This article is the brainchild of Dr.Malpani. Thank you Dr for giving me permission to reproduce it in my blog!
Indians were
unaware of western medicines up to until three centuries ago. Ayurveda, a form
of traditional and alternative medicine was practised in India for
centuries. Infertile couples in olden days were treated by Ayurvedic or Unani
medical practitioners by using plant-based medicines and, in addition, they
provided life-style advices too. Undoubtedly, such medical practices are very
effective for some forms of infertility and many infertile couples would have
achieved their dream of starting a family via using them. When some couples
found no luck with such treatments, they sought the help of the supernatural
power to give them a baby; many went from temple to temple in search of God’s
grace! Since knowledge about the functioning of the reproductive system and its
defects were very much limited during that time, infertile couples at one point
of time had to accept their fate and move on with life. Many resorted to
adoption as a means of enjoying parenthood and some remarried so that they got
a chance to propagate their genes and made sure their generation didn’t end
prematurely!
Times have
changed today. Since the practice of Ayurvedic medicine was done by word of
mouth during ancient days and is vigilantly guarded among families, the
enormous knowledge our ancestors possessed about different curative plant
compounds, their mode of preparation and the principle behind such practices
are eventually lost! Although there are medical schools which teach Ayurveda,
there are very few Ayurvedic practitioners existing in India today.
Western medicine being based on strong scientific-evidence and rationality,
gained importance eventually and is widely followed in today’s India. With
improvement in biomedical research and the knowledge gained thereof,
ground-breaking discoveries have emerged in the field of reproductive medicine.
As a result, modern age infertile couples have enormous treatment options to
deal with any kind of infertility problem. With patience and persistence most
infertile couples can hope that their dream of having a baby will become a
reality!
But the ironical
truth is, even today, many infertile couples feel uncomfortable to use western
medical advancements that are available in the field of reproductive medicine.
The reasons are twofold: many western medicine based infertility treatments are
costly and not everyone could afford to spend so much, as a result, many resort
to traditional medical practices like Ayurveda or Unani (which are
comparatively much cheaper) even though the chance of success is very low or
even nonexistent for many infertility ailments using such traditional approach.
The other reason is that, unfortunately, still many Indians believe that
western medicine is evil and pose many unpleasant side-effects. Especially if
you have a granny at home who never went to a modern hospital and managed all
her and her family illnesses using traditional medicine, the first advice you
receive will be to seek the help of an Ayurvedic medical practitioner for your
infertility problem! Some even depend on “faith healers” like “witch doctors”
to cure their infertility problem.
So, if you are
faced with infertility problem what will you do? If IVF patients depend on such
alternative medicine for improving their chance of success, does it make sense?
How do doctors who practice western medicine view it when their patients depend
on alternative therapies to cure their infertility problem or to improve their
chance of success? Although alternative
medicine is practiced world-wide, a lot of infertility specialists are not
always happy when patients depend on such treatments. They feel that the
patients are being fooled by these primitive systems of healthcare and they
pity them for wasting their precious reproductive period by following
treatments, which they think, are fruitless.
Doctors who
practice western medicine spend many years in medical school, acquiring their degrees.
They then work hard at acquiring practical experience in a hospital, so that they
can get a license to practice medicine. IVF doctors study for as long as 10
years before they can hang out their shingle as IVF specialists. Not only are
they proud of their expertise and experience, they naturally want to guard
their domain jealously. They have a low opinion about alternative medicine and
its practitioners because they are poorly trained and they acquire a degree in
as little as 6 months. Many IVF doctors feel that such degrees are of no value
and are just a “license to kill”. Also, they often have a superiority complex,
because only western medicine has modern technology (such as vaginal ultrasound
scans and endoscopy) at their disposal, to make an accurate diagnosis, based on
which they can recommend the right course of treatment on a scientific basis.
They think that alternative medicine practitioners do not have the same depth
and breadth of training as they posses and many doctors feel that alternative
medicine clinics are encroaching on their territory. They look down on these
doctors as being quacks, who have no effective therapeutic interventions to
offer because they lack any evidence to prove their efficacy.
On the other
hand, many alternative medicine practitioners are equally happy to bad-mouth
infertility specialists who practice western medicine. They scare their
patients by telling them that IVF is “artificial” and the babies born out of
IVF are “weak” or abnormal. While some envy the high income an IVF doctor gets,
others genuinely believe that the holistic options which they offer have a
higher success rate. They feel that IVF is like band-aid therapy, and does not
attempt to fix the underlying problems in the infertile couples.
As a result of
this conflict between the doctors who practice western medicine and alternative
medicine, patients end up getting confused as to which is the reliable argument.
In order to try their luck, they shuttle back and forth between these two medical
practitioners and finally get frustrated with the treatment process and many
end up sacrificing their dreams of a baby being born to them. If this is the
case, how should a responsible doctor react? What advice should they give their
patients?
We need to
remember that many infertile couples will actively seek out alternative
medicine options, even when undergoing treatment for IVF. These options are
highly respected by their family elders and deeply rooted in their culture.
They are also much less expensive. Hence they believe quite logically that even
if they have not been proven to help, they will not cause any harm (although this
is not true)! This is why they want to cover all possible bases and try them
out, to ensure that they have not left any stone unturned in their baby chase.
There are tons of anecdotal success stories of women who have conceived after
taking a particular herbal concoction; and this, even as the scientific base of
alternative medicine is not always strong.
Doctors who
practice western medicine must understand that unless and until they take into
account the cultural healing beliefs of the patients and learn to incorporate
them within their treatment regimen in a rational way, it is impossible to achieve
patient satisfaction. Improved patient satisfaction will lead to better
compliance to therapy. Cultural competency of the healthcare provider is very
important to help patients get the best medical care and also to be successful
in one’s own medical profession.
Alternative
medical practitioners should also understand the limitation of the treatment
they can offer to an infertile couple and encourage them to seek appropriate
infertility treatment from western medical practitioners when needed. After all,
a patient with a blocked fallopian tube cannot be cured with Ayurveda and Unani
medicines. Giving patients false hope and wasting their precious fertile period
is very unethical on their part.
Every infertile
couple has to decide wisely about their treatment options. Of course, there are
some problems which can be cured by alternative therapies (for example
anovulation due to PCOD!). But there are problems like low sperm count, blocked
fallopian tubes and much more which cannot be cured using herbal concoctions. A
well-educated patient will know for sure which treatment should be opted for,
after analyzing their medical problem. It is also wise to find a balance, for
example when you are going through IVF and if your alternative medicine
practitioner advices you to take a herbal potion which he might think will help
create a healthy environment for embryo implantation or which might balance
your hormones, then it is nothing wrong in trying it, provided such advice is
given by a reputed practitioner who is not a quack. Please do not believe in
the claims of mushrooming internet sites which are claiming to provide you with
herbal therapy to make your IVF a success. First, you will never know if what
they are providing you will be of benefit and the next concern is, it should
not harm you or your IVF cycle. Remember, many herbal medicines carry the risk
of being contaminated with heavy metals!
Rather than
taking a confrontationist approach, patients would find it a lot easier if IVF
doctors and alternative medicine practitioners could learn to work together for
the wellbeing of the patient.
