According to the World Health Organization, untreated surgical conditions, including hernia, contribute notably to the global disease burden. Data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information indicates that inguinal hernia affects nearly 27% of men and around 3% of women during their lifetime. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely surgical care to prevent complications.

Hernia often begins as a small, painless bulge in the groin, abdomen, or near a previous surgical site, leading many individuals to ignore it. However, early signs may include a dragging sensation, mild discomfort, pressure after prolonged standing, and abdominal heaviness or bloating. Recognizing these symptoms early and seeking medical advice is crucial.

Diagnosis is typically straightforward through physical examination, with imaging used in select cases. Early detection allows for simpler and more effective treatment.

“In my practice, I have treated many patients who initially noticed only a small swelling. It is important to understand how this condition can progress if left untreated. With timely intervention, patients are often reassured by how straightforward the procedure is and how quickly symptoms such as swelling and discomfort improve after repair,” said Dr Parmeshwar Bhambrule, Senior Consultant, Healing Hands Hospital.

Advancements in hernia therapy have made treatment safer and more efficient. Minimally invasive techniques involve smaller incisions, resulting in less pain, a quicker recovery, and a shorter hospital stay. The use of surgical mesh to further strengthen the affected area further reduces the risk of recurrence, enabling patients to resume daily activities comfortably.

Delaying treatment can lead to complications such as incarceration, where tissue becomes trapped, or strangulation, a serious condition requiring emergency care.

“I always advise my patients that hernia treatment is not just about correcting a visible bulge but also about preventing complications and improving overall quality of life. Many patients experience better mobility, improved sleep, and a quicker return to normal routines following timely treatment,” said Dr Vinayak Kshirsagar, DY Patil Hospital, Pune.

Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding excessive strain, and addressing a persistent cough can help reduce risk. Increased awareness, early diagnosis, and timely intervention remain key to effective hernia management and long-term well-being.

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Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital, located strategically in the picturesque town of Koothattukulam, nestled amidst the serene beauty of Kerala’s countryside, was established in the year 1931 by Vaidya Thrivikraman Namboothiri and his brother Vaidya Parameswaran Namboothiri, where Ayurveda Ophthalmology services were provided at their ancestral home of Nelliakattu Mana. It was then known not as Sreedhareeyam, but was called Shridhari Vaidyasala.

Thrivikraman Namboothiri practiced Medicine and Parameswaran Namboothiri would prepare and manufacture the medications in very small quantities for the patients. Often medications were prescribed by the Vaidyas (Doctors), and patients would go to Koothattukulam Vaidyasala or other ayurvedic stores, where they could purchase the 10-20 ingredients and prepare the medications at home.

Continuing these ancient Indian principles and focusing on the assessment and treatment of the eyes, Sreedhareeyam was taken to the next level through the dynamic leadership of Dr. NPP Namboothiri, who was trained under the guidance of Vaidyan Trivikraman Namboodiri and other eminent ophthalmology practitioners in Kerala. After his passing in 2021, Dr. Narayanan Namboothiri was entrusted with the role of Medical Director and led this prestigious Eye Hospital to newer heights.

In an exclusive interview with this writer, Dr. Namboothiri, who sees patients in the same house where he was born decades ago, says Ayurveda places a strong emphasis on the diagnosis of the disease. Those who practice Ayurveda use three tools: seeing, touching, and assessing, and often do not use any instruments for the diagnosis of one’s illness. For Vata, Pitta, and Kapha disorders, the doctor would carefully monitor the patient’s pulse at the onset and diagnose the illness.

The ancient Indian classics have described the ways to diagnose the severity of one’s illness by placing the fingers on the wrist area, and a physician can measure through the “Nadi Pariksha” which is pulse reading and one can assess and evaluate a person’s body, mind, soul, and spirit. Thus, Nadi Pariksha serves as a critical tool for diagnosis, prognosis, and determination of the Physiological and Pathological State of the Patient’s Body through the Science of Nadi Vigyan.

As per Dr. Namboothiri, there are about 40 to 45 Doctors in addition to hundreds of supporting staff here working at Sreedhareeyam and its branches across India and abroad, who are led and trained by some senior Doctors, who are also assisting in the treatment of patients here and other branches.

Dr. Narayanan Namboothiri, who used to personally meet and treat every patient who visited the hospital during the initial years, gives credit to the “dedication and commitment” of the staff for the success and growth of Sreedhareeyam. “Even though I cannot see everyone, the Senior Doctors, whom I had the privilege of training are now able to train other Doctors and every one of them helps realize the mission of Sreedhareeyam.”

Unlike in the past, where fresh medical ingredients were prepared by hand, now Sreedhareeyam boasts of its highly advanced medicines factory that prepares and manufactures medicines in large quantities that meet the growing demands of thousands of its patients and supply them to several other hospitals.

Sreedhareeyam, in its mission to share the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda, has its Research Wing that closely monitors and documents the impact of the treatment for other facilities and future generations to emulate from its own success stories of the thousands of patients who benefit from the treatment.

“Led by a team of Doctors, our Research Team has published scientific articles in renowned research journals which is an effective way of sharing ancient knowledge and wisdom and its impact on the current population, Dr. Namboothiri says. “When people read and hear about these concrete and evidence-based success stories, they come to Sreedhareeyam,” states Dr. Namboothiri, who does not believe in paid marketing campaigns to promote Sreedhareeyam and its impact on restoring vision to people.

Among the thousands of successful cases, Dr. Narayanan recalls how Sreedhareeyam could help restore the vision for Rose Mary Odinga, the daughter of Raila Odinga, former Prime Minister of Kenya in 2023. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017, Odinga’s daughter had undergone surgery in Nairobi. However, in the postoperative period, Rosemary complained of severe loss of eyesight. She traveled to India in 2019 and underwent treatment at Sreedhareeyam, which helped her vision restored.

Rose Mary said, that in 2018, she suffered from an aneurysm, and subsequently her eyesight became weak. For treatment, she went to Germany, Japan, and South Africa. “I also went to China two times, where I received treatment using acupuncture,” she said. Having not received much success, Rosemary Odinga finally came to India, where she underwent treatment at Sreedhareeyam, where she was treated in two sessions of three weeks each.

Dr. Namboothiri says, “When she came to us two years ago, she was blind with some light perception with no clear visibility. She came after having undergone several treatments in other countries. She had suffered the loss of eyesight due to an aneurysm and atrophy in the optic nerve.”

Rose Mary received Ayurvedic treatment, involving oral medication as well as rejuvenation therapy of the nervous system, “After the first session itself she showed signs of improvement,” he said. “When she first came, she was only left with some perception of light, and her field of vision was completely lost. Now, she is moving around,” Dr Namboothiri added. Rosemary said she was happy and excited to finally see Dr. Namboothiri. “(When I first met him), I could not see him, I could just hear his voice…follow his instructions. But now I can see him,” she said.

“I guess it is a testimony that AYUSH has helped someone else, other than India, from another part of the world. It is a testimony that it is universal, that solutions of AYUSH are universal, and I am proud to be part of this story,” said Rosemary Odinga. AYUSH denotes Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy. India has a federal ministry dedicated to these alternative medicine systems.

Mr. Odinga was all praise for the medical services rendered by the Sreedhareeyam, helping his daughter regain her eyesight.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his weekly “Man Ki Bhaat” mentioned Rosemary Odinga’s story and, while no medical treatment was helping her regain eyesight, Sreedhareeyam helped her.  “She was treated in many countries but did not regain her eyesight. At last, she found success in India, that too after Ayurveda treatment. Rosemary’s eyesight returned, and she can see now. Her father told me that when she saw her children for the first time after the treatment, it was a golden moment in her life,” Modi said.

Similar stories by people from abroad and in India are not uncommon. Ralitsa Dutch, a 37-year-old patient from the Netherlands shared about her experience at Sreedhareeyam and Ayurveda this way: “I experienced optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve about a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) relapse. Since then, my right eye has been heavily impaired. In 2013, when allopathic medicine deemed my case as “hopeless,” I started looking at alternative treatments and got to know about Ayurveda. The decision to come to India and undergo Ayurvedic treatment turned out to be life-changing. After a three-month stay at a specialized Ayurvedic MS center, my right eye “woke up” for the first time. After three consecutive stays, my MS stabilized, and I have not had any relapses ever since.”

Ralitsa went on to state that even though her MS stabilized, her vision did not come back to normal. It was in early 2023 “when I got to know about Sreedhareeyam, where I stayed for a two-week treatment. A year later, the test results showed improvement in the thickness of both the eye nerve and retina, indicating that 1) despite the 10-year gap, the nerve and retina are capable of regenerating and 2) there is a possibility of further regeneration followed by improvements of my eyesight.  And I believe, Ayurveda is a synonym of hope and I encourage anyone who feels hopeless to give it a try.”

Dr. Namboothiri says, many come to Sreedhareeyam as the last resort, where all other options, including most modern medicines, have failed them. According to him, in modern allopathic medicine, for each disease, there may be multiple medications prescribed, with several side effects. However, in Ayurveda, such a concept is not there. But, in Ayurveda, Doctors prescribe medications that target holistically and treat the basic cause of any disease.

On the connection between vegetarian food and ayurvedic medicine, Dr. Namboothiri says, “Food is at the center of the medicines we give to our patients. And it’s preferred that we eat food that is easily digestible.  In addition, vegetables contain lots of ingredients, including vitamins and the minerals our bodies need. Carbohydrates and protein, which are non-vegetarian items won’t digest easily and will add to the increase of fat in our body, which contributes to collapsing of the circulation of blood. Whenever the blood is not flowing and its pathway is getting obstructed, that leads to problems in the brain, and to the upper limbs or lower limbs everywhere. It is very difficult to treat a patient with obesity and is a major challenge.”

Regarding the growing interest now in Ayurveda and his thoughts for the upcoming Doctors and medical students who want to be “Another Dr. Narayanan,” Dr. Namboothiri says, that people coming from outside of Kerala are not getting sufficient exposure to other Ayurveda systems and ways of treatment. Here in Kerala, there are several Ayurvedic hospitals, where thousands of patients are being treated and medical students have direct knowledge and exposure. “My suggestion to those doctors is that it is important to practice medicine with a very good understanding of Ayurveda so that they can provide good relief to the patients with the Ayurvedic system of medicines. For instance, if someone has a fever, one should know that it can be resolved even with one day of fasting. Follow the Panchakarma procedure with which they can do wonders,” he added.

Dr. Namboothiri gives credit to “My Gurus in Ayurveda, my uncle NPP Namboothiri, and Dr. B Vaidyanadhan who was in Chennai and was a famous ayurvedic doctor, with whom I had the privilege of working for about a year. But quite often I used to go to him and learn from his approaches. He used to examine patients using the nadi parikshanam. He used to give only limited medicines, which are pinpointed, and treat the ailments in his patients. I learned a lot from him and his approach to treating patients.”

Dr. Namboothiri thanked the Modi government in India, saying “It is very helpful that the Modi Government promotes Ayurveda. The government is doing many things, and he is a very good ambassador for Ayurveda as well as Yoga. An All-India Institute of Ayurveda has been started in Delhi with centers in Gujarat and Goa. The creation of Ayush Ministry is a big boost for the ancient medical traditions of Inda.”

While describing the secret to the success and growth of Sreedhareeyam, especially in the past quarter century, Dr. Namboothiri says, “I am grateful to the Divine power of the Bhagavathi, who is in front of the hospital and the divine power of Mahadeva, who is behind the hospital.”

The treatment for every patient at Sreedhareeyam begins with praying and offerings to the Divine. The staff here gather before the Bhagavathi every morning at the “Naalukattu” where the hospital originated, seeking her blessings on every patient and staff. Dr. Narayanan says, “It’s the Prakasam, that is the lighting of the lamp all night and day before the Divine” that helps sustain the vision for all of our patients.” In addition, he says, “It’s not only that I feel the power of the Divine while entering the Hospital, but there are others who feel and share the same,” which is the secret to the success of the mission of Sreedhareeyam, which is “restoring the vision for all.”

Sreedhareeyam‘s commitment to the fusion of traditional Ayurveda with modern technology results in effective, safe, and reliable treatments for eye ailments. Sreedhareeyam has expanded and grown tremendously in its headquarters at Koothatukulam and has opened several new centers across many states in India and abroad. New sections are being constructed at Sreedhareeyam and there are plans to open new centers in other states across India and abroad.

When asked about the future of Sreedhareeyam, Dr. Namboothiri says, “At Sreedhareeyam, our major objective is that every patient should receive maximum benefit from the treatment we provide. We are not looking at having more patents each day, but we want to provide quality care to all those who come here seeking treatment.” 

The post Sreedhareeyam’s Mission: Bringing Ayurvedic Vision Healing to Every Corner of the Globe appeared first on NRI News.

Homeopathy is a mild yet powerful system of medication based on the principle “Similia Similibus Curentur,” which means “like cures like.” This concept became scientifically established with the aid of Dr. Christian Fredrick Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor in the 18th century. Although the belief in treating similar suffering with similar therapeutic agents was observed by Hippocrates and Paracelsus, however, it was Hahnemann who grounded it scientifically in an era where modern-day laboratory methods had been scarcely recognized.

Etymology and principles

The term “homeopathy” derives from the Greek words “homeos” (similar) and “pathos” (suffering). Homeopathy believes that a substance causing specific symptoms in a healthy person can cure those same symptoms in a sick person when administered in small amounts. Homoeopathy’s approach is both individualistic and holistic, treating the affected person as a whole entity rather than simply focusing on isolated symptoms. Homeopathy acknowledges the uniqueness of each patient, necessitating tailored remedies based on their distinct genetic structure and expressions.

Sources of remedies

Homeopathic remedies are derived from a variety of sources which include flowers, minerals, and different natural resources. Through mechanisms such as mobilization and potentiation, the chemical properties of these compounds are enriched and toxicity is reduced. The medicines are then examined on healthy subjects to determine healing capacity, and the findings are documented for future use.

Homeopathy works by stimulating the body’s defense machinery to naturally fight disease conditions. It creates a simulated sickness state, thereby correcting dysfunction and promoting recovery. Homeopathy is becoming globally popular, with scientific trials and systematic evaluations published, confirming its effectiveness. Research institutes are now more focused on building scientific proof to aid homeopathy.

Homoeopathy in India

India, with its wide population and socio-financial landscape, integrates homeopathy as a considerable part of its healthcare system. Homoeopathy has been practiced in India for over a century and plays an important role in supplying healthcare to millions. The Ministry of AYUSH reviews a consistent boom in homeopathy’s usage, with an annual increase of 26.3%, making it the second most famous branch of medication in the country.

Global Scenario of Homoeopathy

Globally, over two hundred million people use homeopathy frequently, with established practice in more than 80 countries. It has legal acceptance in 42 countries and is a part of complementary and alternative medication in 28 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers homeopathy one of the most commonly used types of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.

Therapeutic approaches

Homoeopathy emphasizes correct and unprejudiced observation primarily based on scientific medical investigation of both disease and patient. The diagnosis includes individual patient traits, past ailments, family clinical history, mental and emotional stability, and environmental factors that might irritate or alleviate the patient’s circumstance. Homoeopathy is powerful in treating chronic diseases with constitutional bases and heals psychotic, psychoneurotic, and psychosomatic problems.

Scope and advantages

Homoeopathy has been used to deal with various situations, including musculoskeletal problems, pediatric complaints, dermatological problems, autoimmune sicknesses, psychosomatic disorders, lifestyle problems, and allergic reactions. It also gives comforting care in cases like cancer, terminal ailments, and HIV/AIDS, enhancing patient’s quality of life.

The advantages of homeopathy consist of its safety, effectiveness, and use of natural substances in minimum doses, making it appropriate for pregnant women, babies, children, and the elderly. Homeopathic medicines enhance the body’s self-protective mechanisms without causing microbial resistance.

Dismissal of Homeopathy by Popular Platforms

Nowadays, several popular platforms have rejected homeopathy because it is pseudoscience. This happens due to a lack of insight and appreciation for the principles behind homeopathic medicine. Critics argue that highly diluted remedies in homeopathy do not have any active ingredient thus its effectiveness is questionable. However, this perspective overlooks the individualized and holistic approach of homeopathy which aims at stimulating the body’s innate healing mechanism.

Sadly this could lead people away from trying out homeopathy as an option to be considered among others. For individuals who may benefit from its gentle yet powerful therapeutic option, negative perceptions about homeopathy by mainstream publications can act as a genuine roadblock. The full potential of homeopathy in contexts where it has demonstrated positive outcomes remains untapped. This scenario highlights the need for a broader and more open-minded investigation into alternative therapies that could complement conventional medical treatments.

Conclusion

Homeopathy is a secure, mild, and natural system of healing, making it a valuable component of the healthcare system. Its affordability and effectiveness make it a favored choice for treating chronic, acute, and lifestyle-related problems. Homoeopathy offers preventive, promotive, and curative care, reinforcing its function as a comprehensive complementary therapy. Given these benefits, it is essential to approach homeopathy with an open mind, recognizing its potential as a complementary medicine field.

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