal slimming medications. WHO has not approved these concoctions. Isn't it elementary that obesity is a result of food intake and accumulation of calories. It can only be modified by reducing or changing the intake, not by eating a herbal capsule.
Q. If you have so much faith in allopathy, why do you need to pray for your patients?
A.
I have faith in allopathy, we now know everything about the body. But treatment must be about the mind as well. This is where I feel prayer comes in. I pray for my patients in order of priority. I have little time so I do it while I am on the treadmill everyday. This is meditation in motion. I pray for health, happiness, wisdom, peace and contentment for myself, my family, those I know and finally for those I don't. I put myself first because it is only if I am all right that I can help others.
Q. Would it not frighten your patients to learn that their doctor has had to pray for them, would it not undermine confidence in your abilities?
A.
Well, I don't tell those who are very ill. But I pray from my heart, not cursorily. I pray to a light, a greater force, a super soul. Day by day, my faith is growing stronger. I do not pray for each and every patient. I stick to those in a really bad shape.
Q. And you really believe this helps?
A.
Yes, absolutely. I find that complications are lower, miracles do happen. I'll give you an example. A labourer came to me with severe head injuries. A brick had fallen on her head, she was unconscious. I treated her and then she was moved to a premier medical institute. The same treatment was administered but she showed no signs of improvement. She was brought back to me and I continued her treatment along with prayer. She recovered totally. People were amazed.
Q. How do your peers view this method?
A.
I don't discuss my methods with my peers. Many may not be receptive to such an approach. But you know if I had told you that happiness can be physically induced two decades ago, you would have laughed at me. Today, we see that a release of endorphins in the body induces a state of happiness. Similarly, I am not saying that I will cut corners in surgery but we may later find that prayer unleashes some chemical or some force in the body that is conducive to healing. Everyone believes in God at some level. Now research does show that a man who prays is more at peace with himself, so let us not dismiss these approaches.
Q. Studies abroad on the power of intercessory prayers are ambiguous at best. What do you feel about this?
A.
Studies in the US, UK and Netherlands show that prayer really helps. A Duke University study shows that prayer reduces abnormal heartbeat by 50%, prayer reduces the risk of heart attacks drastically. But this is not to say that one ignores lifestyle management. The only thing is that prayer must come from the core of your heart, you cannot think of other things while praying. Do believe me, God's hand guides the surgeon's hand. Whenever I have done a good job I feel elated. I am trying to minimise this self-congratulatory approach. I am only an instrument of a higher power.
Q. You have written a book on spirituality and surgery. Isn't this a clever marketing gimmick? Why did you not write a book on prevention of diseases?
A.
Of course, prevention is very important. But let's face it, people do fall ill. We need to manage illnesses not through surgical intervention as a first option, but through lifestyle changes and meditation. So many people are suffering from stress-related illnesses today like hypertension. When they come to me, I ask them 'Do you have the time to begin the healing process?' I tell them it is their duty to teach their children the value of healthy living. This works better than any other approach. No one wants to be a bad role model for their children.
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article is not a copyright article of 'Meditationiseasy.com'
. We have published it from 'The Times of
India' just to give our
readers a broad perspective regarding role of faith and prayer in
healing. We have not sought the permission of 'Times Group' for it's
publication. If you have any objection to the republishing of this
article on this website, contact us here
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