| | | DoctorNDTV: Does the Indian health care industry have any problems? If yes, how would you tackle these? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: There are plenty of problems in the health care industry in India. Lack of manpower, lack of resources, lack of reward and lack of initiative are just some of these. At an individual level, I try and be curious instaed of being cautious and sceptical, especially where newer advances in the field of Psychiatry are concerned. With this approach, I have been able to introduce the latest developments in the field of mental health in India and this has certainly encouraged others to follow suit. Many people with otherwise intractable problems have benefitted through these therapeutic modalities. The rewards etc. follow automatically and are never the primary determinant. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: What has been your most recent professional milestone? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: I believe that learning is a never-ending process and in my work I find that there are always newer and advanced treatments that keep coming up. There are three milestones that I would consider worth mentioning here. The first is the Ultra Rapid Opiate Detoxification along with the use of Implants in the field of Drug and Alcohol Deaddiction. The second is the use of Past Life Regression Therapy in my practice. The last and the latest is Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) as therapy for numerous psychiatric and neurological disorders. rTMS is being recognised as the most significant development in the field of Neuropsychiatry in the last 50 years. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: What are your most satisfying patient moments/outcomes? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: For any doctor the most satisfying moment is when the patient reports on his own that he is feeling fine. Besides this, when I see the wonderful results of the three kinds of treatments that I had mentioned above, after all the cynicism around, I feel good. It is a vindication of one's beliefs and vision. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: Is there anything you think must be done for better health for all? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: The list can be endless. However, a few things are a greater access for the masses to specialized medical care, mandatory stress reduction camps at the level of the general population and increased psychoeducation at the school level. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: Would you like to tell us about any recent developments in your specialty? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is being recognised as the most significant development in the field of Neuropsychiatry in the last 50 years. rTMS is currently being used as a potential treatment for many Psychiatric & Neurological disorders. The psychiatric indications include depression, schizophrenia, mania, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive - compulsive disorder, phobias, panic disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders & addictions. The neurological conditions where rTMS has proved to be useful are stroke, Parkinson's disease, migraine, multiple sclerosis, autism, epilepsy, fibromyalgia and chronic pain. In Ophthalmology, it is seen to help in a condition called lazy eye or amblyopia which otherwise has no cure.
The other significant development is in the area of Addiction Medicine. An important factor in Drug Deaddiction is that the patient's fear of withdrawal perpetuates dependency or makes it more permanent. For the addicted individual, fear of the pain from withdrawal can be the single factor that continues their dependency. They are so overwhelmingly frightened of the pain of Detoxification that they would much rather continue taking the drug than face the withdrawal. Ultra-rapid Detoxification is a painless way of withdrawal for addicts. Fears and anxieties about withdrawal may deter some addicts from seeking treatment and such factors can also increase the level of distress experienced during withdrawal. An intriguing feature of this new procedure is that the withdrawal is maximally hastened while the addict is under the effect of Light Sedation. Therefore, the individual does not consciously experience any symptoms of opiate withdrawal. The prospects of not having to experience any withdrawal symptoms make this procedure non-threatening to addicts and therefore very successful. After the Detox is done, the problem of Relapse prevention still remains. The most effective way of achieving this is through the use of sustained release medications such as Disulfiram and Naltrexone which are implanted inside the body through a minor surgical procedure done under local anaesthesia.
A third and amazing development is the use of Past Life Regression (PLRT) as a form of therapy. PLRT is based on principles similar to the theory of Reincarnation and Karma that has been an integral part of the Indian society's psycho-religious makeup. It is believed that there is a reason or purpose behind our birth. We are born because we are meant to learn some lessons from life. If this task remains incomplete in a particular lifetime, we take another birth. Whatever we are in our current lifetime is shaped by our previous life or lives. The events, traumas and deeds of these past lives have a connection and impact upon our present lifetime. PLRT allows an individual to access parts of his subconscious and unconscious minds as well as the previous life times that are otherwise out of the accessible range of one's awareness. It works by allowing individuals to go back to the roots of their problems originating in previous lifetimes through unleashing the power of the sub-conscious mind and to solve them at that level. PLRT utilises the tool of hypnosis. The altered state of consciousness allows a person to be more receptive and responsive to inner experiences. It allows an individual to access parts of his subconscious and unconscious minds as well as the previous life times that are otherwise out of the accessible range of one's awareness. With the help of this, one can unravel the possible roots of the problems of his present life and then resolve these. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: Do you think Indian health websites are useful? Your views about DoctorNDTV? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: DoctorNDTV is a wonderful effort which provides a lot of balanced views on various aspects of one's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. It exposes the reader to what is happening in the field of Medicine. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a lot of toher Indian websites which ostensibly cover health issue. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: What role do psychiatrists play in keeping our society healthy? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: Unfortunately, psychiatrist are so overworked that they only have time to treat, not help in prevetion of mental illness or promoting mental health. But by curing & healing, a lot is achieved in keeping our society healthy. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: What is the role of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in managing depression? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: The efficacy of rTMS in treating Depression has been clearly established. It is useful both in treatment resistant Depression and also as a first line treatment modality. There are studies which have shown that its benefits equal those seen with the use of anti-depressants. When given in combination with medication, relief from symptoms and recovery can be anticipated quicker, the dose requirement of medication goes down and the adverse effects associated with continued intake of higher doses of medicine would also decrease. Overall, rTMS has been considered a ‘life saver’ in Depression. | | |
| | | DoctorNDTV: What would you have been if not a doctor? Who is your best teacher? | | Dr Sanjay Chugh: If I could, I would have been a singer! Life has been my best teacher. | | |
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