Case study
A new possibility
Abstract
The human body is more than a machine. It responds to non-physical means equally, if not more, than physical means. This case illustrates the possibility of facilitating a response in an active infection which has shown resistance to routine antibiotics. It is important to note that both the physician and patient had a similar faith in the Grace and spiritual forces.
A was a 35-year-old dynamic man working in a finance company. He was ambitious and wanted to achieve his goals through hard work. However, his physical fitness was a constant source of worry. He had been suffering from recurrent episodes of tonsillitis for the past three months. At that point of time, he came into contact with us through one of his friends on a business trip. He was advised to try something new as he was very distressed by his illness.
A thorough history revealed that he had also suffered an attack of typhoid and dengue in the past year. For every episode of illness he had been treated with antibiotics, painkillers and other symptomatic allopathic medication. For the present episode of tonsillitis, he had been taking antibiotic courses like azithromycin, amoxicillin and ofloxacin from different doctors during the last three months. He had not tried any other therapy like homoeopathy, Āyurveda or Siddha. However, he still had swollen and tender submandibular glands and enlarged tonsils. He was very distressed with the medication as it was providing only partial relief and the symptoms were still recurring very often.
While exploring the cause, he was made aware that for every disease, there is a corresponding disharmony in the inner being. Unless that is addressed, a cure cannot be complete or permanent. This disharmony need not be physical in all cases. Depending on the person, it can be vital, mental or even spiritual. On introspection, he found that in the last few years he had focused all his attention on fulfilling his vital ambitions and in the process had grossly neglected his spiritual needs.
This awareness gave him new hope as he realised that he did not have to go to a doctor for treatment. Rather, he realised that his own inner guidance had to come forward and take charge of his mind, life and body. In that session, he was asked to meditate for six minutes to the Mother’s music. He felt a sudden change and got a feeling that he was able to heal himself. He started meditating twice daily from that day onwards. In 10 days, he reported back to us with a complete recovery of symptoms without use of any medication. It was a miracle to him and to us as well. On examination, the submandibular glands were normal in size and there was no tenderness. The swollen tonsils too were not very congested. The physical response to his new-found state of consciousness was a testimony to the fact that our body is a reflection of our inner state. Peace, light, harmony can trigger a lot of healing response in our body.
He started attending sessions of an Integral Health forum. This new concept of health and healing appealed to him and he informed his friends about it. He has been in touch with us over the last six months and not a single episode of tonsillitis has returned to him. More than that, his quality of life has improved tremendously and there is a lot more joy and peace to share.
Discussion
This case vividly explains some of the unseen facets of health and healing. According to Mother (1):
“In reality illness is only a disequilibrium; if then you are able to establish another equilibrium, this disequilibrium disappears. An illness is simply, always, in every case, even when the doctors say that there are microbes — in every case, a disequilibrium in the being: a disequilibrium among the various functions, a disequilibrium among the forces.
This is not to say that there are no microbes: there are, there are many more microbes than are known now. But it is not because of that you are ill, for they are always there. It happens that they are always there and for days they do nothing to you and then all of a sudden, one day, one of them gets hold of you and makes you ill — why? Simply because the resistance was not as it used to be habitually, because there was some disequilibrium in some part, the functioning was not normal. But if, by an inner power, you can re-establish the equilibrium, then that is the end, there is no more difficulty, the disequilibrium disappears” (p.122).
In routine clinical practice, we encounter illness caused by microbial infection on a daily basis. The general tendency is to prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic which it is hoped will kill the microbes and cure the disease. When the desired result is not obtained, one proceeds to laboratory investigations to pinpoint the causative organism and the resistance pattern to different antibiotics. However, these facilities are available only at selected places and are sometimes costly to the patient. In this rush to treat, very rarely do the doctor or the patient pause to look at the real culprit — the altered immune status which has allowed the infection to establish itself in the body in the first place. Doctors are beginning to realise the role of physical and psychological stress in the decreased immune status.
Integral Health traces the cause to a disequilibrium in some part of the being — physical, vital, mental, spiritual and not just on stressful situations alone. It also re-emphasises the role of the inner power which can re-establish the equilibrium. This concept makes the patient an active participant in the healing process as his role does not end in purchasing and swallowing pills. Those who are open to this inner dimension can quickly restore their equilibrium and dramatically hasten their recovery, as we have observed in this case. Obviously, this process needs a great deal of preparatory background both for the doctor and patient before such dramatic results can take place. However, a beginning has to be made somewhere for a new possibility.
Reference
1. The Mother. Collected Works of the Mother, Cent. ed. Volume 5. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust; 1976.
Dr Debabrata Sahani and Dr. Debasis Bhattacharya work together at a a centre for integral eye care and research at Keonjhar, Orissa. Dr. Debabrata Sahani is also an Editor of NAMAH.
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