The monsoons are settling in and it is that time of the year when respiratory infections go up. Runny noses, colds, coughs, wheezing, asthma and sinusitis act up. Some even get migraines as a secondary problem or end up with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Many days are lost and productivity decreases. Most people who are diagnosed with any of the above conditions by allopathic practitioners almost always never manage to be free of the inhalers or allergy medications. Bronchodilators and corticosteroids are commonly prescribed. Most medications only address the symptoms and almost never go to the root cause of the disease.
Ayurveda can address all these conditions with myriad solutions, from a simple gargle to more complex formulations. And earlier the issues are addressed, the easier it is to cure oneself of these diseases. Unfortunately, most people go shopping! They visit innumerable allopathy physicians and visit an Ayurvedic practitioner only when the problem becomes chronic and less easy to cure. And of course, these people expect magic and miracles. ‘Ayurveda is rather slow, isn’t it?’ is their grievance little realising that if they had come at the stage of the prodromal symptoms or poorva roopa stage, Ayurveda, indeed, would have worked like magic. In fact, even in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, those who seek Ayurvedic treatment early or those who test positive for Covid-19, seem to fare well.
And yet we find that the entire health bureaucracy is somehow biased against Ayurveda and our health traditions. One should not be surprised, I suppose, because when the chips are down and our VIPs and celebrities test positive for Covid-19, they seek the help of allopathic practitioners with some honourable exceptions. Vishal, a South Indian actor, shared his experience of how Ayurvedic medications helped in his fight against the disease. He stayed home, had Ayurvedic medications and got well. So far I have not heard of anybody being treated for Covid-19 by a proper Ayurvedic doctor who has died.
But I’ve heard of many who have succumbed after being treated by the allopathic system of medicine. Despite this, we hear of cases where officials pounce upon unsuspecting positive patients and drag them off to Covid-19 ‘camps’ much like in Nazi Germany. Strong usage, I realise, but when a patient sobs in front of me saying that she’s being forcibly taken away to a government medical facility despite having a room in her house to isolate in, that too after being under the care of a qualified Ayurvedic physician with 30 years of experience (also one who has been awarded the best Ayurvedic doctor by the MGR Medical University), I think something is amiss.
After the Government of India has approved the usage of Ayurvedic medications for Covid-19 positive cases, to not allow a citizen the right to decide what kind of medication he can take, seems to me to be a violation of his rights. This, especially when richer patients are allowed to get treated in their homes but poorer patients are bundled off to government medical camps. These are not isolated incidents I am talking about. I’m also concerned that there may be no specific government policy but this may be the result of an over-enthusiastic misguided medical fraternity who thinks that Ayurvedic treatment is rubbish and that they are protecting the patient and the community from the ravages of Covid-19.
This article is, intended, to once again reiterate that many Ayurvedic and siddha practitioners in India and Tamil Nadu are successfully treating Covid-19 patients at a fraction of the cost of allopathy and without much disturbance to their normal life.To get back to the subject of respiratory infections, I can with certainty state that if patients start on Ayurvedic treatment when they have mild wheezing symptoms or at the beginning of respiratory infection, they need not be on inhalers and bronchodilators or allergy medications which render them half-dazed. Ayurvedic treatment is simple and effective. Seeking Ayurvedic care early is the intelligent thing to do. Don’t use Ayurveda only as a last resort when all else fails, and the expect miracles.
The writer is a former Health Secretary and retired in the rank of Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached atsheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at
http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/