Climate of Distrust

Inaccessibility of doctors, poor communication between doctors and patients, pre-occupation with high technology, excessive prescribing and high costs of investigation and treatment are common complaints about the medical profession. Modern drugs are double-edged weapons-highly effective if used properly but highly dangerous if over used. With the widespread use of antibiotics, pain killers, corticosteroids and the nonsteroid anti-inflamatory drugs, the public awareness of modern medicine has risen very sharply. The result is, growing distrust not just of the highly sophisticated new drugs, but almost all modern medicine in general. People are attracted more and more towards alternative modalities of therapy because of their safety. It is easy enough to concede the safety of most alternative therapies. The same cannot be said of their efficacy. Public fear about modern medicine should be tackled by better health education rather than replacement of effective but risky therapy by safe but ineffective therapy. Here the wisdom of Charaka's observations may be recapitulated.

Even acute poison is converted into an excellent medicine by the right use. While even a good medicine may act as an acute poison if improperly used. There is no substance which is absolutely of good or bad qualities. Hence our concern should be to select such substances as possess more of the required good qualities.

There is need for a dialogue between the physicians and the community to promote positive health, universal immunization, first aid for cuts and wounds, fractures, burns and training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation ("Kiss of Life').