Alternate Therapies

Sharing horror stories on medical malpractices 

Whoever knew that the quiet and observant ex-army man, Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) is also an ardent advocate of alternate therapy? Yesterday, when he heard that Shekhawat had been diagnosed (see post) with multiple blockages in the carotid arteries of his neck, he instantly suggested a diet of pomegranate juice.
“People do not realize that pomegranate has immense medicinal properties,” Singh said. “Regular intake would remove all blockages from blood vessels for a lifetime. I know this from experience.”
Today, this octogenarian gent came up with another prescription. He twisted and turned his fingers in a manner than would shame a bharatanatyam danseuse and declared: “Hold your hand in this position whenever you get the time and you will never suffer a heart problem in your life.”
Siba Prasad Maitra was so impressed by the instruction that he announced he “would try it out from today itself in the office” – as though that is where he faces a real threat to his life.
Not to be outdone, Dilip Babani came up with another amazing cure – for muscular catch.

Angad Singh (centre) does a demo
for removing heart blockage

Dilip Babani (left) demonstrates
how to cure a muscular catch

Like Singh, he did a little acrobatic demo with his fingers and positioning his hand like a double- barreled pistol (loaded), proclaimed: “Hold your hand like this and any cramp, catch or spasm in your body will disappear like magic!”
These exercises in the Garden at pushing the frontiers of medical science were prompted by the news of Shekhawat’s surgery being postponed for the time being. The blood sugar report he was waiting for has proved to be inconclusive and confusing, apparently due to some carelessness of the pathological lab.

Mallika Kagzi (rt) on a Dishum Dishum spree

Lest he lose any more time, Shekhawat had rushed early morning to the military hospital in Colaba, ready for another round of tests there.
Maitra observed that carelessness and exploitation had become rampant in the medical profession, both at the level of pathological labs and of course, with private doctors. Everybody present had a horror story to narrate on the malpractices in hospitals and that is when it was felt that rather than depend on unscrupulous doctors, self-help is the best help. The therapies prescribed by Dilip Babani and Angad Singh were only small steps in that direction.
Later, Maitra and Dilip went on to proudly demonstrate their newfound knowledge to (of all the people) Mallika Kagzi. For all their painstaking efforts in finger-twisting, the lady understood only one thing – Dilip Babani’s dishum dishum. So chuffed was she by this simple lesson in life that she joyfully waved her ‘double-barrel fingers’ around with the warning cry, "Dishum!" "Dishum!" This much for all the education in self-help!
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Alternate therapy is relevant in the modern age as allopathic treatment has become very expensive. The middle class is finding it difficult to afford the ever-increasing medical expenses. Alternate therapy, in whatever form, gives relief at a negligible cost.