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….