Introduction

Medicine and Astrology are no strangers to each other. The founders of the vedic system of medicine namely Sushruta and Charak believed that improvement in the patient may not depend on medication but also on his stars and star combination. Every effort was made to fit the treatment to the patient’s personality and mental make-up.

Although recent times have witnessed an explosion of medical information, multiple modalities of treatment including organ replacement and artificial intelligence; we are still far away from accurate prognostication. Our medical text books continue to mention prognosis in certain ailments as guarded. What does that mean? Good, fair, bad or unknown? We still don’t know how well a kidney transplant will behave. Inspite of DLA matching kidneys have been rejected. Ischaemic heart disease, Bypass or stenting becomes debatable. Is joint replacement sure to make the patient comfortable? Will in vitro fertilization succeed in the infertile couple?

If you have an enlightened astrologer, who is familiar with the almanacs and computers and has a working knowledge of medicine, he may be in far better position to tell the outcome of disease. A famous cardiac surgeon who died young was impressed by medical astrology and would often take the advise of an expert while operating on a VIP. A preventive cardiologist who is into unconventional treatments and is very successful, has an astrologer by her side. A medical astrologer I knew, who was also professor in IIT, often gave predictions that 80-90% were correct. Our hospitals have been slow to recognise para medical services. But today departments of Ayurvedic medicine, homoeopathic medicine, acupuncture, etc. are widely prevalent even in hospitals outside India. It is strange that astrology has percolated into the lives of politicians, industrialists, sports person and film stars but has yet to make an inroad into medicine.

It is nobody’s case that we should go crystal gazing everytime we operate or we have a serious medical problem. Standard and accepted medical treatment first. But when on crossroads, in cases like recovery from stroke, head injuries with prolonged unconsciousness, chronic renal failure, liver transplant and low birth weight babies, one need not consider it below his dignity to consult a medical astrologer. As it stands patients must be running to saints and seers to get an answer. The terminally ill patient can also benefit from such information. Even if it is 80-90% correct.

Ex. Hon. Paediatric Surgeon, Bai Jerabi Wadia Hospital for Children, Parel. Hon. Surgeon, Arogyanidhi Hospital, Juhu and BARC Hospital, Deonar, Mumbai.