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The NRI Woman Podcast brings you stories of Non Resident Indians from around the world. One of the best Indian podcasts, its available on iTunes.
This time the NRI Indian meets New York based Yashasvi Jhangiani. Yashasvi (Yaashi) is a Homeopathic consultant/educator from Mumbai India, Board certified by the Council for Homeopathic certification as classical Homeopath in the US. She is also registered with the North American society of Homeopaths and is a Homeoprophylaxis supervisor for the Free and Healthy Children International.
Bettina: Welcome back to NRI Woman, the show where we chat with women of Indian origin living across the world. We hope these stories resonate with you, remind you that are not alone in the struggles you face and inspire you to pursue all that enriches your life. I’m Bettina
Ninorah: And I’m Ninorah. In India, Ayurveda is considered a form of medical care, equal to conventional western medicine however that’s not the case with alternative medicine with the rest of the world. Despite this, the use of alternative and complementary medicines is growing across the world. A combination of dissatisfaction with traditional medicines and larger collective leaning towards a more natural way of living has increased the acceptance of complementary and alternative medicines. Today we’re chatting with Yashasvi Jhangiani who shares her story of using her qualification and experience as a homeopath to make a difference in the world.
Bettina: Yashasvi, known as Yashi is a homeopathic consultant and educator based in Connecticut, USA and has been practicing homeopathy for over 25 years. Homeopathy is her passion, but she is also an EMT and teaches CPR. Yashi’s way of practicing homeopathy is a bit different from the traditional way. She strives to empower, educate, and guide families that are looking for a safer, effective alternate way to good health. She does this by teaching them the basics of homeopathy, so they can manage everyday ailments themselves. And the first step towards that is understanding homeopathy.
Yashi: So homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine that safely and effectively treats everyday ailments as well as acute and chronic symptoms of the mind and the body by stimulating the body’s own self healing abilities. The system of medicine is 200 years old, over 200 years old and was founded by a German physician. His name was Dr. Samuel Hanaman. So homeopathy is based on the law of similars, which means that a remedy that produces symptoms in a healthy person will cure those same symptoms, when manifested by a person in a disease state. So we basically give remedies to healthy people, and we note down the symptoms that that remedy can produce in them, and then when we see those symptoms, in a disease person, we match the symptoms of the person to remedy and we give that remedy and that stimulates the body to take care of those symptoms themselves.
Man has used plants, barks, herbs to fight illnesses through the ages. What modern medicine does is it’s based on the principle of administering chemical support. sciences which produced the opposite effect of symptoms of the disease. So what the allopathic medicines do is they work against the body. So you’ll notice that all the things are anti. So you have anti acids, you have anti inflammatory, anti anti histamines. And if all else fails, then you go for the steroids which are immunosuppressive.
And I’m not saying that is not a place for these, there is a place for this if it’s a if it’s really an emergency situation, but you don’t need to reach for them as the first resort at allopathic medicine is indispensable in emergency situations, but we don’t want to misuse or overuse it for everyday ailments or small things that can be corrected by changes in diet or lifestyle. What the homeopathic medicines do is they assist the body’s own healing mechanism.
So the act of stimuli when administered in tiny doses, to stimulate the body’s own healing capacity to correct the imbalance in the weakness that make the person fall prey to diseases to begin with. So what homeopathy sees the symptoms as, as the body telling us that something is wrong, they don’t see the symptoms, as the manifestation of the disease, they feed as the body’s language, like body’s telling us something is wrong, pay attention, fix it. So that’s why the homeopathy is very different from the regular modern medicine.
Ninorah: Yashi has trained under renowned Homeopathic physicians, Dr.Anil Habbu and Dr.Ajit. Kulkarni who have been practicing Homeopathy in Mumbai for over 70 years and see close to 300 patients on a daily basis. She is inspired by their dedication and commitment towards bringing Homeopathy to the masses. Yashi strives to do the same by educating people about the facts and debunking the myths surrounding homeopathy.
The biggest MISCONCEPTION that I have seen that people have about homeopathy is that it’s slow to act, that it’s going to take forever that if you were to take homeopathic remedies, it’s going to take a long time for you to feel better
Yashasvi Jhangiani
Yashi: So the biggest misconception that I have seen that people have about homeopathy is that it’s slow to act, that it’s going to take forever that if you were to take homeopathic remedies, it’s going to take a long time for you to feel better. And from in my experience, that’s not true. I have seen that if the symptoms it depends on how long you’ve had the symptoms.
So if something has started just a few minutes or a few hours, or a few days. It’s going to get better very quickly. But if you’ve had an issue for months and years, then it’s going to take a little bit more time to get better. So say if you had a condition for five years, I would say give it at least two, two and a half years with the homeopathy for you to heal completely. And if something is just acute has started, like a few hours back, you will feel better immediately with a well chosen remedy. So, again, this is another misconception that people have because they think homeopathic medicines are slow to act, that there are going to be no side effects and they can just go and start taking it themselves. I would advise you against that. If you are going to be taking the 30C remedies. They are over the counter.
So literally anybody can walk into the store and pick it up the way you will pick up Tylenol or an anti histamine or a cough syrup. So anybody can pick it up and start using it. But my advice to them would be that Boiron actually the one, the company that whose remedies are most easily available. They actually have an app which you can download and They also have a free booklet right next to where you can pick up the remedies. So my suggestion would be to educate yourself, and then start using it.
And initially when you are new to this to work with a homeopath for a couple of months, join a study group learn about it, and then you can use it, the only side effect that could happen is that you could develop a symptom that you didn’t have, it’s not going to last very long. Remember, I said in the beginning, that the remedies are given to healthy individuals. And then when they exhibit the symptoms, those are noted down and when those symptoms are seen in a person that’s not feeling well, you match those symptoms and give it to that person. And it seems to help the body heal from those symptoms. So the danger is that you could actually come exhibit a new symptom that you didn’t have before. So so you have to pay attention to what how you’re feeling after you take the remedy. So you will may feel better Which happens 80 to 90% of the times, but five to 10% of the times you may develop a new symptom. So be mindful of any new symptoms or new sensations that you might have when you take a remedy.
Bettina: I remember my first interaction with a homeopath, I was asked questions, I didn’t expect. Do I prefer hot or cool weather or do I prefer savory or sweet foods, and so many more questions that I hadn’t really asked myself. The beauty of homeopathy as a modality is that it seeks to explore parts of yourself that don’t often get a mention in conventional treatments, as a homeopath sees a person in a much more multidimensional way. So how then, does one choose the right practitioner?
Yashi: I think the most important quality that I feel your practitioner should have is that the person listens to you. You have to find a practitioner that listens to you and also works with your other practitioners. So most of the families that come to me don’t just have me as their homeopath. They have a regular MD, they have a chiropractor, they have a naturopath, they have this whole team that we all work together to get our patients to their optimal health. I think even before you have that first visit, we are on social media. So you should first do your research about the practitioner even before you actually go to the first visit, to see what are the people that are that this person is seeing? Is this practitioner open to alternative and complementary medicine?
Are they just going to be pushing you know, prescription medication on you or are they also going to be giving you advice on lifestyle, diet and all of that. So these are questions to ask, Are you going to, first of all, when you go there, you can get like from the way the person is talking to you, you’d get a sense of whether you’re energetically aligned with that person. And then other than the regular questions like, are you going to be available to me in an emergency? What is I? What are your wait times? Most important is will you be willing to work with my other practitioners and be open to complementary medicine?
Ninorah: One’s journey into homeopathy does not end with finding the right practitioner. To help one navigate their way through the obstacles and pitfalls of decision making about health problems, it’s important to be an informed patient too and there are various resources available to help with that.
Yashi: For someone who wants to get into homeopathy. Join a local homeopathics study group. attend a workshop, ask questions. Be an informed patient. Take control of your and your family’s health. There are so many free resources, some of the free websites have so much information, I can suggest a free homeopathic study group online. It’s Mary’s homeopathics study group, it has over 30,000 members, they can also join my online group by making a donation of $50 to support girls education, and, you know, get the information is out there. They can contact me I can send them links to free books to download on also links to all these websites that I that I mentioned. So you know, the information is out there, get started. It’s easy.
Homeopathic remedies are easily available not just in India, but in the US also there. There are many homeopathic companies that make the remedies here in the 30C potency, that is the over the counter potency that is available easily. Boiron, Highlands, Washington homeopath, they all make the remedies and make them available pretty easily, so they’re becoming more and more mainstream and they’re very easily available.
Bettina: While the access to homeopathic medicines maybe available over the counter, Yashi is committed to passing on her knowledge, experience and skills. And these cannot be found over the counter. However, she believes this shared interaction with people, enriches the lives of all involved.
Yashi: By heart, I’m an educator, I love to teach and you know, it’s a good thing because I remember Mahesh would say, you know, bahut lecture deti hain. He’s happy that I have found somewhere else to go and go and talk. And, you know, people who come to my workshops, they’ll be like, lecture and I’m like, no This is an interactive workshop. It’s a give and take and giving you information but I’m learning so much from you.
You know, everybody who comes to me teaches me something listening to my family’s has taught me so much. I remember when I started practicing what I what I learned in school is so different from what I’m practicing now. The the issues that people come to me with are so different from what we learn in school, there are so many people that have Attention Deficit issues, there are kids with allergies, asthma, as you know, eczema, all of those things weren’t there before you know, so there is so much out there that is contributing to these issues. So it’s, every day I learned something new I learned from my holistic circle, I learned that homeopathy doesn’t have all the answers. So I will send people to my to others to a chiropractor to a naturopath. And then the same thing people those people said people To me for homeopathy. So, you know, you have to have a team that’s looking out for you and working for you.
Ninorah: For many Yashi is that person who introduced homeopathy into their lives, and for Yashi the person who encouraged her on the path of homeopathy is someone very close to her heart.
Yashi: The story of how he got into homeopathy is is a little funny. I always wanted to study medicine and my dad Bhagwan Shivdasani always encouraged me. He really wanted me to become a doctor. I was the older child. So it was, you know, in India, if you’re the older child, you either go if you’re a girl, you go into medicine, and if you’re a boy, you go into engineering. So it was you know, it was given that I was going to study medicine, and my plan was to become a regular doctor to go into MBBS. But it was my dad. He always wanted me to do complementary medicine and he was a big proponent of homeopathy. And in India, it depends on what your percentage marks are in 12th grade, as you know, the decides what you get into. So when I didn’t get into MBBS, my father celebrated this by jumping with joy. So, today I am of course, more than grateful to him for encouraging me to pursue homeopathy.
But at that time, I didn’t want to practice Homeopathy so I went to the homeopathic school with no intention of practicing homeopathy. And when I graduated, I took care of my family doctors clinic for a month when I was in my internship, and it just drove me crazy. I was ready to like, kill myself. all I was doing was you know, cold cough fever and just giving symptomatic treatment. So I was like, I can’t do this. I have to give homeopathy a shot, you know, and my dad kept encouraging me like you should be doing coming up at the that’s what you’ve studied. So that’s when I you know, started practicing homeopathy and I haven’t looked back since then. And I’m so glad that I made that decision. And, you know, it was the best decision of my life. And I’m so grateful to my dad for not giving up on me and pushing me to continue to practice homeopathy opportunity. And my mom Of course, you know, my dad was the one that supported my education and he loved homeopathy.
But then if I’m sharing about my dad, I should share about my mom too, right? So she was not that much into homeopathy then. But she’s so into it now. So I have a kit that I have left for at home. And she is giving remedies out left, right and center to the kaamwalibai to the paper walla to the chowkidar that comes. And as a matter of fact, she does not let me take money from senior citizens. She takes care of all the remedies that I have to give out to any senior citizens. Anybody that’s going through difficulty, patients that are going through cancer treatment, we don’t take any money from them at all. So my mom pays for all of those remedies. So she’s continuing to support it now that my dad is not here.
Ninorah: As the saying goes the apple does not fall far from the tree. Yashi impacts not only the lives of her patients, but her unique method has raised thousands of dollars towards various nonprofits impacting the lives of so many more. She does not charge patients for consultation, instead she pays it forward by asking her patients to donate what they can, towards the causes close to her heart.
Yashi: So to me pay it forward is to it’s an educational practice, meaning I want people who come to me families that come to me to not be with me forever. I mean, they can stay with me if they want to, but my goal usually is to teach them to empower them. And what we do is I ask families to donate to nonprofits that I support and the causes that are close to our heart our children’s education, specially girls education. So we support many organizations like Rescue Foundation, Naya Jeevan.
We support EKAL, which sponsors a school for 365$ for the whole year, we sponsor one life at a time, the so many other organizations so people can, you know, pay it forward by donating to these for my time. For example, just today evening, I’m meeting with a few ladies who are coming for a homeopathy one on one workshop. And we are they’re all donating 12 to $15 each, and we’re going to be able to sponsor a whole school for a year. So one hour of Yeah, so one hour of my time to teach these amazing ladies homeopathy. So I’m teaching them and in turn, we are going to be able to sponsor the school for the whole year. So this is happening just this evening. So that’s what I’ve done a part of my practices nonprofit. And I teach and in return for my time where I’m teaching you homeopathy you help me by paying it forward, and bringing education to rural India, or bringing education to girls, to me, girls education is really, really close to my heart.
Do as much good as you can to as many as you can in as many ways as you can for as long as you can. Just continue to empower families that come to me continue to teach people continue to make people independent, continue to make people responsible for their own health.
JP Nadda
And I would like to end with Dada JP Vaswani’s quote. He’s our spiritual leader. And he always says this and I would end with this. Do as much good as you can to as many as you can in as many ways as you can for as long as you can. Just continue to empower families that come to me continue to teach people continue to make people independent, continue to make people responsible for their own health.
Bettina: We live in a world where access to qualified practitioners of alternative treatments, knowledge about these treatments, access to medicines is literally available at the tip of our fingers. And one can make an informed choice for themselves. So, if this is your first time exploring alternative treatments, do your research but begin your journey with a qualified practitioner, and not based on the knowledge one has gleaned over the internet. As Hippocrates said, A wise man ought to realize that health is his most valuable possession. So take care of it. I’m Bettina
Ninorah: And I’m Ninorah. Thank you for listening to us and we hope you’ll join us again for our episode next week. We can be found at www.NRIWoman.com or wherever you listen to your podcasts, just look for NRI Woman.
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