EL INDIO IN MEXICO: A CASE OF
DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
We hear about the importance of
doctor-patient relationship but we don’t hear about the extraordinary
relationships between Doctors and Patients.
I have one such friend, Dra E who practices
in Piedras Negras, in Mexico.
She graduated from Ozone Therapy
programme in Cuba (medical degree from Monterey) and over the years I had seen
the importance of Ozone therapy in the arrest and retardation of inflammation
in the body.
When I began talking about Inflammation
and chronic disease in the body, in 2005, it was met with laughter, mainly by
Family Physicians working in the Indian Health Service. My observations were
after watching the evolution of disease among the American Indians.
Why did a group of people who were all
lean become all overweight or obese? (Greater than 95%) with Children becoming
obese earlier and earlier in their lives? The mantra of less exercise and more
food did not make much sense to me, when I got to know them better. The lack of
understanding of chronic disease and its care by American (and other) doctors,
forced me to go to London to study the Anthropology of Medicine which turned
out to be a great education. Armed with this new vista of the universe of
maladies, it opened up with clarity the suffering and illness among the Indians
and allowed postulation of theories which were proved scientifically many years
later. Most scientists agree that propositions or intuitions are later on
followed by truth. Because I work with Indians, an oppressed group, the work or
propositions arising out of our work are not respected but regularly years
later they are proven scientifically. The instances are too many.
El Indio, as I would call my
friend/patient has an unusual inexplicable form of renal problem. The kidney
doctors, interested in dialyzing for dollars, living in a city close to his
reservation, recommended dialysis, without studying the problem in detail (they
were too busy with other things I suppose). Dialysis was not acceptable for
him, and neither was it was an option in my opinion.
How to get him some high intensity anti-inflammatory,
non-damaging, non-pharmaceutical, treatment? In Cuba, it would have been very
easy, but in the USA where the practice of medicine is highly influenced by Pharmaceutical
companies and their peons, no such things would be available easily.
(ayisha has completed her studies in Hospitality and is doing a Commerce degree. She is Bombay born and brought up)
On Wednesday morning, CST in the USA, I
was leaving my hotel, Niyati Boutique Hotel in Fort Cochin in India. A silent self-absorbed
driver took me to the airport about 42 km away, through traffic that belies any
logic. Comfortable stays in the lounges of Air India at Cochin and GVK Lounge
and Lufthansa Lounge in Frankfurt, United Club in Washington DC along with
comfortable flights, and 36 hours in time spent on air and on the ground, I
found myself in San Antonio.
(Meals on Non-USA based airlines, this one in Lufthansa, tend to be better)
A bleary eyed stay at a hotel and I was at the
Airport once again to receive El Indio who had left his home few hours earlier
and arrived by plane.
We rented a car; off we went towards the border with
Mexico. Stopped briefly at a Taco place for a place of Chicken Fajita Taco, as
El Indio had not eaten all morning and US based airlines don’t serve anything
on their flights.
We arrived at Eagle Pass on time,
watching the mesquite trees lining the entire distance with their less than
interesting glare at us. As we turned into the highway that would take us to
Mexico, two eagles circled us, which in the mind of El Indio and I was an
auspicious signal of the hours ahead. We parked the car and walked the short
distance on the bridge to Mexico.
We had not taken into consideration the
immense desert heat, the mercury hovered around 105 F or around 41 C. I felt
bad for El Indio, to expose him to such an extreme heat, but a short ride on a
taxi found us in the air-conditioned but crowded offices of Dra E, the most
humanitarian of General Physicians I know.
We set up the Ozone Treatment for him; O3
is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, routinely used in Cuba
and many other countries around the world. For Cultural and material reasons it
is not allowed in the USA.
Treatment went without any problems. He
later observed that the gentle nature of the doctor and the nurse was soothing
to him. After a nights rest, he had yet
another treatment with O3, which was followed by a delicious Mexican Breakfast
at El Salsero Restaurant. During all the time he was in the office and
undergoing treatment, he was made to feel comfortable, the tone of conversation
was one of respect and the smooth flow of the ambience in the small office
crowded with patients made him feel at home and cared for. Why don’t we have doctors
like this at home? He asked. I assured him that even in Mexico she was unusual
and that she was just born that way to parents who were very socially conscious
people.
I felt confident that we can avoid
Dialysis in El Indio for a few years, as I have seen good results with O3
therapy in the prevention of the deterioration of chronic kidney disease.
(a very friendly waitress at El Salsero Restaurant in Mexico)
We crossed the border back to USA and
then I drove him back to the San Antonio, booked a hotel for him to stay and
then organized his trip back home to his reservation.
As the husband of the doctor said, after
a lovely dinner at Baraka’s Restaurant, our stomachs are full and hearts are
content.
The most content person was El Indio, who
had to travel a long way, much longer than his usual sojourners but he returns
home with great hope that he may be given reprieve by the Great Spirit and he
is grateful. I told him; whatever the Great Spirit has in store for you is what
will happen. What we have tried is to make sure that the inflammation is taken
care of and that dialysis for dollar transaction will not take place in his
case.
(a waitress in San Antonio, friendly Texan student of Nursing)
(on the other side of the shallow river lies Mexico)
This is a good example of Doctor-Patient
relationship. All philosophies insist on
Gratitude
Humility
Mindfulness
All of us are grateful for various
actions by the various individuals
The humility is our hope for our patient,
knowing well that this treatment would be of help to him
Mindfulness is the aware of the present,
enjoying the travel, the unbearable heat, the treatment, wonderful hospitality
of the Mexican people, needless to say the superior food there.
