Dear Santosh, Thank you for your polite response and not knit-picking my post. Let me answer your questions:
SH: Are you claiming that Christian priests and ministers, Muslim mullahs and imams, and Hindu bhots and swamis study science and scientific method as part of their theological curriculum? If so, could you please let me know the name of at least one science textbook that they are required to read. GL: Theology is a required curriculum subject that Catholic priests study. Fr. Ivo can give you a list of simplified and high-level theological books and other books on logic and deductions. Please tell us the names of five theological books you have studied (not just read)? I look forward to your reply. SH: Can you please explain how religion can be a scientific endeavor with at least one specific example? GL: Here may be the problem - Semantics! Please read my definition of "scientific inquiry". Please ask questions ABOUT religion instead of trying to provide answers TO religion. I think religion has plenty to do with individual and social behavior. Yes, there are anecdotal exceptions to the rule. Demagogues love to quote these anecdotal cases. SH: The problem is not the past but what is being done in the present - the fact that outdated ancient medical practices such as Ayurveda and Homeopathy are being practiced unchanged and untested at the present time. GL: The NCI (National Cancer Institute) in the USA has multimillion dollar research studies on "Alternative Medicine". After making sure there is no infection, my patients of prostate cancer with urinary symptoms are recommend, plenty of fluid intake and Cranberry juice (from the grocery shelf) along with radiation for their cancer.. About seventy percent have good relief of their urinary symptoms. The remainder get medications after a three day trial of Cranberry Juice. There are therapeutic benefits to massage, acupuncture, manipulation, exercise, etc. When osteopathic medicine first started (by an allopathic doctor), allopathic / scientific medicine rejected it. But there is definitely a role for manipulation in patient care. Similalry 'cognitive therapy' may have a role in preventing and treating Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders. Perhaps you can write on the scientifically proven (with EEG and MRI studies) effects of meditation - "mind-altering technique" and the effects of the same on the body. In this regard, likely you have read the works of neuroscientist Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin. Here is a non-scientific web link for those interested: http://meditation-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/meditation_changes_the_brain http://www.healthy.net/scr/Interview.asp?Id=306 It is said that among all illnesses presenting to a Primary Care Physician, about 70 percent are self-limiting (self-healing). We would all agree that in these situations, allopathy, homeopathy, Ayurveda or 'chicken soup' should do equally well. I will grant you that medications may make the recovery process faster. Of the remainder, about ten percent of illnesses are too far advanced and irreversible for any treatment to significantly help. Perhaps here we can improve the quality of life. These are chronic illness and terminal illness. Skilled medical intervention really helps in about twenty percent of illnesses - but here it can make the difference between life and death. The important point is: All of us should understand and accept the limitations of what we do. I have said on this forum before: "A good surgeon knows how to operate. A great surgeon knows when not to operate." Regards, GL
