By Suresh Unnithan

Modern medical practitioners deliberately snub them as unqualified quacks. But, citing own experience many vouch that traditional healers who we affectionately address as “paramparya vaidya,” are capable to cure chronic ailments like Asthma, psoriasis and autoimmune Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

I am a living example of the efficacy of traditional therapy. As an acute Asthma patient for the past four decades, I had tested all available systems of medicines, but with little cure or control of the ailment. Leading modern physicians opined, “Asthma can at the most be controlled, but could not be cured.”  But, a paramparya vaidyan from a distant village in Idukki district proved otherwise. His herbal formulation wonderfully worked for me and I am free from the frustrating perennial illness for the past many months.  

Dr Radhakrishnan Krishnan Nair, a senior scientist who served as Chief Executive Officer in State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB) in Kerala express his gratitude to the paramparya vaidyan (Traditional healer) who cured his chronic skin disease. “I am thankful to the paramparya vaidyam. Where the leading dermatologists failed to treat my skin disease a vaidyan from a remote village in Kerala cured me.” The senior scientist was referring to Sebastin (Baby) Vaiyan, a paramparya vaidyan who has effective solutions for skin infections including psoriasis.  

In Paramparya Vaidyam, the treatment is based on the patient and not on the ailment. “Before we commence any treatment process, the ailing individual is mentally and physically readied to accept the treatment and medicine. To begin with, the body is detoxified through various internal and external methods. This is a purification process (śud’dhīkaraṇaṁ), to make the body capable and fit to receive the treatments and medication. This process is exclusive and makes the traditional therapy most effective,”  says Sukumar Vaidyan, a well learned Paramparya Vaidyan from Malayatoor, Ernakulam.

Dr Anjitha Ravi, a young lady Ayurveda physician from Kothamangalm says she could augment her efficiency as a medical practitioner, thanks to the “in-depth understanding and practical knowledge I could acquire from a range of renowned traditional healers (Paramparya Vaidyan)”. Dr Anjitha says she could learn much more from the Paramparya Vaidyans, compared to what was taught in the medical courses.

“Many of us pass out as medical doctors with good academic records, but have only bookish knowledge on the herbs used for drug preparations. Most of us lack competency even in identifying quality medical herbs. We are mostly trained to prescribe the commercially manufactured medicines. These medicines are mostly less effective for it is ailment specific.”

Explaining the mode of treatments in Paramparya Vaidyam the young lady Ayurveda physician says “a paramparya vaidyan can understand the status of any patient just by touching the naadi (blood vessel) on your hands.”

Dr Anjitha is confident that “gynecological complications like fibroids, cysts in uterus, excessive bleeding have effective cure in paramparya vaidyam.” She has also said “there are multiple result oriented solutions for infertility” in paramparya vaidyam.

The lady doctor has successful remedies for varicose vein “learned from a paramparya vaidyan. Removal of the affected vein is the only solution available in modern treatment. In our traditional therapy we bandage the affected part with a paste made of herbs and medicated oil. The result is visible in less than two weeks.”

Dr Vishnu Mohan, a postgraduate Ayurveda Physician, after his degree course had stayed with more than a dozen traditional healers to “ to know more on the ancient system of treatment- paramparya vaidyam. Many of these traditional healers are wonderful. They have exhaustive knowledge on herbs which many of our medical practitioners are still to acquire. ”

Lauding the contribution of traditional healers to human wellness Dr Mohan says “we are much indebted to our age old Ashtavaidya tradition that contributed to the progressive growth of Ayurveda system.”

Ashtavaidyans were the traditional Ayurvedic physicians of Kerala from Namboothiri families and their tradition is known as Ashtavaidya Parampara.  

Explaining the significance of paramparya vaidyam Radhakrishnan Vaidyan (RKV),  a fifth generation vaidyan from Palakkad says “Knowledge of Paramparya Vaidyam is attained from one or many gurus. Unlike the modern medical practitioners, it takes many decades to mature as a traditional vaidyan. Here in our system the vidyas themselves prepare the medical formulations as per individual need, mostly with naturally available ingredients to ensure purity and efficacy. We are dedicated you to our tradition and viadyam. We have just one objective- cure the patient, who we treat as our guests.”

Mr Pankajakshan a social worker from Thiruvanathapuram  along with a group of likeminded traditional healers has launched a movement –Vaidya Maha Sabha (VMS), to promote, protect and propagate the traditional system of therapy . “Our effort is to create awareness among the public on the value of traditional medicines. Traditional therapy (Paramparya Vaidyam) is both curative and protective. This system is cheap, effective and easy to follow. It’s unfortunate; the generation of traditional healers is on the decline. A collective and urgent effort is needed to sustain the generation from extinction.”

In fact, traditional system of medicines is becoming popular in many parts of the globe.  But Dr. Steven Edward Landau, MD, a Medical Doctor and a qualified yoga teacher from US, feels that traditional medicines are “undefined” and it needs considerable study, “because nobody in his right mind would think that remedies passed down for generation are completely worthless.” According to Dr Steven Landau “like allopathic medicine, traditional medicine depends on the experience, skill, and integrity of the practitioner. As such, it is neither better nor worse than so-called “modern medicine”, since both approaches will work at various times and not work at other times.”

Though an allopathic, he says “Side effects are plentiful and dangerous in so-called “modern medicine”: and diagnosis and treatments are often very expensive. So it behooves us to take advantage of whatever wisdom is available.”

In curing life style diseases traditional therapy is proved to be effective. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization, has in a statement said, “Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is an important and often underestimated health resource with many applications, especially in the prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic diseases.”

It is estimated, over four billion people (morethan 80% of the world’s population) living in the developing world depend on traditional herbal medicinal products for treatment of various health challenges. However, India the origin of successfully practiced traditional medical systems is yet to officially recognize and register the paramparya vaidyam.