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Treating the modern with the traditional: Is it wise?

10 May 2021

By Sumudu Chamara   Sri Lanka has a long history of employing traditional medical practices such as indigenous and Ayurvedic medical practices to treat a multitude of diseases in which the country takes pride, and despite being somewhat subdued by popular Western medicines, traditional medical practices continue to save people’s lives. In many instances, it has been proved that traditional medicines can in fact give better results than Western medicines, and therefore, it is still an integral part of Sri Lanka’s traditional knowledge. In the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of such traditional medical practices has popped up many times. It was reported recently that the Government had decided to use Ayurvedic medical facilities as Covid-19 treatment centres, as the country keeps reporting more and more cases and deaths with each passing day. State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development, and Community Health Sisira Jayakody last week said that State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle had granted approval in this connection. All suitable Ayurvedic medical facilities in the country would be upgraded to be used as intermediate Covid-19 treatment facilities. According to the health authorities, under the initial stage of this move, several leading Ayurvedic medical facilities in Borella, Pallekele, and Nawinna would be used for this purpose, while steps are underway to evaluate the suitability of the rest of such facilities for the same purpose. This move came after a prolonged discussion among the country’s medical community about the effectiveness and practicality of employing indigenous and Ayurvedic medical treatments to treat Covid-19-infected persons. This became a topic of discussion in the past few months, especially due to certain persons such as Dammika Bandara who claimed to have found a cure for Covid-19 including the infamous “Dammika Paniya”, which was later proved to be ineffective. Today’s Spotlight focuses on employing Ayurvedic medicinal treatments to prevent/manage the Covid-19 pandemic, and what home remedies can help the public to prevent Covid-19-induced complications.   Ayurveda hospitals for Covid-19 management State Ministry of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development, and Community Health Secretary Kumari Weerasekara, speaking on the status quo of the authorities’ plan to employ Ayurvedic medical facilities in addition to the Western medical facilities to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, said that Ayurvedic medicines can also be used to treat Covid-19 and that a number of steps are in progress in order to prepare Ayurvedic medical facilities as intermediate medical facilities to treat Covid-19-infected persons. She added that a lot of people have started using Ayurvedic/traditional medicines to treat Covid-19-infected persons including those staying at home after testing positive for the disease. Speaking of the process of preparation, she noted: “We have an Ayurvedic treatment system, according to which we are taking necessary steps, taking into account the infected persons’ health conditions. Currently, we are in the process of preparing the Ayurveda facility in Nawinna and the Borella Ayurveda Teaching Hospital. In addition, one Ayurveda hospital in each district is being prepared to treat Covid-19-infected persons.” With regard to referring infected persons being treated at Ayurveda hospitals to intensive care units (ICUs) of other hospitals, she noted: “We are working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health as part of the national treatment mechanism, and Ayurveda hospitals are being used as intermediary treatment centres. Ayurveda hospitals have facilities that suit Ayurvedic treatment methods, and do not possess ICU facilities. Taking this into consideration, doctors who practise Western medicine will be appointed to Ayurveda hospitals in a monitoring capacity, and in the event an infected person starts to experience severe complications such as pneumonia, they would be transferred to a hospital equipped with ICU facilities. Necessary arrangements to establish this collaboration between an Ayurveda hospital and an ICU-equipped hospital are being made. In this regard, we have already arrived at agreements.” Elaborating on preparing Ayurveda hospitals, she said that since it is necessary to take advanced measures to manage Covid-19-infected persons due to the contagiousness of the virus, a number of steps, including partitioning medical facilitates and ensuring the availability of proper waste disposal systems, are being taken to create a suitable environment for them. In addition, distant communication monitoring/methods such as CCTV are also being set up to deal with those receiving treatment, while giving them the space they need.” When asked what types of measures are being taken to promote and/or raise awareness on home remedies including Ayurvedic treatments, she noted that an Ayurvedic immunity-boosting medicine is being distributed in areas under lockdown and among families undergoing quarantine. Those staying at home after testing positive for the disease until hospitalisation, according to Weerasekara, receive advanced treatments. She further said: “This assistance is provided through the public health inspectors (PHIs) and Ayurveda medical officers working at the grassroots level, and they work in areas under lockdown as well. Such Ayurvedic medicines have also been distributed among prisons, and the Ministry is planning to provide Ayurvedic immunity-boosting medicines to more places where a large number of people live. Even if a person does not have the ability to obtain these medicines, they can consume ginger and coriander and the herbal drink known as ‘pas panguwa’ in order to strengthen their immune system.” However, attempts to contact State Minister Sisira Jayakody to obtain more details in this connection, failed.   Ayurvedic medicines and immune system Meanwhile, former Ayurvedic Medical Council Registrar Dr. Danister L. Perera told The Morning that even though Ayurvedic medicine and herbs can be beneficial in protecting against Covid-19, the public should not forget the Covid-19 safety guidelines and professional medical assistance.  “First and foremost, the public should refrain from purchasing various so-called Ayurvedic products available in the market that are advertised as medicines that help prevent or cure Covid-19, as they have not been proven to be effective cures for Covid-19,” he said, adding that these products mislead the public by exploiting the public’s fear of Covid-19, and that the public should not see them as cures for Covid-19. He told The Morning that even though Ayurveda medicine focuses more on boosting individuals’ immunity system, the nature of the immune system varies from person to person. He noted that even Western medicine has found that strengthening a person’s immune system is more effective in preventing Covid-19, than killing the Covid-19 virus.  He added: “We cannot claim that one specific medicine is capable of boosting a person’s immune system completely. There are several ways a person’s immune system strengthens; one way is a person’s body naturally becoming immune to the virus after an infection (Covid-19), another way is artificially boosting immunity by taking various medicines/vaccines. The medicines we give to the public basically strengthen their natural immune system.” Dr. Perera also urged those staying at home after testing positive for Covid-19 to take Ayurvedic medicine, as it can significantly help them manage their health situation. However, he emphasised that relying solely on Ayurvedic medicine cannot be recommended and that in the event of serious complications, the infected persons should seek medical professionals’ assistance without ignoring the complications.  He noted: “In a context where Covid-19 cases reported in Sri Lanka keep rising drastically, a large number of Covid-19-infected persons are still at their homes. We can advise them to take Ayurvedic treatments to deal with their symptoms in order to prevent their situation from becoming critical, until they decide to go to a hospital at some point. Sometimes, PCR tests are conducted three to four days after contracting the virus, and it takes another three to four days for the test results to be released. It takes several more days to take the infected person to the hospital after the results. During this period, the infected persons live in their homes, with their family members, and the infected person may spread the virus to others and their health situation may worsen. Therefore, it is advisable to take Ayurvedic medicines during that period, in accordance with the instructions of a medical professional.” When asked what sort of home remedies the public can use during this period, he stressed that first and foremost, the public should continue to adhere to basic precautionary measures such as wearing facemasks and maintaining distance. In addition, the public can employ methods such as steam inhalation (can use lime leaves, coriander, Malabar nuts, and Iriweriya) and drinking ginger-coriander-tree turmeric (venivelgeta) mix, according to Dr. Perera. He added that since the adverse effects of Covid-19 appear to be increasing, including deaths of young people and those who do not have any other long-term illnesses, it is not possible and advisable to predict the health situation of a Covid-19-infected person, and therefore, seeking proper medical advice should always be the priority when taking treatments. Emphasising that home remedies merely prevent symptoms from worsening, he said that home remedies are not a solution in the event serious complications arise.   Food and good practices With regard to other measures that can be taken to help a person’s body combat the virus and symptoms, Dr. Perera said that consuming green leaves, carotene-rich food, and fruits as well as being exposed to sunlight to help the body generate vitamins A and D can be recommended. He also said that testing the functioning of the lungs frequently is also necessary, and that breathing exercises to ensure the proper functioning of the lungs and to increase the capacity of the lungs to hold more air can also be recommended. Meanwhile, Ayurveda Community Health Medical Officer of Ingiriya Dr. Senaka Gamage said that since the Covid-19 virus affects a person’s lungs to a great extent, the primary focus is strengthening the immune system, with a focus on ensuring that the body is ready to face the virus. He told The Morning: “Even though there is no medicine to cure Covid-19, our body can identify the threat (the virus) and generate the necessary antibodies. Therefore, if we can strengthen a person’s immune system, the body can be ready to destroy the virus when it enters the body. To do this, there are several ways. There are medicines and home remedies that strengthen a person’s immune system. One simple way of doing so is drinking boiled ginger, coriander, and tree turmeric (venivelgeta) at least twice a day. Also, yaki narang (Ceylon atalantia) and heen bovitiya herbal porridge is another option.” Also, there are various food items that are beneficial to strengthen the immune system, according to Dr. Gamage. He explained: “Food items are categorised as alkaline and acidic, and alkaline food (with high pH value) should be the priority in situations such as these. Spices used in Sri Lanka such as ginger, red onion, garlic, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and turmeric should be added to the food we consume. Also, consuming vegetables grown in the country, such as drumsticks, snake gourd, lima beans, and young jackfruit can be very beneficial. With regard to fruits, which can also help strengthen the immune system, people should start consuming more Indian gooseberry, Ceylon olive, watermelon, and mango. “When choosing fruits and vegetables, however, people should choose vegetables and fruits grown in Sri Lanka, not imported ones, as imported ones are grown and prepared for export using high amounts of chemicals.” Dr. Gamage also recommended steam inhalation and gargling as effective ways to protect against the virus. He said that if the people can inhale steam as soon as they return home (after going out), that would be extremely beneficial. “It will not only destroy the virus, but will also help strengthen epithelial cells in the lungs,” he said, adding that gargling with warm water mixed with salt and pepper would also be beneficial. Traditional medical practices have survived so far because they have proven to be effective despite taking a considerable amount of time and effort for tangible results. However, most of the time, they have helped cure many diseases permanently, with little to no side effects. Even though Sri Lanka is yet to find out whether traditional medical practices have a cure for Covid-19, according to those who spoke with The Morning, there are a number of good practices the people can adopt to prevent contracting the virus and stop simple symptoms from developing into deadly complications.


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