Dr Suraj Karmacharya
Nepal’s first acupuncture specialist
Jhulaghat border point along Nepal-India border to remain open...
"I used to constantly wonder how a mere needle could cure various diseases," says Dr Karmacharya. His insatiable curiosity on the matter ultimately led him to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, in China. There he witnessed thousands of patients seeking treatment through acupuncture every single day. The method was so undeniably effective that Dr. Karmacharya was forced to learn the philosophies, skills and techniques.
He classifies himself as a neuro acupuncturist and he has been practicing in the capital for the past eight years now. Dr Karmacharya is fully devoted to raising awareness about this alternative method of treatment in Nepal.
Acupuncture originates from China and has been practiced there for more than five thousand years. Dr Karmacharya retells the tale of a Chinese emperor who suffered from chronic pains. It seemed that there was no cure for it. Until one day, while fighting in a battle he was hit by an arrow. Though the emperor was wounded, his chronic pains slowly started disappearing. Medicinal experts of the time were perplexed. So when they decided to further investigate the matter, they discovered that poking the same exact spot helped relieve other patients who suffered from similar pains as well.
Thus began the experimentations. They branched out and used a variety of needles and different techniques and soon enough acupuncture was established as a way of treatment.
The list of health issues that has been known to be cured by acupuncture is an impressively long one. "From digestive problems, anxiety, acute pains to migraine, insomnia, arthritis and many more, in my experience 300-500 different types of diseases can be healed by acupuncture. If the patient is in the earlier stages of their illness we can fully cure them. Even when a condition is chronic and more complicated, there is always that chance that the treatment will about bring improvements," says Dr Karmacharya.
Such positive result has encouraged many to embrace acupuncture. Dr Karmacharya shares that there are about 50,000 licensed acupuncturists in America, 20,000 in Europe and 10,000 in Latin America. Increasing numbers of patients who couldn't find a cure with modern medicine are turning to acupuncture.
Nevertheless, here in our country, there still are some myths that are discouraging patients from opting for the treatment and Dr. Karmarcharya is keen to dispel them.
"First and foremost, people need to know that acupuncture is not only about randomly sticking needles in a patient's body. We are doctors as well and we too use a variety of diagnostic tools such as MRI, CT scans and X-Rays to get to the root of the health problems. All professional acupuncturists have knowledge of biochemistry, human anatomy, and medical science. It's just that we apply it in a different way."
Simply put, acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body to regulate the flow of vital energy. Contrary to popular belief, it's said to be painless. Since acupuncture is always evolving and different doctors could approach the same case in different ways, its effectiveness tends to depend on the specialist who is carrying out the procedure. There is a lot of technicality and precision involved in this and thus it should only be carried out under the supervision of an expert.
However, it has been found that many people in Nepal still don't know how to distinguish between specialists and simply trained acupuncturists. "There are many out there who have only taken a couple of months or a year's training in acupuncture. They too are allowed to run their practices but they are only able to handle a limited number of health problems such as lower back or knee joint problems. Specialists like us, on the other hand, who have a Master's degree in acupuncture are capable of looking into and curing a variety of simple as well as complex illnesses," informs Dr Karmarcharya. It's important that people are aware of their acupuncturist's qualification before becoming their patients.
Nepalis are slowly but surely warming up to this alternative method of treatment. Dr Karmarcharya remembers how things were seven years ago when he had just started his practice. He reveals that in the first month he treated only 13 patients in total. Today though, on a good day, he caters to about 80-90 patients a day. As it turns out, a few doctors have also begun recommending their patients to acupuncturists.
"It's important to spread awareness about acupuncture. Understanding that treatment does not end with medicines alone can help people find cure for many ailments. Acupuncture is a very reliable, safe and effective method, one that is based on centuries of learning," says Dr Karmarcharya.
