Dr. Zubin Marolia’s Integrative Approach to Oncology (video)

Video Transcript: Dr. Zubin Marolia’s Integrative Approach to Oncology

Clip from Episode #7 of Eastern Medicine: Journey Through ASIA

Charlene Bollinger: The final interview from India was with a medical doctor named Zubin Marolia, and I think it’s really going to encourage you.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Thank you, Ty, for having me over here to share my healing experiences in the journey of cancer. Much of my work over the last 30 years has been to integrate, integrate in the line of treatment, integrate a patient in mind, body, and spirit, and integrate all alternative therapies together with conventional medicine. When you see a cancer patient that comes to my clinic, they normally come with about four to six relatives, and the first time they come, I can sense the fear, the hopelessness, the resignation to the disease, and I always encourage all of the relatives to come in the clinic, all of them, husband, wife, daughter, son, relative.

And they all come, and I want them to share their experiences, because that is where the patient derives the support. It’s not like a one-on-one, like you see in an oncology clinic, but it’s always together, together and integration.

So, integration is a key, and that’s where the Department of Integrative Medicine was started in Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and today, many of the big hospitals in the United States of America have Centers for Integrative Medicine. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity of working in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center for Cancer Research in New York in 2009, wherein I shared my experiences in homeopathy and mistletoe with the departments together.

Ty Bollinger: What was their reaction?

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Oh, it was very, very supportive, very supportive. And I saw patients in Memorial Sloan-Kettering on rounds, willing to use acupuncture, herbal medicine, curcumin, and it was nice to give my small recommendations on homeopathy and mistletoe.

Ty Bollinger: Interesting.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: So, integration is very important.

Ty Bollinger: The reason that that’s interesting to me is a couple of reasons. First, you mentioned vitamin B-17, and it was in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital back in the 60s, or maybe the 50s, that there was a Japanese researcher, Kanematsu Sugiura, that began to research vitamin B-17, and that was one of the first times that B-17 gained prominence in the public eye. They tried to downplay the significance and the effectiveness of B-17, but it was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Right, right.

Ty Bollinger: I was curious about that.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Right. And, Ty, life is a story. And as the patient comes to me, I use my interrogative techniques and my history-taking to unfold their story. I call it the healing story. Every patient has a story, and there is one disease, like cancer, where you need to understand the patient’s story. Spend 1 ½ hours, two hours with the patient, trying to understand the childhood, the adolescence, the relationships with parents, your boyfriend, your partner, your wife, your husband, and the put together the story. Again, Ty, the story of integration. And that’s very, very important, because that’s where the journey lies, and that’s where cancer develops.

Ty Bollinger: Let’s hear some encouraging words from one of Dr. Marolia’s patients named Homai Mirza.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: We have with us Mrs. Homai Mirza, an 83-year-old lady living in Mumbai City. Mrs. Mirza is a known case of a high grade ductal carcinoma, which was diagnosed in 2013 on the left side for the first time. Homai, can you tell us about what happened and how you were diagnosed at that time, and tell us your story?

Homai Mirza: I was in Hong Kong when I found out the first lump, in 2013. And I told my doctor when I was there, I told her to—she—first, she contacted her GP, then she took me to the best doctor in Hong Kong hospitals. And she diagnosed, it is there, but she wanted to run some tests. I told her “No, I don’t want to stay here. Just send me to India.” I landed in Mumbai in the morning, and I was taken to Dr. Rahdan. Dr. Rahdan diagnosed the same thing, and he operated on December—

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: 2013.

Homai Mirza: 2013.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Then, she was given chemotherapy, and she completed her chemotherapy. And in January 2016, she had a recurrence on the other side. So, she was diagnosed with breast cancer on the right breast, which also was operated in January 2016. Postsurgery, Homai is 83 years old, post-surgery, they were in a dilemma as to what to do, whether she should undergo chemotherapy again. This becomes a very, very important question for most cancer patients. And it is at that time that Ms. Mirza consulted me for integrative oncology treatment. She was put on homeopathy medicines and mistletoe therapy.

Homai, can you tell us your experience with homeopathy and mistletoe therapy, and when you came to me the first time? You can tell us in your own words how you felt and how was the journey?

Homai Mirza: Actually, I did not want to go through the second phase again of chemotherapy. I said “No, I’ll try homeopathy.” Then my niece was in Delhi, but she knew Dr. Marolia.

Homai Mirza: So, she told me “Dr. Marolia does all this together, so you consult him. He’s a very good doctor.” So, I drive, I met him, and that’s history now. Since last two years, I’m with him.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: And how are you feeling?

Homai Mirza: I have no problem, no problem at all of this. No problem.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Homai is in remission right now, and she’s on regular homeopathy treatment and regular physical examinations.

Homai Mirza: I think you should try. You should try homeopathy. Everybody should try.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Thank you, Homai, for coming, and thank you for sharing your story.

Ty Bollinger: Yes, thank you so much, Homai, for sharing your story. Let’s hear a few more encouraging words from another one of Dr. Marolia’s patients, Pushpa Gurnani, a stage-four ovarian cancer survivor.

Pushpa Gurnani: I’m Pushpa Gurnani. Hi, everyone. From Mumbai, India. February 2016, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and my family doctor, she referred me to Dr. Zubin Marolia, oncologist. I met him, and he started Helixor (mistletoe) injections and homeopathic medicine. And since 2016, I’m under his treatment.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: So, Pushpa is on, as I mentioned, homeopathic treatment, and she receives mistletoe therapy in two forms. One is subcutaneous injections every alternate day, and also, intravenous mistletoe infusions once a month, as Pushpa mentioned. So, this is important that we give mistletoe in these two forms for better immune stimulation. And her quality of life since February 2016 hasn’t been compromised at all. In fact, if you see, she has got a few of the enlarged lymph nodes over here, and if you look that side, she has a few lymph nodes over here also. And her abdominal—abdomen is still a bit distended with ascites.

So, just trying to show you there is a distension of the abdominal with ascites, but what is most important is that there is no cachexia, there is no weight loss, her appetite is fine, her vitality is fine, her mood is fine. She feels happy, she goes to work every day. Both her daughters are singers, so there’s singing competitions, and they always invite me, but I always say yes, and then I don’t have the time to go. But she’s singing also. And the quality of life has been maintained, which is most important in her stage four cancer patient. It’s a very unique interaction that is—that has developed between Pushpa and me.

Pushpa Gurnani: Yes, that’s true.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: And she always comes with a pack of biscuits for my clinic, because when she comes, it is my tea time of the clinic. So, we both go down and be happy together. And thank you for coming.

Pushpa Gurnani: Thank you also. Because he is a very good doctor. He’s really loving and caring. He takes my care very nicely. He’s a jolly good fellow, he’s a jolly good fellow. Thanks to everyone. Thanks to God for giving Dr. Zubin in my life.

Ty Bollinger: Yes, thanks be to God. And thank you, Pushpa, for sharing your story. Dr. Zubin has many more patients who love him dearly and who got pretty emotional when they were sharing their stories. The lady that you see here, Nila Nevrakar, was just one of them. This interview literally brought tears to my eyes. And now, back to Dr. Zubin’s interview, where he shares his 3S concept for healing.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: I’d like to share a concept which I have believed in, which I have formed in medical practice after about 28 years of medical practice. This concept, I call it the 3S concept. It holds true not only for cancer, but also, for any other chronic disease, autoimmune disease, chronic diseases like arthritis. The first S, the first S stands for Suppression. In cancer, you will always find there is a level of suppression in a patient’s life, whether in childhood, lack of love, whether in adolescence, a failed relationship, a disappointment in love, or a bad work experience, lack of promotion at work, humiliation. The first S of Suppression. And many a times, in a chronic ailment, especially in cancer, you’ll always find suppression. The second S, the second S is lack of Spontaneity. When people don’t become spontaneous, they are curbed down by a typical human trait of what other people will say, what society will feel, and they lose their spontaneity life. And the third S, to be a free Spirit is so important, to feel what you want to do and to go ahead and do it.

That’s very, very important. So, you have Suppression, you have lack of Spontaneity, and you have being a free Spirit. So, many times, when a patient undergoes a life journey and we identify the suppression level, we identify the lack of spontaneity, and we look at the free spirit. We always tell a patient to do a simple activity, and I do it when I’m joyous, when I travel the world, to inculcate the free spirit, it’s like standing with your arms wide apart to be a free spirit. So, I have always used these three Ss in interviewing patients with chronic ailments, mainly in cancer.

Ty Bollinger: It’s a unique perspective, and I couldn’t think of a better interview for us to round out this entire Asian Quest than this, because what you’ve really done is you’ve summed up the missing pieces of the puzzle that we’ve seen on this trip, and that is the mind/body connection, the emotional baggage that people need to get rid of, telling, learning someone’s story, right?

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Until you shake hands with the patient, until you pat his shoulder, until you ruffle his hair, you are not a true physician. There is always hope, even if there is half percent hope, you have to give it to the patient in mind, body, and spirit.

Ty Bollinger: And you’ve given those that are watching more than just half percent hope, you’ve given us 100% hope.

Dr. Zubin P. Marolia, MD: Thank you very much.

Ty Bollinger: Thank you, Dr. Zubin.