Synopsis

Friday morning, all conference delegates were brought to the Himalayan Institute Trust Hospital and University campus, where Dr. Kathy McKeehan welcomed the Conference delegates and gave an orientation to the grounds and scheduled activities.

Ms. Maithili gave an overview of the vision of Swami Rama and the present and planned facilities at HIHT. As Director of the Rural Development Institute, she explained its ambitious outreach program.

Dr Singhal discussed the relationship between the body, mind and emotions and the role that the breath can play in balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic action of the autonomic nervous system.  He discussed the nature of pain as a combination of past remembrance, present experience, and future anticipation.  With the use of awareness techniques he suggested we can limit the impact to just the actual present effect, and let the other aspects be released.  Biofeedback techniques can be used to show subjects the effects of relaxation practices on their physical stress responses, and therefore help them to manage their behavior to reduce stress. 

Dr. R.K. Mamgain delineated how Ayurveda can be helpful in the treatment of chronic pain. The concept of three doshas (mind/body types)-vata, pitta, kapha-is fundamental to the Ayurvedic system. The role of vata in the generation of pain was explained.

Dr. Pratibha Mamgain explains why women are especially vulnerable to stress. Stress can be productive over a short term but is negative when chronic and prolonged.  Stress is expressed as an imbalance of the doshas and gunas and an accumulation of malas (body waste) and ama (toxins). A program for the treatment of stress was then presented.

Dr. Chauhan spoke about the common problem of lower back pain; its causes, physiology and treatments. He offered advice on preventative measures to avoid aches in the lower back.

Dr. Bova gave a lively and passionate case for the use of homeopathy in treatment of injuries and the management of pain. It has proven to be effective, cheap and with no risk of side effects. Because homeopathy works on the energy level of the human it is difficult for people and the medical establishment to understand how it works. Therefore, acceptance of the therapy is limited. Dr. Bova illustrated the effectiveness of Homeopathy with pictures and case studies of several burn patients she had treated.

Dr. Kaushik gave an indepth lecture on the experience and pathophysiology of pain.

Dr. Saini gave an overview from a humanistic perspective of the treatment of pain in caner patients. There are three types of pain: physical, mental and spiritual. Drugs, injections and surgery are not enough to treat the patient in a holistic way.

Dr. P.K. Sachan spoke abot new challenges to the oncology team in the care of the terminally ill patient. How do we best use palliative care versus the familiar curative care approach?