ON SEPTEMBER 6, Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja reportedly endorsed a study which said that homoeopathic prophylactics were effective against Covid-19. It said that only a few of those who had taken the prophylactic contracted Covid-19 and they, too, recovered soon. The study was carried out in Covid-hotspot Pathanamthitta district, where Arsenicum Album 30C was distributed among 90 per cent of residents. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of the said homoeopathy medicine as an immunity booster. Shailaja later clarified that she neither said that homoeopathy medicines could be used to treat Covid-19 nor stated that the study had been scientifically proven. But by then, the damage was doneit had created a rift in the state medical community.

AYUSH treatments have often been questioned over their safety and efficacy, especially given the lack of robust, empirical studies in their defence.

While the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) opposed Shailajas initial statement, homoeopathy practitioners came out in her support. The row has put the spotlight on the debate over the efficacy of alternative medicine to allopathic medicine in the fight against Covid-19, especially at a time when cases are rising and restrictions are being relaxed to open up the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had repeatedly asked people to follow advisories issued by the ministry of AYUSH, which suggested a range of home remedies to boost immunity, including consumption of turmeric, honey, ginger and other concoctions. AYUSH treatments have often been questioned over their safety and efficacy, especially given the lack of robust, empirical studies in their defence.

On August 15, the ministry launched a three-month campaign, aimed at increasing awareness about affordable and easy practices that can be adopted for enhancing immunity and preventing any disease. Yet, more than six months after the first case of Covid-19 hit the country, acceptance for AYUSH practices, at best, remains divided on the ground.

For instance, Dr Amol Rawande, a homoeopath based in Nanded in rural Maharashtra, believes that homoeopathy can help fight Covid-19. He said that he had prescribed homoeopathic medicines to more than 400 Covid-positive patients. In the case of a mild to moderate symptomatic patient, Ferrum Phos 6X, Bryonia Alba and Veratrum Viride help in preventing the onset of a cytokine storm, a severe immune reaction, he said. I believe homoeopathy is apt to fight Covid-19 as it works with the immune system, which is most at risk from the virus.

But back in Mumbai, Dr L.M. Parashar, ENT surgeon at Apollo Spectra Hospital, had a different tale to tell. Before lockdown, about two to three per cent of OPD patients were suffering from mouth ulcers. Post lockdown, there has been an increase in patients with symptoms such as redness of the mouth, burning sensation and itching, he said. This is because people are constantly drinking homemade concoctions, made without proper ingredients, instead of water, he reasoned. This has led to the rawness of oral mucosa, he said. The point is not to completely ignore or reject alternative medicine, but to consume it correctly and in conjunction with the correct diet and lifestyle, which people are not doing.

The problem with accepting the efficacy of AYUSH remedies, said paediatrician Dr Amol Annadate, was that none of the claims had been proved. There are no trials conducted either for ayurvedic kadhas or homoeopathic medicines like Arsenicum Album 30C, said Annadate, who also owns and runs an ayurveda medical college in Aurangabad. But the role of AYUSH essentially comes into the picture either as pre-Covid [precautions] or at the recovery stage, which can take between two to three months. These are not used as treatments for Covid-19 under any circumstances. He does believe that homoeopathy can help in reducing mortality rate. But there should still be trials to prove it, he said. My ayurvedic consultants are definitely prescribing ayurvedic solutions to patients.

Even as modern medicine continues to be the mainstay of Covid-19 treatment, experts call for an integrated medical approach between the different disciplines so as to better manage the impact of the disease in the long term. Annadate, however, questioned the credibility of the task force set up in May to plan and suggest treatment for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients through the use of ayurveda, unani, homoeopathy and yoga. They havent conducted trials that can prove their efficacy. Scientific evidence is the only thing that will shut up the naysayers, he said.

Dr Gaurang Joshi, director of Atharva Multispecialty Ayurveda Hospital in Gujarats Rajkot, recently tweeted that his hospital has been successfully running online OPD for Covid-19 patients and providing ayurveda treatment at their home. He added that more than 50 patients had turned Covid-negative with their pure ayurveda treatment with home quarantine. I totally stand by my conviction that ayurveda can treat Covid-19, he asserted.

But Dr P. Gopi Kumar, state secretary, IMA Kerala, questioned the scientific validation of the alternative medicines proposed to treat Covid-19 or even serve as immunity boosters. The ministry gave directions for the use of Arsenicum Album 30C as an immunity booster without citing any evidence whatsoever, he said. In a pandemic like this when millions are getting infected and undergoing serious complications, no such drug must be used for which one has no idea about its credibility, authenticity and side effects. So, all these immunity-boosting concoctions and drugs cited by the AYUSH ministry and the state health minister are definitely questionable.

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Trick or treat - THE WEEK