GLOBETROTTING

FALL 1999

DESTINATION -- INDIA ( Volume 1 of 3)

Welcome friends as we circle the globe in search of more effective ways to improve the quality of life. During our journey we will explore various forms of complementary medicines and share our findings with you. We will also address accessibility issues and investigate more convenient options to ease the never ending pressures of traveling. In each issue, Globetrotting will have a special section created for today’s youth with an emphasis on educating children and teens on the historical facts of each country. Finally, each issue will contain two trivia questions and some popular words and/or phrases from each country.

We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!!

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #1... (World Trivia)
Out of all the European countries, which country has the highest combined (men and women) life expectancy?

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
During our two month visit to the mysterious country of India, we had an opportunity to explore the various forms of complementary medicine which many people from different parts of the world have adopted. In this newsletter, we will examine three modalities which did not actually originate in India, but were accepted by the country soon after being established and have emerged as two of India’s most commonly used practices today. The reason why we have decided to discuss these three treatments in the same newsletter is because of their similar concepts and ideologies. Each has been known to, as many practices which we have researched do, focus on the person and the body as a whole, rather than dissecting it and addressing individual symptoms. As you will find in all the forms of complementary forms of medicine we have researched in India, this basic concept of wellness based on the whole body is paramount to any other belief which a specific type of treatment may hold. It is our understanding that this is the main reason why these complementary treatments, outside of those which originated here, are commonly practiced in India and are accepted by the culture.

The first modality explored by this team was Tibetan Medicine. Needless to say, this originated in Tibet, a province of China, but has become quite popular in India since the arrival of His Holiness The Dalai Lama to Dharamsala, India in 1959. Many researchers note that the Tibetan Medicine System mainly derived from Indian Buddhist Medicine, which would arguably mean that Tibetan Medicine’s roots were planted in India. The argument still persists even to this day. Whatever the case may be, this form of medicine has grown in popularity globally thanks to the continuous efforts of Dr. Yeshi Donden, the personal physician to His Holiness. Dr. Donden is a frequent worldwide traveler, author, and a very unselfish individual. In Dharamsala, where he sometimes sees over 200 patients in one day, he does not charge for his services. The only charge incurred by his patients are the Tibetan medicines, primarily consisting of herbs, which are not expensive at all. One is inclined to think that the charge is solely for covering manufacturing costs. His popular book, "Health Through Balance: An Introduction to Tibetan Medicine," describes the effectiveness of this type of medicine and also details specific stories of healing which resulted from Tibetan treatments.

Tibetan Medicine focuses on restoring and maintaining balance within three physical factors. These three humors, as they are called, are wind (air), bile, and phlegm. Each humor encompasses a variety of bodily functions and aspects and can detect any imbalance within the entire body. When an illness, disease, or disturbance is detected in the body, the Tibetan physician treats the symptoms by treating the whole body through one’s diet, behavior, medicine, and accessory therapy. Before consulting with his patient, he checks his or her pulse. He is quoted in his book as saying, "Diagnosing by touch or feeling one’s pulse is supreme among methods of diagnosis. One’s pulse reveals the nature of illness between the physical, emotional, and spiritual." The second commonly used approach in diagnosing an illness is through a urinanalysis. The body’s waste producing system reveals toxins which contribute to illness.

Without any appointment, I was able to be examined by Dr. Donden in Dharamsala during our three day visit which was originally planned to only meet The Dalai Lama. Now please do not think that I am a V.I. P. (very important person). In order to schedule an appointment with Dr. Donden, one must go to his clinic very early in the morning and take a number. When your number is called, then the doctor will see you. It is just like going to a donut store and taking a number to be served! At the time of our visit, we witnessed hundreds of people from mainly different parts of India descending on this small village just to be seen by this well-known practitioner. So, 3 ½ hours after drawing a number, Dr. Donden traveled up a flight of stairs, (his clinic is not wheelchair accessible) to examine me. He smiled, with his translator by his side, and took my arm and began to check my pulse. He looked at my hands, down my throat, and then traveled back down the stairs with my urine sample.

After conversing with his translator, his assistant asked me what my condition was and how long ago did it happen. He continued to tell me that the doctor believes that there is a weakness in my kidneys and in order to get energy back to my legs, the kidneys needed to be strengthened first. Once he communicated back to the doctor, the doctor informed him that he was going to be in America for six weeks and would like to see me again. Since that would be virtually impossible considering our itinerary, he simply increased the amount of Tibetan medicine for our travels. Ten minutes later, Pat came up the stairs after following the doctor down them with 4 bags of dark and light brown herbal pills.

The doctor had recommended that I take the pills four times per day (before breakfast, after lunch, at 4:00 P.M. and after dinner). There was no mention of what specific type of herbs were prescribed, no mention of what he was actually treating though we believe his focus was on the kidneys, and what his prognosis was for me. It was another one of the moments where I simply had to put my faith in this man and believe in Tibetan medicine. We will keep you updated on my health as I am committed to taking the medicine for the next three months. Oh, here’s some more food for thought, while Dr. Dhonden was taken on rounds at the Yale Medical Center, he utilized pulse diagnosis and came to the same conclusion that all the western doctors had reached. Simplicity at its best!

Shortly after our journey to Dharamsala, we found ourselves back in India’s capital, New Delhi, where we researched a treatment that actually was founded in Greece, but is most commonly practiced in India now. It’s called Unani Medicine and it was created by Hippocrates (460-377 BC). He is noted as being the man who is responsible for connecting the word "science" with medicine. Before his discoveries, people often believed medicine was a combination of superstition and magic. Hippocrates is referred to as "The Father of Medicine," when medical students are sworn in as doctors they recite the Hippocratic Oath.

Another Greek scholar by the name of Galen is given credit for stabilizing the foundation of Unani Medicine. It was not until the 12th century that this form of medicine was brought to India by the Arabs. Thanks to a few well-known families in Delhi, Unani Medicine survived the years of British rule and emerged with Ayurveda (which we will discuss in our next newsletter), as the two systems of Indian medicine.

So what is Unani Medicine? It is medicine based on the teachings of Hippocrates that disease was a natural process, that its symptoms were the reactions of the body to the disease, and that the chief function of the physician was to aid the natural forces of the body. He is also said to be the first individual who introduced the process of taking one’s medical history and creating the humoral theory. It is almost identical to Tibetan Medicine, with its focus on the humors. It narrows down the humors even more than Tibetan medicine to include two types of bile, yellow and black.

Unani Medicine’s focus is to maintain the correct humoral balance by preserving or adjusting one’s Quwwat-e-Mudabbira in the body. So, you have never heard of this term, have you? You are not alone! This is the body’s innate healing power which is believed by this form of medicine, to need some fine-tuning at times. The essentials, known as Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya, for prevention of disease according to Unani are air, food, and drinks, bodily movement and repose, psychic movement and repose, sleep and wakefulness, and excretion and retention. Treatments include Illaj bit-Tadbeer (regimental therapy), Illaj bil-Ghiza (dietotherapy), Illaj bid-Dawa (pharmacotherapy), and Jarahat (surgery). The regimental therapy includes venesection, cupping, diaphoresis, diuresis, Turkish bath, massage, cauterization, purging, emesis, exercise, leeching, etc. Dietotherapy aims at treating certain aliments by administering specific diets or by regulating the quantity and quality of food, whereas pharmacotherapy deals with the use of naturally occurring drugs, mostly consisting of herbs. Once again, it is a form of medicine which seeks to restore health by means of bringing the whole body back into wellness all at once.

The final modality that we will discuss in this newsletter is a type of alternative treatment which is becoming so recognized and accepted by conventional medicine. It is a treatment with strong roots in China dated back some 3000 years ago and today is practiced widely all over the world. Let’s introduce you to acupuncture. As is the case with the previous two modalities we have dissected, acupuncture’s focus is to enhance the body’s natural healing processes. Acupuncture targets the body’s natural energy, called "qi" and pronounced "chi", with a variation of techniques to redirect or realign this mysterious inner life force. While in India, we met with Dr. Raman Kapur who along with his wife Dr. Sunita Kapur have successfully combined the practice of modern medicine with acupuncture. We will address acupuncture in more detail next year when we visit China, but we wanted to inform you of this outstanding facility in Delhi, India where this couple is treating various types of diseases and illnesses. The Kapur’s have also teamed up to co-author an exciting and informative book on this complementary treatment called "Acupuncture Cure For Common Diseases." Did you know that the National Institute of Health in the United States has recognized acupuncture as the complementary treatment that shows the most promise? More to come in China!

Our thanks are extended to Dr. Donden for his incredible and unselfish work with which he continues to touch the world. We would also like to express our gratitude to the entire staff at Jamia Hamdard University and Hospital for their insight to Unani Medicine. We wish them the best of luck in their upcoming research program which will focus on treating spastic, cerebral palsy children with Unani Medicine. Our sincere thanks go out to The Kapur’s who touched us with their knowledge and hospitality. Finally, our research efforts would not have been made possible without the tireless efforts of Dr. Uma Phadke.

NOTE: If you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who you would like us to research or visit, please E-mail us at: chesney12@comcast.net

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #2... What is the American equivalent of the Indian drink "limboo-pani?"

ACCESSIBILITY BASED ON ABILITY
When you decide to plan that perfect vacation, getaway or pilgrimage to India, it is imperative that you contact Business & Tourist Services (BTS) . Director Zulli Karnik and her crew created an outstanding itinerary, free of the typical stresses of travel and coordinating. A representative was there to pick us up at each airport, take care of all our needs, no matter how esoteric they may be. If you are considering visiting India, we highly recommend you get in touch with BTS, an organization which exemplifies the meanings of professionalism, honesty, cost efficient, and most importantly, accommodating. You will never be disappointed with the quality of their service. There are a number of travel agents who work in India and we have had experiences with a few of them, however, none come close to the service and respect we have received from BTS. Our sincere gratitude to Zulli and the BTS staff for making our visit to India a truly rewarding and memorable experience

Our research of accessible hotels and public transportation was quite different than that in previous countries. This issue will focus on hotels and the next will concentrate on transportation, primarily airlines. Please take time to read that one, because you will surely re-live our frustrating, but hilarious episodes.

Our first stop was in Dharamsala, a small town in the northern state of Himanchal Pradesh, India. We stayed in a small two-star, government subsidized hotel called the Hotel Bhagsu. You see, there are no Sheratons, Holiday Inns or Taj Hotels in the village where the Dalai Lama also resides. However, there are numerous small cottage-like quarters, family owned inns and government owned hotels. Please do not go expecting first class accommodations, you’ll be lucky if the towels are clean and dry. The Hotel Bhagsu where we stayed had only three steps to enter, and there was always help available. Once inside, the room was modest to say the least, but pretty accessible considering the circumstances. In India, it is a luxury to have a bathtub, and the bathrooms are usually pretty spacious. We asked the management for a plastic chair to sit in the shower, and just put a towel on the seat for some cushioning. No handrails or hand-held showers, but it suited Scott’s needs and abilities. The restaurant was accessible as well as economical.

After Dharamsala, we stayed for a few hours at the Hotel It. Plaza in Amritsar, before catching a flight to New Delhi. We were touched by the warm welcome from the staff, and further impressed that they had built a ramp just for our 3 hour visit. It is this type of proactive initiative from hoteliers that we find remarkable. There are plenty of instances like this to speak of, and we will share more with you in future newsletters. Our recommendation in New Delhi is the Taj Mahal Hotel, on Mansingh Road. Aside from the Copthorne Tara Hotel in London, the Taj Mahal Hotel is a leader when it comes to making accommodations for the disabled. There is actually a regulation ramp at the entrance as well as a totally renovated accessible room. We spoke with several hotel staff, including the General Manager, who informed us that they actually adapted the room based on American standards (ADA). We were highly impressed at the proper placement of the grab bars near the toilet and shower, hand-held shower hose as well as a cushioned, adjustable, shower-seat. All the adaptations were retractable to fold up easily, so that they do not impede the able bodied guest. We found this five star hotel to be one of a kind when it comes to their sensitivity for the disabled. Scott and I actually took pictures of the bathroom and shared them with other popular hotel chains, to aide them in staying on top of the accessibility issue.

If you are looking for the hotel with a little English flavor, located close to shopping areas, the Imperial Hotel, also in New Delhi is worth checking out. Although the hotel is not easily accessible, there is a ramp at the side entrance as well as a large bathroom. We spoke with their team and provided suggestions to improve accessibility during their upcoming renovation. We were glad to have a room on the ground floor at the Imperial Hotel. The management informed us of their plans for making seen rooms accessible in the near future.

Our visit to Agra, the magnificent location for the love-inspired Taj Mahal, we stayed at the Clarks Shiraz hotel which was also made accessible for Scott’s needs. Rupak Gupta, managing director even scheduled an intimate press conference for the local media, as well as arranged for a tour guide to the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal monument itself is not very accessible, as there are a number of steps to enter the love-inspired memorial. Scott and I were able to enter the grounds from a separate side entrance which was easier to manage than the usual one. However, in order to enter the actual Taj Mahal, one would have to arrange assistance from local officers or from your hotel. We were informed that if you ask for help and tip well, men can carry the wheelchair up the steps of the shrine. There are a number of large chain hotels in Agra, we suggest you find one which suits your needs and price range.

While in Delhi, we had a press conference (courtesy of BTS) which generated a great deal of awareness with the media. As a result of the press conference, we were featured on the top three television stations as well as the country’s leading newspapers. The Devotion to Motion message has reached over one million people in India. We have been recognized on the streets by people sharing their stories of family members with disabilities, personal triumphs, and advice. Scott’s opinion about the injustice that the disabled people receive here in India, was also published in The Indian Express / Delhi Times newspaper.

Our thanks go out to BTS of course, for arranging all of our accommodations and appointments, to contact Zulli via e-mail: BTS@i411.com or okarnik@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in. Mr. Arvind Gurung managing director of Dharamsala Tours & Travel for assisting us with securing an appointment with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He also offers Buddha 2000 AD: tours of Tibet, Dharamsala and the rest of the Trans-Himalayan region; contact Arvind by phone: 011-91-1892-24713. Nigel Grocock, Vandana Ranganathan and the staff of the Taj Hotel Group, members of the media from New Delhi and Agra as well as the staff at the Imperial Hotel for their gracious hospitality. The staff of the Clarks Shiraz Hotel in Agra, for arranging the Agra press conference.

EDUCATION

PROPER NAME OF COUNTRY: Bharat

Facts:

Also known as: Republic of India (pop. one billion)
Capital - New Delhi
Time difference - 9.5 hours ahead of eastern standard time (USA)
Head of State - Kocheril Raman (1997)
Head of Government - Atal Behari Vajpayee (sine 1998, recently re-elected)
Political System - liberal democracy, federal republic
Currency - Rupee (43 rupees equivalent to US dollar at time of print)
Main trading partners - USA, UK, Germany
Main agricultural products - cotton, tea, wheat rice
Age distribution - 35.2 % are of the age of 15 or younger (1995)
Ethnic distribution - 72% of Indo-Aryan decent, 25% Dravidian (in southern India), 3% mongoloid
Languages - Hindi, English and 17 other official languages
Religion - 83% Hindu, 11% Muslim, 4% Christian, 2% Sikh
Education - 8 years (compulsory)
Literacy rate - 62% men; 34% women (1995)
Unemployment rate - 9.1% (year)
Life expectancy - 63 men; 63 women (1995-2000)
T.V. sets - 51 per 1,000 people (1995)
Radios - 81 per 1,000 people (1995)

Historic dates

2500- 1500BC The earliest Indian civilization evolved in the Indus Valley
1500-1200BC Aryan people from NW overtook northern India and the Deccan; Bhrahmanism (a form of Hinduism) developed
321BC Chandragupta, founder of Mauryan dynasty, began to unite N. India in a Hindu Empire
500AD Raiding Huns from central Asia destroyed the dynasty and India reverted to many warring kingdoms
1498 Explorer Vasco da Gama reached India, followed by Portuguese, Dutch, French and English traders
1526 Mogul Empire established
1600 East India Tea Company founded by English merchants
Early 19th century British took control of India by defeating Indian states in regional wars
1858 East India Tea company dissolved, India came under the British crown.
1920-22 Mohandas Gandhi won control of Indian national Congress which launched a campaign of civil disobedience to gain complete self rule in India
1940 Muslim League called for India to be partitioned under religious lines.
1947 British India partitioned into two independent dominions, India being primarily Hindu, and Pakistan being primarily Muslim in a time of bloody religious riots. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister (PM) of India.
1965 Retained land of Kashmir in brief war with Pakistan.
1966 Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru became PM
1984 Mrs. Gandhi assassinated by Muslim bodyguard, her son Rajiv Gandhi PM
1991 Rajiv Gandhi assassinated during campaign
1999 Sonia Gandhi, Italian born wife of Rajiv Gandhi tries her hand at PM elections and is defeated by the more experienced Atal Behari Vajpayee, the newly elected Indian Prime Minister
1999 D2M comes face to face with the Dalai Lama and Satya Sai Baba

ON A LIGHTER NOTE
And you thought driving in New York City was the most challenging, frustrating, and mind-boggling experience you ever had! Think again! Until you have driven in India, which Pat and I still have never done and probably will never do, you have yet to fully witness "city" driving. Having driven into NYC from New Jersey for three years and having driven in the senior citizen capital of the world, Miami, FL, for four years, I have had enough headaches driving to last me a lifetime. And then there was India! Just close your eyes and imagine New York City traffic, hundreds of scooters, hundreds of rickshaws (tiny taxis which hold 3-4 people max.), hundreds of bicycles, dozens of cows, dogs, goats, oxen, and other various wild animals, and finally hundreds of people walking in the street and crossing wherever they choose. Have you had enough yet? Imagine driving in NYC without any lanes and everyone using his or her horn ever 3-4 seconds to pass or just inform you that he or she is the in the area. That last point is quite humorous because when I have had to push my wheelchair in the streets of India, horns are constantly honking at me. Now, in America and other countries which I have visited, being honked at requires retaliation, either in the form of a verbal comment or a finger gesture. In India, horns are used in place of a directional signal and are used for informing someone that you are in the area. The majority of the time, horns are used in a respectful manner. Large trucks, buses, and even the tiny rickshaws all have signs painted on the back of their vehicles which same something along the line of "Please Honk To Pass." Of course, this took some time adjustment of my part. There was nothing personal about all the honks behind me. Originally, my mind was saying that I was going too slow, that this was no place for a handicapped person to be, get out of the way you snobby American, and even a thought that drivers were playing a game with me. Whatever the case was they angered, frustrated, and I’ll be quite frank, pissed me off! Yes, I still have my issues! But this is not about me, it’s about driving in India. My advice, hire a taxi, meditate before getting on the road, say a prayer to whomever you believe, and try to laugh at the situation...because you have brought yourself to this experience. Happy Trails!!

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!!
We will be traveling to New Zealand and Australia in the beginning of the new millennium. If you or any of your family, friends, and/or colleagues have contacts (alternative medicine practitioners, hotels, children, or simply friends and family) in these countries, please E-mail us and let them know we are coming! Thanks for your support!

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY??
Please E-mail us your thoughts, questions, comments, and/or suggestions about our newsletter and world tour. In addition, if you know people who can benefit from receiving future issues of "Globetrotting," please forward their E-mail addresses to us or simply forward the newsletter to them. You can reach us at chesney12@comcast.net

NEXT ISSUE!!
Click on that E-mail in two weeks, when we explore Ayurveda and Deepak Chopra. Also, don’t miss Pat’s entry about our mishaps flying within India. Until next time, keep globetrotting in your world!!

D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS

Trivia Answer # 1 - France, 74.6 male and 82.9 female

Trivia Answer # 2 - Lemonade

Thank you for listening and we’ll visit you again in two weeks!

Scott & Pratiksha Chesney

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