The rest of our week in Rishikesh was quite a treat, and a nice change from working in hospitals and clinics. We stayed at Parmath Nature Cure, a naturopathic health center designed to provide alternative healing for common disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, and asthma. We started our day with an hour of yoga and a morning naturopathy class where we learned all about massage techniques, dietary therapy, hydrotherapy, and various other naturopathic techniques. We had most of the afternoon to play tourist, which we did happily. Then in the afternoon, we had half an hour of meditation followed by another two-hour yoga class. Needless to say, I couldn’t walk after about day 2 and was quickly reminded of how tight and inflexible traveling can make you… I loved our week in Rishikesh and relished in learning as much as I could about yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, and even took part in a “cleansing” day. Although I passed on the enema, I did try the “chug warm salt water like a beer bong and then promptly make yourself throw up” technique, as well as the “pour salt water in one nostril and make it come out the other” nasal cleanser. It was well, interesting….
Rishikesh is also a huge hippie-tourist destination and seems to collect more dreadlocks and patchouli oil than Berkeley. It was fun meeting other travelers as we engaged in a few of the touristy activities. Touristy activity #1- Visiting the Maharishi’s Ashram where the Beatles wrote the White Album. (This ones for you Clive!) The Ashram has been long since abandoned and is currently taken over by the landscape. However, it still resonates as quite the place for musical inspiration, as the essence of the Ganga seeps into the old stone structure and feeds the soul with its spiritual incantations. Touristy activity #2- White water rafting down the Ganga into Rishikesh. At first, I thought to myself “no way in hell am I stepping foot near that water” after spending 2 months dealing with water-borne diseases. However after a few days of watching thousands of people bathe by its banks, I decided what the hell, when in Rome!?! It turned out to be one of the most memorable and fun experiences of my trip. Of course, we were put in a boat with 5 of the goofiest Indian guys that they could find. They paddled maybe 50 times total, and spent most of the journey singing, carrying on, and trying to push each other off the raft. Although not much a crew, they were highly entertaining and I don’t think I stopped laughing once the entire 4-hour trip.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Episode 24
After a long week in Dehradun and an interesting weekend adventure, we all bundled into a jeep and headed for Rishikesh, the yoga capitol of the world. Rishikesh is a few hours from Dehradun, and serves as a spiritual hub for many Hindus as well as a tourist attraction for westerners in search of a yogic retreat. Rishikesh is truly breathtaking. Set beside a beautiful stretch of the Ganges River, this little town is filled with an unavoidable sense of spirituality. Its spectacular temples, meditation trails through the Himalayas, and car-less (honk-free) streets made for a spectacular week.
We arrived on a Sunday, and within 20 minuets of getting situated into our Ashram, we saw a large crowd of Tibetans next to one of the religious buildings by the Ganga waterfront. True to the nature of India, we decided to stand around with the crowd to poke our noses into what was going on. We soon found out that the Dalai Lama was about to make his last appearance before leaving Rishikesh. The travel gods were truly on our side that day, and sure enough within 10 minutes of arriving on the scene, the Dalai Lama came out of the building and greeted the adoring crowd. I couldn’t believe it, how on earth did we just stumble into such an auspicious occasion!
We then continued to explore the rest of Rishikesh, and in the evening decided to check out the prayer ceremony at the Shiva temple by the Ganga. As you step foot into the white marble structure, incense fills your nostrils and you are greeted by an enormous Shiva statue. The statue sits with the Ganga at his feet and the vast expanse of mountains and cliffs at his back, another image that I will forever have ingrained in my mind. We came to the temple right before the sun was about to set, and the ceremony had just begun. Hindu prayer ceremonies are extremely musical with Gurus chanting their prayers and thousands of Hindus singing and swaying to the hum of the sitar. The sights, sounds, and smells of this evening were enough to make even the most secular newcomer drift into a mystical state of meditation. Once the ceremony finished, we said goodbye to a flaming pink and orange sun, and spent the rest of the evening listening to Sufi tunes and watching a beautiful Indian dancer enact tales from the Ramayana. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to our Rishikesh adventure….
We arrived on a Sunday, and within 20 minuets of getting situated into our Ashram, we saw a large crowd of Tibetans next to one of the religious buildings by the Ganga waterfront. True to the nature of India, we decided to stand around with the crowd to poke our noses into what was going on. We soon found out that the Dalai Lama was about to make his last appearance before leaving Rishikesh. The travel gods were truly on our side that day, and sure enough within 10 minutes of arriving on the scene, the Dalai Lama came out of the building and greeted the adoring crowd. I couldn’t believe it, how on earth did we just stumble into such an auspicious occasion!
We then continued to explore the rest of Rishikesh, and in the evening decided to check out the prayer ceremony at the Shiva temple by the Ganga. As you step foot into the white marble structure, incense fills your nostrils and you are greeted by an enormous Shiva statue. The statue sits with the Ganga at his feet and the vast expanse of mountains and cliffs at his back, another image that I will forever have ingrained in my mind. We came to the temple right before the sun was about to set, and the ceremony had just begun. Hindu prayer ceremonies are extremely musical with Gurus chanting their prayers and thousands of Hindus singing and swaying to the hum of the sitar. The sights, sounds, and smells of this evening were enough to make even the most secular newcomer drift into a mystical state of meditation. Once the ceremony finished, we said goodbye to a flaming pink and orange sun, and spent the rest of the evening listening to Sufi tunes and watching a beautiful Indian dancer enact tales from the Ramayana. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to our Rishikesh adventure….
Episode 23
Although this trip has given me many eye-opening experiences, there is one that seems to deserve its own entry. After a week at City Heart Center, we saw numerous very sick people. The miserable, frail, and dieing congregated to its beds, and although we had witnessed many deaths, I had yet to see someone make that melancholic transition from the living to the deceased.
She was fairly old and suffering from heart failure. The first day we saw her in rounds, they were attempting to put her on a ventilator, as she could no longer breathe on her own. The very next morning we came into the ward to find out her heart rate had plummeted and the only thing keeping her alive were the chemicals maintaining what was left of her heart rate. Suddenly the line that was sporadically dashing up and down the monitor went flat. The attending spent the next 20 minutes trying to resuscitate the elderly woman, and although a few heartbeats would occasionally appear, all in all it was to no avail. The motions were violent and unnerving, and I couldn’t really fathom what was going on in front of me. The difference between life and death appeared to be this arbitrary declaration, as there was no telling from her limp and pale body what was alive and what was not. I guess death isn’t always a definite moment, there is no red flag telling you that the soul has left its fleeting abode, there isn’t always some dramatic production signifying it’s the end. As I watched, terrified behind my clipboard I saw that life can sometimes just slip through the cracks, quietly and unnoticed, and although I knew very little about this woman, her life and subsequent end seemed to shake me to the core. I stepped back into the corner as the family came to say goodbye to a loved one who had already gone. “Mamaji!” the daughter cried as she opened her mother’s eyelids to inspect the hollow body for any signs of inhabitance. The look on the daughter’s face signified that she found nothing, that in those 20 or so minutes the immeasurable breath of life had sighed, and left in its place a stiff and empty shell. I wanted to weep with them, not only for the family and their loss, and for the woman whose life had just ended, but also for the precarious line that we tread between the animate spirit of being and the lifelessness of the remains before me. Although I know there will probably be many more days and stories like this one if I am to have a future in the medical profession, hers will resonate with me for a lifetime.
She was fairly old and suffering from heart failure. The first day we saw her in rounds, they were attempting to put her on a ventilator, as she could no longer breathe on her own. The very next morning we came into the ward to find out her heart rate had plummeted and the only thing keeping her alive were the chemicals maintaining what was left of her heart rate. Suddenly the line that was sporadically dashing up and down the monitor went flat. The attending spent the next 20 minutes trying to resuscitate the elderly woman, and although a few heartbeats would occasionally appear, all in all it was to no avail. The motions were violent and unnerving, and I couldn’t really fathom what was going on in front of me. The difference between life and death appeared to be this arbitrary declaration, as there was no telling from her limp and pale body what was alive and what was not. I guess death isn’t always a definite moment, there is no red flag telling you that the soul has left its fleeting abode, there isn’t always some dramatic production signifying it’s the end. As I watched, terrified behind my clipboard I saw that life can sometimes just slip through the cracks, quietly and unnoticed, and although I knew very little about this woman, her life and subsequent end seemed to shake me to the core. I stepped back into the corner as the family came to say goodbye to a loved one who had already gone. “Mamaji!” the daughter cried as she opened her mother’s eyelids to inspect the hollow body for any signs of inhabitance. The look on the daughter’s face signified that she found nothing, that in those 20 or so minutes the immeasurable breath of life had sighed, and left in its place a stiff and empty shell. I wanted to weep with them, not only for the family and their loss, and for the woman whose life had just ended, but also for the precarious line that we tread between the animate spirit of being and the lifelessness of the remains before me. Although I know there will probably be many more days and stories like this one if I am to have a future in the medical profession, hers will resonate with me for a lifetime.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Episode 22
The past month, I have gotten terrible about writing… It’s not because there is no longer anything to write about, it’s just that after over 2 months of being here (yes I cant believe its already been 2 months!), I have become so accustomed to my routine that I sometimes forget the immensity of some of my experiences. The honeymoon phase drifts into normality, and the once blog-worthy adventures become daily activities. But I will try and recount what I have done for the past few weeks.
After leaving Mussoorie, I spent the weekend recovering from my unfortunate bout of stomach problems and returned to my rotations in Dehradun the following week. In the mornings I shadowed another cardiologist, but decided to do something a bit different for my evening rotation. Before I came to India, I had always respected alternative medicine as a great field, but never really had a profound interest in it. Yet after being here, I have sparked a new curiosity in traditional medicine and decided to spend more time engaging with Homeopathy, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy. Something has to be said for these forms of medicine that have outlived Allopathy by thousands of years and as someone who wants to go into medicine, I think it’s important that I study the field in all its forms. Allopathy and traditional medicine could really learn a lot from each other, and I hope that someday I can integrate their philosophies and methods.
During my week with the homeopath, we talked a lot about the theory behind homeopathy, such as treating both the body and the person, the issues with poly-pharmacy, and how psychological problems manifest as physical symptoms. Not only did I learn a lot about homeopathy, but also I feel the week really challenged my understanding of who the doctor is and what medicine does.
Two friends from home, Kenny and Emilee, also arrived during this week and graced me with their familiar smiles. Over the weekend, we decided to do some wildlife spotting at Rajaji National Park, just an hour outside of Dehradun. We spent four hours in the jeep safari scouring the park for leopards and elephants. We saw numerous animals but didn’t see as many as we hoped. At the end of the safari, we sat joking about how the park should have one of the tame elephants tethered at the end in order to appease disappointed tourists. We eventually gave up on our hopes of seeing an elephant and just as we arrived at the gate, nestled in the thick jungle was a large male with enormous tusks. We all jumped around a bit, rushed for our cameras, and then realized the poor thing was chained to a tree. Ah yes, of course there would be an elephant chained at the end to appease the disappointed tourists….
After leaving Mussoorie, I spent the weekend recovering from my unfortunate bout of stomach problems and returned to my rotations in Dehradun the following week. In the mornings I shadowed another cardiologist, but decided to do something a bit different for my evening rotation. Before I came to India, I had always respected alternative medicine as a great field, but never really had a profound interest in it. Yet after being here, I have sparked a new curiosity in traditional medicine and decided to spend more time engaging with Homeopathy, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy. Something has to be said for these forms of medicine that have outlived Allopathy by thousands of years and as someone who wants to go into medicine, I think it’s important that I study the field in all its forms. Allopathy and traditional medicine could really learn a lot from each other, and I hope that someday I can integrate their philosophies and methods.
During my week with the homeopath, we talked a lot about the theory behind homeopathy, such as treating both the body and the person, the issues with poly-pharmacy, and how psychological problems manifest as physical symptoms. Not only did I learn a lot about homeopathy, but also I feel the week really challenged my understanding of who the doctor is and what medicine does.
Two friends from home, Kenny and Emilee, also arrived during this week and graced me with their familiar smiles. Over the weekend, we decided to do some wildlife spotting at Rajaji National Park, just an hour outside of Dehradun. We spent four hours in the jeep safari scouring the park for leopards and elephants. We saw numerous animals but didn’t see as many as we hoped. At the end of the safari, we sat joking about how the park should have one of the tame elephants tethered at the end in order to appease disappointed tourists. We eventually gave up on our hopes of seeing an elephant and just as we arrived at the gate, nestled in the thick jungle was a large male with enormous tusks. We all jumped around a bit, rushed for our cameras, and then realized the poor thing was chained to a tree. Ah yes, of course there would be an elephant chained at the end to appease the disappointed tourists….
Episode 21
After a week in Dehradun, I was quite ready to move on to a new site. Our week’s rotations took place back in Mussoorie, and as I had only spent a few hours there the first time, I was quite excited to do some more exploring. We lived and worked in Landour Community Hospital, a beautiful charity hospital set just out side of the bustling Mussoorie area. Landour was by far the nicest hospital I have seen while in India, and it truly provides excellent care at an affordable cost. The hospital serves many of the rural villages and receives a variety of patients, and again was a fantastic learning experience.
This week I was also with a new set of students, both well into their medical training and hence I spent the week badgering them with my questions and interests. Both of the students were excellent friends and teachers, and I felt I learned more about medicine that week than I have in any of my other experiences. In our week in Mussoorie I shadowed a Sonographer, general surgeon, and an Ob/Gyn. I got to learn all about ultrasounds, see numerous surgeries, and experience the inner workings of an Indian charity hospital. It was great to see the differences and similarities between the different categories of medical delivery systems- charity, government, and private.
Yet after three days of being on the doctoring side of the hospital bed, I can now say I have both worked and been admitted to Landour Community Hospital. On Wednesday afternoon, the fates decided it was my turn to experience the gastritis that we had treated so many times before. For twelve hours my digestive tract ejected EVERY last thing in it, and I was left extremely dehydrated and exhausted. I was so impressed with the hospital and their staff, and they managed to revive my withering body and disheartened soul with haste. India- 2/2, Gwen-0/2…
This week I was also with a new set of students, both well into their medical training and hence I spent the week badgering them with my questions and interests. Both of the students were excellent friends and teachers, and I felt I learned more about medicine that week than I have in any of my other experiences. In our week in Mussoorie I shadowed a Sonographer, general surgeon, and an Ob/Gyn. I got to learn all about ultrasounds, see numerous surgeries, and experience the inner workings of an Indian charity hospital. It was great to see the differences and similarities between the different categories of medical delivery systems- charity, government, and private.
Yet after three days of being on the doctoring side of the hospital bed, I can now say I have both worked and been admitted to Landour Community Hospital. On Wednesday afternoon, the fates decided it was my turn to experience the gastritis that we had treated so many times before. For twelve hours my digestive tract ejected EVERY last thing in it, and I was left extremely dehydrated and exhausted. I was so impressed with the hospital and their staff, and they managed to revive my withering body and disheartened soul with haste. India- 2/2, Gwen-0/2…
Episode 20
After our long hike to Mussoorie, we went back to Dehradun to spend another week. My rotations in Dehradun have been quite different from my first month, as the Delhi program focused more on public health and broader medical issues. I thoroughly enjoyed the Delhi program and learned some invaluable things, however, I have also enjoyed the more clinical approach in Dehradun. The program is much more hands-on, and although we will re-learn these skills in medical school, the rotations have been an intense and interactive introduction to the medical field in the setting of a developing country. In my week in Dehradun, I interned with an Ob/Gyn, Cardiologist, Family Practitioner, and an Internal Medicine specialist. All the doctors we worked with were patient and insightful, and did wonderful job hosting me for the week.
The pace in Dehradun is much more relaxed, with a bit of a homier feel than Delhi. You begin to feel the tug of a daily routine as certain vikram routes, shops, and restaurants become familiar comforts in what was once a foreign land. Dehradun is rather small, but definitely has its own unique charm and array of quirks and funky smells. This little Himalayan town in Uttarakhand has provided a great home base for the rest of my adventures in the north.
The pace in Dehradun is much more relaxed, with a bit of a homier feel than Delhi. You begin to feel the tug of a daily routine as certain vikram routes, shops, and restaurants become familiar comforts in what was once a foreign land. Dehradun is rather small, but definitely has its own unique charm and array of quirks and funky smells. This little Himalayan town in Uttarakhand has provided a great home base for the rest of my adventures in the north.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Episode 19
After a long weekend of traveling and wild-life spotting, we headed to a rural village called Patti. We spent the week in this beautiful little agrarian community, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas and surrounded by breathtaking views of the mountains. We spent 3 days in the CFHI clinic, helping the doctor in OPD. The clinic serves about 5 different villages, and so we got to see a wide variety of cases and patients. On the other two days, we packed up our supplies and hiked to some of the surrounding villages to set up health camps. These days were probably my favorite, as all the school children would come to the health camp for their check-ups. It was really nice to interact with all the village kids and we helped the doctor check lungs, take temperatures, and tend to those who were ill. Time seemed to slow to a casual crawl while we were in the village, a pace that at first was difficult to get use to. However by the end of our stay, we grew to appreciate the simplistic, uncomplicated nature of village life. The words stress, greed, and gluttony don’t seem to exist in this space between the wild of the jungle and the majesty of the mountains.
At the end of our stay in the village, Dr. Paul took us for a nature walk, where he showed us all the herbs and plants that many of the villagers use to cure common ailments. Jamun seeds for diabetes, peach tree leaves for abdominal worms, or mustard seeds for arthritis are all solutions that seem to have stood the test of 1000 of years of use in these mountainous villages. I loved our walk, but I was quickly reminded of how far removed I am from my environment. I have no clue about herbal remedies in my surrounding area, and here I was pretending I knew something about medicine, when in reality the villagers knew far more than I.
After our week in the village, we took a 4-hour hike to the nearby hill station of Musoorie. This “hike” was really a climb… Up, up, up for four hours, I dragged my out-of-shape butt up this mountain, attempting to keep up with a serious runner and our mountain goat of a guide. A beautiful trek, even though I spent most of it wishing away the college habits that had finally caught up with me. Once we reached Musoorie, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and taking in the stunning views of the Himalayan mountain range. Another great week in India…
At the end of our stay in the village, Dr. Paul took us for a nature walk, where he showed us all the herbs and plants that many of the villagers use to cure common ailments. Jamun seeds for diabetes, peach tree leaves for abdominal worms, or mustard seeds for arthritis are all solutions that seem to have stood the test of 1000 of years of use in these mountainous villages. I loved our walk, but I was quickly reminded of how far removed I am from my environment. I have no clue about herbal remedies in my surrounding area, and here I was pretending I knew something about medicine, when in reality the villagers knew far more than I.
After our week in the village, we took a 4-hour hike to the nearby hill station of Musoorie. This “hike” was really a climb… Up, up, up for four hours, I dragged my out-of-shape butt up this mountain, attempting to keep up with a serious runner and our mountain goat of a guide. A beautiful trek, even though I spent most of it wishing away the college habits that had finally caught up with me. Once we reached Musoorie, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and taking in the stunning views of the Himalayan mountain range. Another great week in India…
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