THE FAMILY THAT TREATS LUNACY
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| Physicians, Poonkudil Mana, near Manjeri, Malappuram |
For the mentally ill and their relatives, Poonkudil Mana, near Manjeri is a sanctum rather than an asylum. This Mana has provided traditional psychiatry through the centuries to those who have lost sight of reality. Now the whole family is practicing what they received as a boon.
The Mana provides separate lodging facilities for men and women. It has about 30 inmates. A large number come as outpatients everyday. They are not business-minded in their vocation. “The whole success of our medication depends on the benediction of our family deity, Bhagavathi”, asserts P.N.Namboodiri, who was invited to participate in an international conference on mental health held at Bangalore in 1997.
The family deity exists only in their mental conception. The Mana has no icon of its family deity. They do not depend on text books to study the method of treatment. The knowledge is transmitted orally from generation to generation.
They follow the principles of Ayurveda in their treatment. Most of the medicines are prepared by them at home.
Jaladhara and Kashayadhara are essential elements of their medication. Love, friendly approach and medicines are indispensable factors in treating mental patients.
“For known or unknown reasons one person deviates or moves away from reality of life, that is mental illness. To bring him or her back to the real track of life, that is psychiatry”, says P.N.Namboodiri.
Other members of the healing family are Vishnu, the eldest member, Vasudevan, Narayanan and Jatavedan.
Courtesy: Jithesh.K.P (text) , Rajesh Kumar.R (photo), The New Indian Express (June 6, 1998)
Contributed by: Administrator
