Thyyar Madabushi Ravindranath1. 1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Neuro-Intensive Care Unit, Morgan-Stanley Children's Hospital, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Dear Sir,I read recently published editorial models in medicines by Professor T. M. Srinivasan in the newly published Int J Yoga.[1] The National Institute of Health in the United States of America defines complementary medicine as the use of a nonmainstream practice together with conventional medicine.[2]Allopathy and complementary medicine operate on different principles, and although allopathy is much maligned for some good reasons, it is based on certain sound principles, provided scientists apply strict anatomical, physiological, and pathophysiological principles. Recent application of genetic principles in diagnosing and understanding complex clinical entities (precision medicine)[3] has made it even more accurate in diagnosing and treating complicated cases. Certainly, conditions that shortened patients' lives a few years ago have now made it possible for these children and adults live longer with good quality of life resulting in these individuals playing a useful role in our society. In fact, we have learned much from these patients how to apply treatment modalities without too many side effects. I am not qualified to comment on complementary medicine, except to say that it has a useful role as a preventive medicine and treating chronic conditions. There are other systems of medicine that can be included under the umbrella of complementary medicine other than the ones mentioned by the author that is practiced in different parts of the world. However, they should be subjected to unbiased, rigorous, and accepted scientific methods as Int J Yoga does. Complementary medicine is slowly gaining acceptance by the practitioners of allopathic medicine and there is growing consensus to apply a modified research approach to study its health benefits.[4] I hope that allopathic and complementary medicine can learn from each other to apply holistic, wholesome medical principles to attain a sound mind in a sound body.