Creating Waves of Awareness
Homeopathic doctor uses venom to treat Afghans
In this July 14, 2010 photo, Mohammad Sherzad places scorpions on his hand at his homeopathic clinic in Charakar province, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. - AP Photo
This news is reproduced from DAWN of 13 August 2010.Though it may not be truly "Homeopathic"method of treatment but snake poison has been used to produce very highly effective homeopathic medicines.Farokh j Master's book on snake poisons is now an accepted fact.Hughes proving of Lachesis is a classic in homeopathy.Scorpion poison has also found place in Homeopathy.
The fact that some person is trying to "research"and experiment with venom's in a war torn,poverty stricken country is a tribute to sagacity of the people of that country.If there was a modern facility for these rag tag "doctors" and proper environment was provided,for their education they could create wonders.
Dr Wequar
CHARAKAR, Afghanistan: The hundreds of patients who flock to Mohammad Sherzad's homeopathic clinic in northern Afghanistan are
greeted with a glass case of snakes and a covered glass dish of
scorpions.
For decades, Sherzad has been extracting poison from snakes and scorpions, mixing it with natural herbs and using the concoctions to treat people ill with epilepsy and vitiligo, which causes white,
depigmented patches on the skin.
Medical facilities are so scarce in this impoverished nation that many Afghans can't find doctors – the country has 1 doctor for every 10,000 people, according to the United Nations. Dozens of homeopathic
doctors like Sherzad offer an alternative.
More then 1,800 patients are registered at Sherzad's home clinic in Charakar, the capital of Parwan province. Patients pay an initial fee of about $10 and leave with different capsules, powders and other forms of
homeopathic medicines that cost roughly $20 to $30 a month.
Sherzad proudly shows visitors an album of before and after photos of his patients. One shows a young girl with white spots all over her feet. Another, taken later, shows the girl, smiling, her skin color
returned to normal.
''I thank God today that this disease (vitiligo) can be cured in Afghanistan,'' said Sherzad, who never went to medical school, but has written more than 800 pages on the human body. ''We can say to the world
that we are now able to treat this disease.''
Dr. Qasim Sayedi, who directs the health department in Parwan province, is skeptical that Sherzad's treatments really work.
The Afghan government does not regulate homeopathic doctors, but does exert some informal oversight. The local health department has asked Sherzad, an Afghan returnee from Iran, to provide documents of his
education.
''He had no documents except some video and photos from Iran, that showed him with snakes and scorpions,'' said Sayedi. Sayedi said he is giving Sherzad enough time to get proper documents, and that Sherzad has
promised to go through all the legal steps needed to get a legal
license.
Sherzad said his patients' experiences are evidence of his success.
Nelofer, a 21-year-old woman, took a nearly two-hour flight from Herat in western Afghanistan to Kabul and then a 90-minute trip from the Afghan capital to Parwan province to visit Sherzad. She said she had
been suffering for nine years from vitiligo, which creates white patches
on the hands, face and around the eyes, mouth and nostrils.
''I am hated because of having white spots on my hands,'' said Nelofer, who said she saw 20 skin experts in Afghanistan and Pakistan before seeking help at Sherzad's clinic.
Nelofer said that over the years the white spots grew larger on her hands and new ones appeared on her feet. She hates appearing in public for fear of being ostracized by others.
''That is bothering me more than anything else – that no one wants to eat with me at the same table,'' Nelofer said, crying.In contrast, Nazira, a 34-year-old mother, shed tears of joy, saying that her 9-year-old daughter, who suffered from vitiligo for years, was getting better day by day after seeing
Sherzad for the past few months. She says her daughter, Kawsar, no longer feels isolated from other children and plays with her classmates at school.
''I first saw the doctor in a TV show,'' Nazira said. ''I was amazed with his work. Now my daughter is under his treatment.''She said she took her daughter to 10 skin specialists, but got only one answer: They could do nothing.
Extracting poison from a snake or scorpion is delicate, if not hazardous, work, but having done it for more than three decades Sherzad has developed a fondness for his creatures.
''I love them and that is the reason why I look after them,'' Sherzad said as a gray snake looped around his hand.
Sherzad laid a snake across his lap and squeezed venom from its mouth. He used a syringe to extract poison from the tips of his scorpions' tails, which curve over their backs. He then process the
poison, purifies it to remove harmful substances and then mixes it with
herbs found in the mountains.
One of his patients, 11-year-old Mohammad Shafiq, began suffering epilepsy-like seizures after falling from the roof of a house. The boy, dressed in a light blue Afghan traditional shulwar kumuz, saw many
doctors and took several medications. Still, his condition didn't
improve. He suffered five to six seizures a day. His mother,
Sharifa Ahamdi, said that after being under Sherzad's care for two weeks, ''life changed'' for her son. He could walk and talk better and do a better
job feeding himself.
Shafiq's mother, who was in Sherzad's office to pick up the treatment
for the coming months. ''You made our life change by treating my son.'' –
AP
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Debby Bruck on -
Dear Dr Wequar - I have also posted this information at this page and it is a question we must ask ourselves.
If anyone knows this person we should find out more about him.
The question is why the media has chosen him as a representative of "Homeopathy"?
Others are also using venoms of snake and scorpions.
Is this news to get Pakistan in the public eye?
Is this news to talk about ways to heal?
Is this to confuse the public what is "Homeopathy" and what is alternative healing?
We must look at the motivation of the journalists when they print misinformation and paste labels on people. The person who is doing healing treatments is not a professional physician.
There are more questions than answers.
What we can say is that Mohammad Sherzad has saved many lives using poisonous substances.
The people in his community treasure his skills and experience.
Is it possible that Western doctors will now investigate the use of these toxins for epilepsy & vitilago?
He is doing good work in the world.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Wequar Ali Khan on -
Afghanistan is a soverign country.and i don't think "Is this news to get Pakistan in the public eye?"
Being next door neighbour there is a lot of traffic for medical reason,as facilities are meagre there.
My comment on the news reflects my perception when you said "What we can say is that Mohammad Sherzad has saved many lives using poisonous substances." based on his experience only,though he lacks proper medical education.What if he had formal training? Things would be different indeed.
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Permalink Reply by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on -
My neighbor, an ex-military person, told me that scorpions and snakes are used as a method of intoxication in some areas, especially by the drug addicts. The agents charge 100 rupees for a single bite!
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Prabhat Kumar Dasgupta on -
In Asia their are so many people who use poison from snakes , scorpions & from other reptiles for treatment.They are not Doctors. They even do this on roads & streets . They even mix the extracts with different oil & use them as an external application . People used to go to them for sex problem , skin diseases & for general weakness etc...
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Permalink Reply by Debby Bruck on
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Dr Prabhat - please teach us more of their practices. Do you feel they are effective? What is your opinion? Still wondering if anyone knows of this person Mohammad Sherza and why they say he is using homeopathy? Does anyone on HWC live in his area, that they may visit with him?
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Permalink Reply by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on
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Yes, I got it!
I contacted a person, who was a drug addict. He had worked in a remote village in India. Near his residence, one person used to bring scorpions and snakes and he used to charge for each bite. There were many people, including youngsters, who got addicted to this. This person started with small scorpions and later with large ones. Initially, it was painful, but later, that pain became a pleasure. Finally, he had to take de-addiction treatment for several years to get rid of this addiction. There were some black marks on his forearm. But, he did not allow me to take the photograph.
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Permalink Reply by Debby Bruck on
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Are you saying that Mohammad Sherza is really using "sting" therapy like apitherapy for arthritis, scorpion stings and snake bites? This is not homeopathy and will confuse readers across the globe.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Wequar Ali Khan on
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It shows how deep can be the addiction, and how far one can go to fulfilling the urge to get involved in such acts.On the other side of the spectrum we have these "drug lords" who make it a business to make money.
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Permalink Reply by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on
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As per the information I have received, this is not a homeopathic method. This is just a method of treatment done by a homeopath. If he is a real homeopath, he would have used Apis, scorpion, Naja, Lachesis etc in potentized form!
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Wequar Ali Khan on
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These are half baked homeopaths,who have managed to manipulate "HOMEOPATHY" to their advantage and disgrace the pretty face that homeopathy has.
Till the government of the countries concerned appreciate the power of homeopathy and formulates policies which are pro homeopathy,it is very difficult to eradicate such aforementioned characters from the society.
© 2013 Created by Debby Bruck.
