Naturopathy: Nature's cure killed in UP

LUCKNOW: They have been respected practitioners of naturopathy for decades together, in Uttar Pradesh. But as things stand today, there is potentially nothing that stands between them and the ignominy of being labelled quacks.
Reason: For these naturopaths, getting registered and procuring a license to practice is impossible as the state government does not recognise naturopaths.And so, every day they face the risk of being put behind bars by the police, labelled as quacks.
"There are various handicaps that naturopathy faces, and hence it becomes even more difficult to practice in India," says Dr Hari Om Shukla, executive secretary of Sankalp Health Education & Research Institute. The patients, to begin with, turn to naturopathy when they lose faith in all other forms of medication. "The patients neither have the money nor the will to overcome their illness by the time they finally turn to naturopathy," says Dr Shukla.
And adding to the woes of naturopaths, is the lack of recognition by the UP government. "In even a new state like Chattisgarh and Karnataka, the situation is much better, as naturopaths there can procure a licence to practice," points out Dr Shukla.
Dr Awadhesh Kumar Misra, general secretary, UP Nature Cure Federation notes that with governments changing so quickly in the state, their repeated request for recognition never get processed.
It is not surprising therefore, that naturopathy has few hospitals to boast of in the state. The equipments and facilities that could improve the process of medication through naturopathy do not even exist in the UP, hence not many people turn to naturopathy. This in turn has added to naturopaths'' woes.
Dr Shukla in the paper that he presented during the seminar on ‘Health Hazard and scope of nature cure treatment'', has many solutions to offer. "The government must give us registration and we should also get better financing," says Dr Shukla.
Since it is a lifestyle cure and can rid a patient of a disease forever, naturopathy can also help the government save a lot of money that is spent on medical expenses, Dr Shukla stresses.