Scientists have developed a plethora of drugs to treat various diseases. In most cases, when patients take the prescribed medicines or drug treatments, they feel healthy for some period, and then they face the same illness again. In today’s times, it has become important to focus on both physical and mental wellness to get out of illness effectively.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become extra conscious of their physical and mental well-being. Human minds are very powerful, but at the same time, they can be fragile too. It needs to express itself physically more often to get things out of the system.
If only the physical aspect is focused and the mind is ignored, our body tends to recreate the circumstances that caused the illness in the first place. Similarly, if the body is not given attention, the mind also starts to slow down or divert towards unhealthy thoughts and habits. Doctors in healthcare, especially homeopathic doctors, recognize how important it is to marry physical and psychological wellness to lead a healthy life.
Dr. Meenal Bhide, a homeopath, has adapted holistic approaches to address physical and mental health aspects. At her Manomay Clinic in Pune, she is helping numerous patients online and offline to understand their bodies and minds better and, at the same time, cure their illnesses through various therapies.
The Beginning of the Journey
Dr. Meenal completed her Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) from Mumbai University. Though her immediate family members were not medicos, she was always interested in biology and wanted to study medicine from her school days. She has her clinic in Pune for the past 20 years.
Since homeopathy has a holistic approach to treating patients, she was keen to learn about alternative therapies as a support or to supplement a patient’s healing. So, she studied Reiki up to the third degree, Acupressure, Aroma Therapy, Counselling, Bach Flower Therapy, and Dance Therapy.
Homeopathy and Well-Being
In her practice over the years, Dr. Meenal has observed that the patient does not get completely cured unless and until the mental well-being is taken care of. In some cases, even if the physical ailment is dealt with initially, the cure does not last long in the absence of mental fitness.
“In homeopathy, we always aim at treating any diseased individual as a whole, i.e., taking into consideration his/her physical and psychological well-being and not focusing only on the disease,” she says.
The patient needs to “feel” better, not just “get” better. This is because the mind and body are like two sides of the same coin and thus inseparable. “Movement” therapy or “Dance” therapy is based on this principle.
Dance Therapy
In Dance Therapy, simple body movements are used to achieve both physical and mental well-being. It focuses on the expression of the mind through various hand gestures, body postures, and scientifically designed movements.
This can be used as a treatment for certain ailments as well as for the prevention of many diseases. “Most of the time, people are tired of taking too much medication, so this alternative therapy works wonderfully for all age groups,” Dr Meenal tells us.
She has taken workshops for patients with Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Squint, Arthritis, Sciatica, post-COVID phase, and geriatric problems, to name a few.
Changing Health Awareness
People have started looking at their health from an altogether different perspective post-pandemic, which is a welcome phenomenon. Time has proven that Health is Wealth in the real sense.
“Due to advanced technology, information related to medical science is available very easily, but professional experience and ‘in-person’ guidance are indispensable,” Dr. Meenal tells us.
Career Challenges
As a Homeopath and Bach Flower Practitioner, Dr Meenal gets many patients related to Psychological Health/Psychosomatic illnesses. So, in most cases, her role as a Counsellor is very crucial. “Eventually, a healthy rapport gets developed with the patient. Then at times, it becomes difficult to substitute the treating physician,” she expresses.
Pandemic Challenge
COVID-19 pandemics in the last two years have put so much burden on the healthcare system everywhere in the world. People who were not giving attention to their health suffered from fatigue, stress, depression, and other physical and mental illnesses.
When asked how she has handled the pandemic challenge at her clinic, Dr. Meenal said, “For the past two years, it was a challenging situation for everyone. But for medicos, it was a phase of great learning as well.”
“The in-person counselling and consultation were done mostly online. However, dispensing medicines did not stop. Dance therapy sessions were done online, and many participants across the country/abroad could join in due to the availability of virtual platforms,” she adds.
Technology Adaptation in Healthcare
The healthcare industry has started to adapt to technology to give better health assistance to the public. Due to back-to-back pandemic waves, it has become important for the public and healthcare professionals to stay connected in today’s time.
When asked about her opinion about the need for technology adaptation in the healthcare sector, Dr Meenal says, “Healthcare professionals need to change their working style to align with new demands related to social health. Even we had to undergo online training to become a Corona Warrior in the first wave of the pandemic.”
Words of Guidance
Expert advice is essential for aspirants who want to pursue a specific career path. It helps them to have the right direction for their career journey.
For those who seek to enter into the homeopathy profession, Dr Meenal advises, “It is a noble profession, but the perspective has changed over a period. Only the aspiration may not give desirable results. There are many aspects, like duration of the course, investment, gestational period, and not to forget the hard work. ”
Future Plans
Unfortunately, mental fitness gets neglected in our society. So, most of the time, people seek help only when a problem arises. Dr. Meenal intends to help such people deal better with such conditions. She says, “Early identification of the problem, especially related to psychological health, will only lead to timely intervention in the form of counseling, medication, rehabilitation, etc. I am looking forward to working towards such preventive measures.”
“Also, I would like to focus on school-going children, their habits, hygiene, and health in general. If they are given proper knowledge at an early age, they can lead a healthy life ahead,” she adds.
