Times of India
03 June 2010
By VishakhA Sharma

Teenager from Camp claims alternative therapy helped her enjoy normal life despite having a congenital heart disease called the atrial septal defect, or a hole in the heart
Three years back, Reena Salunkhe (name changed to protect identity of minor girl) was told by cardiologists that she won’t live long after she was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD), a type of congenital heart disease in which there is a hole in the wall (septum) of the heart between the right atrium and the left atrium. When her condition went from bad to worse, her parents took her to dowsing expert Ali Asgar K Gilitwala, as a last resort.

Reena, now 16 years old, suffered from breathlessness, fever with chills, giddiness. Gilitwala said,“Reena was brought to me by her parents in 2007 when her condition was very bad. She could not walk straight or climb stairs and panted even when she walked a bit. She weighed just 25 kgs and complained about blood coming out of her nose frequently. At that time, she could not even attend school and was missing it from around six months.”

He added,“I started treating her and worked on her conscious and sub–conscious mind and released all kinds of negative energies that she had. For four months, she used to come for sessions twice a week. But only after a couple of sessions, she started showing signs of improvement. And after her ECG was done, we could see a lot of improvement. Her weight increased by 10 kgs. She could attempt her SSC exams and scored a first class. Today, after two years of alternative treatment, Reena is in a better condition. Now, she not only socialises with her friends, but is also enjoying life like a regular teenager.”

Reena, who stays in Camp, said,“He (Gilitwala) has changed my life. I still remember the time when my condition was very bad. I was taken to him by my parents where he used to calm me down. During my sessions with him, he used to make me fall asleep using hypnotism and after waking up, I always used to feel good. After being treated by him, my ECG showed a drastic improvement as my heart rythm stabilised and the doctors who had given up on me were surprised and told me that I was getting better. I am on my own now and enjoying life with my peers.”

Mirror spoke to Dr M Durairaj, cardiologist, who has been treating Reena. He said,“Ethically, I am not allowed to disclose any of my patients’ details and therefore I would not like to talk about it. But as far as hypnotism is concerned, I neither subscribe to nor encourage such unscientific and unproven treatments. I believe in the use of scientifically tried and tested treatment with proper controlled study.”