Healthcare professionals are questioning claims by popular yoga guru and entrepreneur Baba Ramdev who said he has found an ayurvedic remedy that would help ward off coronavirus.
In a promotional video made public this week, Ramdev, in his trademark saffron robes and clutching a sample of the medicinal plant produced by Patanjali, the company he co-founded, says: “We’ve done scientific research and found Ashwagandha doesn’t allow blending of corona protein with human protein.”
He did not provide evidence for the research, which he said had been sent to an unspecified international journal.
There are currently no vaccines or drugs approved to treat or prevent Covid-19, only investigational Covid-19 vaccines and treatments under development.
“These kinds of messages give a false sense of security. People who are not well educated, they are the ones who will get misled,” said Dr Giridhar Babu, a professor of epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, urging the government to ban such advertisements.
Even potentially harmless tweets about immunity risk confusing people, Babu added.
Multiple calls and e-mails seeking comment from Patanjali and Ramdev went unanswered.
In a series of tweets, Ramdev also urged people to take up yoga to boost immunity, using the hashtag #YogaForCorona.
Patanjali, one of India’s most well-known ayurvedic brands, and several other such firms have been touting their products to fight coronavirus in the densely-populated country of 1.3bn people.
The virus has infected nearly 200,000 people worldwide and over 140 in India, where three people have died.
The ayurvedic companies’ tweets have infuriated healthcare professionals who fear they will hurt the battle to stem the virus.
Local media has reported that Ramdev, a household name in India, has also called on people to use hand sanitiser and keep distance from others - recommendations broadly in line with those of global health experts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 created the Ministry of Ayush to promote and regulate ayurvedic remedies and yoga.
Manoj Nesari, an adviser at the ministry, said the companies’ remedies do help boost immunity, but added he was not aware of claims they could help fight coronavirus.
“Coronavirus is a new virus so obviously there’s no evidence (on cures).Once we get complaints we will examine them.
Right now I cannot comment,” said Nesari.
Meanwhile, weather change that is associated with common cold cases in India in the month of March-April has left millions of people who are down with seasonal cough or cold symptoms self-isolating themselves - an exercise which is only creating unnecessary fear in the country, say health experts.
Doctors are flooded with patients who have normal cold or flu - along with conditions like anxiety and stress.
They are very fearful and assuming it might be new coronavirus although they just have seasonal symptoms.
“People having cough or cold symptoms are somewhat scared in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. Some might also fear disclosure in fear of being isolated. People with an anxious and oversensitive predisposition or hypochondriacal and obsessive symptoms are likely to worry a lot and engage in an unreasonably restricted lifestyle,” Dr Sameer Malhotra, Head, department of mental health and behavioural science at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket told IANS.
Despite the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) declaring there is no community transmission of the new coronavirus yet in the country, people in their sixties suffering from pre-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are becoming paranoid.
“They want to get themselves screened for it whether or not the symptoms fit the disease. At the same time, they’re also worried about their family, especially the elderly,” said Dr Mugdha Tapdiya of Fortis Hospital.
Health experts are getting flu test, complete blood count and chest X-ray done wherever it is required.
“Once the results are not suggestive of possibility of coronavirus disease, the patients are at peace. If there is breathlessness or there are findings in chest, we also suggest CT scan of the chest area to be done,” said Tapdiya.
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/3b7mSGH
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