Antidepressants: A shot in the dark

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on June 25, 2009

Depression is a common disease in today’s life where most of the people find themselves entangled in too much of a rat race. The patient remains in low spirits, feels isolated and dead on his feet. He finds little pleasure in things and activity he used to love and enjoy before being caught by the disease. His relationships with his family and friends take a turn for the worse.
The common complaints this writer often hears from patients include:“Doctor, I am deep in the chocking fog of stress, anxiety and depression and I feel like I will never get out of it, every day gets harder and I feel trapped and isolated. The depression has robbed me of the motivation to do even the simplest tasks by causing extreme exhaustion. And the antidepressants given to me by psychiatrist are doing me no good. I think I will never be able to stop them because whenever I try to stop them or reduce their dose, the withdrawal symptoms torment me with even greater torture”.
Researchers have found that extended periods of stress, anxiety and depression can cause destructive changes in our bodies, such as a suppressed immune system, which can eventually lead to heart disease cancer and stroke.
In case of major depression doctors go for antidepressant medication. But antidepressants are not Silver bullet for depression, as they have their own side effects and dangers. Moreover recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness.
According to the chemical imbalance theory, depression is caused by low levels of serotonin, a chemical that acts in the brain as a neurotransmitter and is involved in the control of pain perception, the sleep-wake cycle, and mood. It is claimed that depression medication brings serotonin levels back to normal.
The truth however, is that, psychiatrists know little about how antidepressants work. There is no test that can measure the amount of serotonin in the living brain----no way to even know what a low or normal level of serotonin is, let alone show that depression medication fixes these levels.
Experts agree that depression involves much more than just “bad” brain chemistry. Serotonin is just one of may play a role in the disorder. New research points to other biological contributors to depression, including in flammation, elevated stress hormones, immune system suppression, abnormal activity in certain parts of the brain, nutritional deficiencies, genes and shrinking brain cells.
These are just the biological factors but man is not just flesh, bones and blood. He is much higher being and has a living soul inside him. He has higher goals and ambitions. He has loves and hates, failures and successes hidden deep inside him. How can we understand depression and then also claim to treat without understanding the human being first.
Moreover social and psychological factors ---such as loneliness and low self esteem -----also play an enormous role in causing depression. Psychiatrists admit that the modern medical science has not understood even the thousandth part of human brain’s functioning but while admitting this fact they continue drugging the patients with strong antidepressants. The poor patient is told that he has to take the allopathic medicines all his life.
In homeopathy mental and emotional symptoms are of paramount importance when prescribing not only for mental and emotional conditions, but also physical symptoms. When homeopathy has to focus on the treatment of the mental and emotional symptoms like phobias, depression and other behavioral disorders, it is simply unparalleled by any other system of medicine. It does not give chemicals to its patients suffering from depression and the related disorders, rather in awakens the immune system that, by the grace of Allah, cures the problem seamlessly effortlessly.

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Stage phobia, its victims and solutions

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on June 24, 2013

Many people in the world suffer from stage phobia. They just never dare to come to the stage and speak despite having the desire to possess this ability. Then there are also those who make attempts to appear at the stage but fail to utter a few words or sentences due to unknown fears. A few people, however, stand out and make themselves felt while occupying the stage because of inborn tendencies or sheer practice and hard work.
One cannot help smiling after reading the American entertainer George Jessel’s famous quote: “The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to work as soon as you are born and doesn’t stop until you get up to deliver a speech”.
The agony of a stage phobic cannot be explained in words. His feelings are absolutely different from the normal little excitement every speaker or public performer experiences before appearing in front of the audience. Some failures and embarrassments experienced in the past leave in him settled fear of incompetence. In a person suffering from stage fright the mere thought of giving a speech can trigger anxiety, blankness of mind, dryness of mouth, palpitation, sweating, rapid breathing, and trembling of voice and hands.
It’s a pity that so many talented people just because of stage phobia avoid better carriers and opportunities which involve public speaking. This attitude of avoiding the challenging situations gives a sort of instant relief but in fact deepens their fear and strengthens their belief that they are incapable of overcoming it. They develop low self-esteem which eventually has its own negative consequences. Thus this phobia wreaks havoc on the lives of those who suffer from it.
So many young people who otherwise possess excellent leadership qualities only because of their inability to face the audience fail to contribute to the society what they are actually able to do. They do recognize that their fear is excessive and unreasonable but they feel themselves powerless against it. They are terrified by the thought of humiliating or embarrassing themselves.
Some people who have dread of public speaking but because of certain reasons cannot avoid it may even resort to tranquilizers, beta-blockers or alcohol to overcome their nervousness and of course by doing so they put themselves in a greater mess.
No treatment of course can claim to be a substitute for the hard work and constant practice. In case one develops such psychological problems that even after constant practice and hard work one is unable to perform well then one genuinely needs a treatment. An ideal treatment, in a harmless way, enhances one’s capacity to utilize one’s abilities in an ideal manner.
Homeopathy helps a person come out of his stage fright and nervousness in an absolutely natural way and that also without any side-effects. After the proper homeopathic treatment people have the pleasant experience of confidence and relaxed feeling while addressing the public. 

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