Patna, Jan. 5: The state health department’s stress on encouraging indigenous methods of medicine, it seems, is showing results.

A lot of patients are turning up at the Government Tibbi College for Unani medicine at Kadamkuan in the capital for treatment.

The hospital has started a number of therapies like regimenal therapy, dietotherapy, pharmacotherapy and others the past three months or so. Sources said the hospital received over 500 new patients last December. This was a much better number compared to the registrations made a few months ago.

Experts at the hospital said that the Unani system of medicine (Unanipathy), which originated in Greece, is based on the principles propounded by Galen, a Greek physician. After him, many Arab and Persian scholars enriched the practice. This system, earlier known as Galenic, later became Unani (Arabic name for Greek) system of medicine.

“This system has a long and impressive record in India. It came with the Islamic culture that spread here in AD 10th century. Now, Unanipathy has become a part of the Indian system of medicine. India is one of the leading countries as far as its practice is concerned. It is similar to Ayurveda,” said a senior doctor at a hospital.

Elaborating the treatment, the doctor said Unani medicine establishes that disease is a natural process and that symptoms are the reactions of the body to the disease.

“It believes in the humoural theory which presupposes the presence of 4 humours — dam (blood), balgham (phlegm), safra (yellow bile) and Sauda (black bile) in the body. Each humour has its own temperature — blood is hot and moist, phlegm cold and moist, yellow bile hot and dry and black bile cold and dry.

According to Unani, if the four main humours and the four primary qualities are all in a state of mutual equilibrium, one is considered healthy,” he added.

The diagnosis of diseases under the Unani system of medicine is through examination of pulse, urine and stool. This system observes the influence of surroundings and ecological conditions such as air, food, fluids, body movement, sleep and wakefulness, excretion and retention on the state of health. This influence causes a dominance of one of the four humours in every human body. Unani believes that it is this dominance, which gives a man his individual habit and temperament.

Manju Chaurasia who had come to see a Unani physician said: “I have a problem of chronic arthritis. I was recommended Unani by a family friend and this method has worked wonders for me. Without popping pills, I feel much better.”

At a recent event, health minister Ashwini Kumar Chaubey had recalled that as a child he underwent Unani medicine therapy quite a few times and it always worked for him.

“I am a fan of indigenous methods of medicines like Ayurveda, Unani, yoga and others. I wish that no one falls ill in my state, but if they do, they should prefer these natural methods over allopathy which has so many side-effects,” Chaubey said.

Officials at the hospital expressed happiness that the department was keen on promoting these methods.

“We can serve more patients and in a better way if the government helps us improve the infrastructure and fill up the vacancies,” he said.