Words: Srikanth NAMPALLY It’s with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 50th issue of our publishing initiative, ThinkWellness360. ThinkWellness360 has been an exciting journey, also experience for us. The e-magazine, as you so well know, is keyed to promoting holistic health and wellness through complementary and alternative medicine [CAM]. First, the fundamentals. It’s

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The idea of incorporating and teaching complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] in the conventional medical school curriculum has been a raging debate for too long. The argument is not so much as to whether or not conventional medical institutions are receptive enough to integrating evidence-based CAM knowledge in their own academic,

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR It’s not long ago that a topical study was published in Microvascular Research, a conventional medical journal. The study investigated the microcirculatory effects of a homeopathic preparation in patients with giddiness [vertigo], using advanced vital microscopy techniques. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients receiving a homeopathic preparation exhibited improvement in all

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Homeopathy has evolved — since its inception 200+ years ago — into a refined discipline of patient bespoke diagnosis and prescription. It offers a wide range of remedies for use in therapeutic practice and preventative medicine. It is not only safe, low-cost, and effective, it also holds the promise to be

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The quintessential discovery of hypnosis is attributed to Dr Franz Anton Mesmer, MD, the ‘non-conformist’ 18th-century Viennese physician. Dr Mesmer, it is now evidenced, used a method similar to modern hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, with the sole intention of removing neurotic symptoms. Dr Mesmer discovered that when he applied magnets on some

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Stress is an inevitable part of our life and existence. While it is agreed that the stress response does not make us ready for instant action, it sure makes way for what is referred to as short-term stress response, famously called the fight-or-flight response. This mechanism clearly involves a rapid switch

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR  There is a good old, also timeless, Oriental aphorism: “If you have a good diet, of what use is a doctor? And, if you don’t have a good diet, of what use is a doctor?” This leads us to the big question: what is ‘good’ diet, or what, in effect, epitomises

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Obesity has a negative impact on one’s confidence, or self-esteem, and productivity, aside from its deleterious effects on one’s health and well-being. A London-based institute reports that more than a third of all adults around the world today were, in fact, obese, or overweight. A long-term study illustrates that between 1980

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Ginger, the knotted, thick, beige-coloured underground stem, or rhizome, is a versatile medicinal plant. In botanical terms, the herb is called Zingiber officinale, a trusted, age-old remedy. The ancient Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda, to highlight a prime exemplar, extols ginger in the treatment of arthritis, colic, and diarrhoea. It also

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The alternative, complementary, or holistic, approach to health uses the best of natural therapies, such as Ayurveda and homeopathy, in particular, and acupuncture, herbal remedies, meditation, yoga etc., among others. Most of these therapies are now scientifically documented; this will make them not only relevant and effective, but also cost-effective, which