Health and Spirituality, a pathway to overall wellbeing

Padma Shri, Dr. BC Roy and DST National Science Communication National Awardee, Dr K K Aggarwal gives an Oration at the SKN Medical College in Pune

Spiritual healthcare involves treating a patient’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual elements as an integrated whole and not just freeing a person’s physical body from disease. Speaking about the new age concept of Spiritual Prescription and the correlation between spirituality and healthcare, renowned Cardiologist, spiritual writer, inspirational speaker and President of the Heart Care Foundation of India, Dr K K Aggarwal left over 2000 doctors and students at the S K N Medical College enthralled during his visit to Pune on Friday, August 22, 2014.

A medico-spiritual expert and social worker par excellence, Dr. K K Aggarwal is the only doctor in the country to have received three prestigious National awards namely the Padma Shri, Dr. BC Roy and the DST National Science and Communication Award. He is also a Limca Book of World Record holder for the maximum number of people trained in the lifesaving technique of hands only CPR in one go and the Senior National Vice President of the Indian Medical Association.

Commenting on his keynote address at the SKN Medical College, Dr K K Aggarwal, President of the Heart Care Foundation of India said, “Health is not merely an absence of disease but a state of physical, mental, social and spiritual well being. I feel that spiritual prescription should be an integral part of modern medicine for a person can truly be healthy only when there exists’ a balance between his sympathetic and parasympathetic state. Unfortunately mental health education is not a part of the course curriculum at the MBBS level. I feel that in addition to normal disease prevention measures, one should follow the principles of non-violent communication, confession, non-materialistic gifting, creative thinking and community service to achieve complete inner happiness and to live a healthy life”

During his oration, Dr Aggarwal also gave an example of how by chanting vowels with nasal consonants; one can get benefits such as pain relief and mental relaxation. For instance it is very common to chant ‘AUM’ or ‘OM’ while meditating or while trying to relax one’s mind. The scientific principle behind this is that Aum/Om is nothing but a combination of a vowel Au or O along with a nasal consonant UM or M. It is a well-known fact that whenever we suffer physical pain, we automatically produce a vowel sound like in the case of being pricked by a pin or needle the natural reaction is to say ‘ee’ or ‘Ah’. Allopathic research has demonstrated that chanting of vowels produces interleukin-2 in the body, which has an action, similar to that of aspirin, a painkiller. Similarly when we are upset, we weep or make weeping sounds. These weeping sounds are nasal consonants, which produces delta activity in the mind EEG with results similar those of a tranquilizer.

A pioneer of leading health initiatives, Dr. K K Aggarwal has been instrumental in bringing treatments such as clot dissolving therapy for acute heart attacks and Colour Doppler Echocardiography in the country.  In addition to this, he has also conceptualized and organized unique consumer driven health awareness platforms such as The Perfect Health Mela and the Run for your Heart as a part of his role as the President of The Heart Care Foundation of India. His most recent project within the NGO called the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund is playing an instrumental role in providing heart care for all patients in need of treatment but do not have the financial or technical means to fund it.

Dr. Aggarwal is also a member of the Ethics Committee of the Medical Council of India, and he is well versed with topics such as ethical guidelines every medical practitioner must follow, medical negligence, article 21 of the constitution and a person’s right to universal healthcare.