By Arvind Kulkarni, M.D.,
Director Oncology,
Integrated Cancer Treatment & Research Centre (ICTRC),
Wagholi, Pune
The one-sided march of scientific progress in the medical world is detrimental to the world ecology and humanity at large. It is a fact that modern medical model, focused on disease, pathology and germs, is difficult to sustain in future.
People are seen living longer and at the same time chronic diseases are on the increase mainly due to abuse of pharmaceuticals. The cost of these pharmaceuticals is skyrocketing and becoming unaffordable to even the rich nations. Adverse reactions to prescribed drugs are increasingly taking toll on the patients. Dr.Arvind Kulkarni, world renowned oncologist, talks about what we should fear about the future, in the world of medicine, especially for cancer treatment.
It is understood that today billions and billions of dollars are spent on laboratory animal research for cancer. This type of research may be good for reductionist pharmacological study models. However, besides being unduly time consuming and expensive, very few have translated into real help to the suffering due to cancer. Laboratory pursuit of The Active Molecule is unnecessary when we are dealing with a holistic treatment model.
Herbs and phytochemicals have multiple constituents acting synergistically to produce a benefit. Many are time tested therapies which have been found to work over the ages. While asking for “Evidence Based Medicine” we should not be rigid to enforce our current pharmacological yardsticks of our own self-developed criteria.
The round sticks of common- sense evidence may not fit perfectly into the current square boxes of scientific compartments.
Ayurveda is a dynamic science and adaptable to the needs of health care of the world in modern age.
Ayurveda forms an integral part of holistic medicine which is the way for future. Holistic medicine does not exclude any evidence based medical methods. These methods may be from various lands and from various times. These are developed to help maintain health and to fight diseases.
Holistic medicine also includes allopathic and all the modern medical scientific developments. Being a Radiation Oncologist who has worked with cancer patients over the past 40 years, we have examined and recorded detailed analysis and observations of more than 11,000 cancer patients.
There is a huge computerized data base, ready to be accessed for current and future research projects. We have developed a very dedicated team consisting of more than 50 doctors and research workers in our cancer clinics in India. Our Cancer Centre has been declared as “ CENTER OF EXCELLENCE” by AYUSH section of the Ministry of Health of Government of India.
We also scientifically manufacture Ayurvedic Medicines at our Atharva Healthcare Product Division in Pune, for our own use and for export across the Globe. Cancer is a dreadful disease. However, we find that a lot of suffering is related more to current models of treatment rather than to the actual cancer tumor itself.
In the pursuit of modern advances and expensive therapies, cost benefit ratio seems to have been ignored by modern medicos. Patients should not be compelled to spend exorbitant amounts and suffer financial ruins. To make life worth living, at certain stage, one has to accept the co-existence with cancer, rather than endless pursuit of eradicating the last remaining microscopic cell of cancer. Costs of radiation and chemotherapy treatments have skyrocketed all over the world.
The actual benefits of these aggressive treatments in cancer are questionable. It is the responsibility of the medical team to discuss various options and suggest an individualized treatment strategy for each patient. Finally, the patient needs to have all valid and information to make his or her own choice.
Besides helping good health, the Ayurvedic care can definitely reduce the side reactions associated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Occurrence and progression of cancer can be prevented to large extent by following healthy life styles and nutrition.
Ayurveda should not be looked as the last resort of terminal cancer care after other things have failed. Ayurveda should be resorted to right from the beginning. We do not claim that “Cancer can be cured by Ayurveda alone”. However, Ayurveda surely helps to improve quality of life and reduce suffering at every stage of cancer.
For further information about Integrated Cancer Treatment and Research Centre, Wagholi, Pune,
Please contact 020-67346000 , Refer to www.ayurved-for-cancer.org
