Dr Naveen Kumar BOGGARAPU responds to ThinkWellness360 questionnaire:
Why and how did you think of becoming a doctor?
Medicine is a profession which is highly respected and can impact people positively by healing them; it can make a lot of sad faces smile. I wanted to touch peoples’ lives and make them happy.
What made you think of, study and specialise in the system of medicine you now practice?
Though conventional medicine can treat a large number of patients, there is a lot of suffering and pain in it. There are many diseases which can’t be relieved with conventional medicine. Homeopathy is one system which can ‘cure’ people of their illness in a gentle way. When I was in class IX, one of my friends’ mother suffered from migraine and she used different treatments, but with no relief; but, she was, alas, ‘cured’ with homeopathic treatment. That’s when I started thinking of taking up homeopathy as a profession to healing people.
What has been your personal and professional experience as a doctor?
My experience as a doctor is quite satisfying as this is one profession which can help patients get over their illness, also suffering. Once a patient gets treated successfully, not only are they happy, their near and dear ones are happy too.
What unique and special skills you think you have that has made the big difference for your patients?
One of the major skills which I have is patience while listening to patients without interrupting the flow. We get to know a lot of things just by listening to the manner in which they express their health problems. Homeopathy is a system which is individualised and listening to each patient can help us arrive at the most suitable remedy.
What is your best definition of optimal wellness and why?
A balanced sense of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual happiness should be considered as optimal wellness. The mind and body work together and any derangement in one can impact the well-being of the other.
Your best case?
I had a patient in 2004, aged about 26 years, and she had keloids all over her body. Every little eruption on her face, chest, shoulders and back used to turn into a keloid of about 2-3cm size with a thickness of about 1cm. As she was severely affected with it she was not able to find an alliance and was unmarried. She started treatment with me and in a span of about one year 90 per cent of her keloids subsided and new ones stopped appearing, as it were. The best part was she found a suitable match soon after and she has been happily married ever since.
Your ‘not-so-good’ case?
It’s a case of vitiligo where almost 50 per cent of the body was depigmented. The patient came to me when the disease was spreading. I could reduce the speed of spread, but I couldn’t ‘cure’ the problem. After one year of treatment her body was 90 per cent covered with patches. The saddest part was when she asked me, “Is there any medicine which can make the remaining 10 per cent depigmented, so that the whole body is of even colour?”
What appeals to you the most?
Simplicity, sincerity, hard work and, most importantly, that ‘never-give-up’ attitude.
What annoys you the most?
Indiscipline. Not being punctual and being dishonest.
Your favourite book?
Can’t name just one. I’ve a few favourites.
Your favourite joke?
A few may be; nothing specific.
Your favourite song?
Kisi ki muskurahato pe ho nisaar [Anari/Shailendra/Mukesh//Shankar-Jaikishan]
Your favourite movie?
3 Idiots.
Your favourite TV, Netflix show?
Suits; Person of Interest.
Your other interests, or hobbies?
Listening to music, playing table tennis, exploring and travelling to different places.
Your goal in life?
To heal every patient that I come across and to touch each and every life in a positive, empathetic way.
