Pune: A 60-year-old patient in Pune has recovered from COVID-19 after he opted for Ayurvedic treatment along with the conventional treatment for the infection. The patient comes from a well-known business family of Pune and stays with 26 family members together. Out of 26 members, 11 were tested positive during contact-tracing of which 8 were asymptomatic and 3 were identified with mild symptoms.
The patient had developed symptoms like sore throat and sneezing which progressed to fever with dry cough in a few days for which he was treated with some antibiotics by a physician with no relief. Since Pune is a known hotspot of coronavirus disease, he got a suspicion of COVID 19 infection and immediately approached Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. He was attended in the Emergency Department and was admitted and tested for COVID-19. He was later found to be positive for COVID-19.
On the around fifth day after developing the symptoms, his condition started worsening. His oxygen saturation was continuously depleting. Since he was a known hypertensive from last 9 years and considering his age it was a challenge for the treating doctor to maintain his health, especially protecting the heart and other vital organs like lungs. Gradually he also started developing dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing). He was put on oxygen supplementation through the nasal cannula for maintaining oxygen saturation. Besides he was treated with steroids to regulate the hyper-responsive immune response. His breathlessness was progressing and however, in spite of all this, his condition was deteriorating. Gradually as the oxygen saturation was decreasing the doctors decided to put him on mechanical ventilation.
The family members were not comfortable with this and they refused to give consent for this and started searching for any other option. Their family friend suggested them to try Ayurveda and referred them to meet Dr Yogesh Bendale of Rasayu Ayurved clinic.
Dr Bendale took the complete details of a patient and designed a complete patient-specific treatment plan considering age and hypertension (BP) as biggest risk factors, towards modulating the immune response, maintaining respiratory functions, lungs protection, heart protection and reducing inflammation including multiple Ayurvedic parameters. Permission was obtained from the intensivist of Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital to start Ayurveda medicine along with conventional therapy.
After starting Ayurveda therapy along with conventional therapy, the patient started showing a positive response. From next day, there was a pause on further progression of the disease. In the next two days, the patient’s temperature returned to normal and oxygen saturation also improved. The patient was out of danger. There was no need of mechanical ventilation. The aim of starting the Ayurveda therapy was fulfilled, the patient was rescued and no ventilator support was required. Medicines were continued further and in next two days the patient was able to walk with minimum respiratory discomfort. On 10th day of starting Ayurveda Rasayana treatment, the patient was discharged completely asymptomatic.
Dr Bendale said, "These results are quite not in tune with the public perception of Ayurveda that this system of medicine is slow acting and is of not much use in acute or critical cases. The real strength of Ayurveda lies in its multi-system biology approach and patient-centric approach. It acts in syncs with the body’s own defence mechanism and thus can be of great use in critical cases as well."
"Our body’s immune system plays a critical role in the management of COVID-19 infection. Currently in absence of any potential and effective antivirus therapy, the main focus of treatment is towards providing symptomatic management and supportive therapies, while the body fights with the virus. Thus when we are so much dependent on the body’s own defence mechanism it becomes pertinent to boost this endogenous mechanism and accelerate the recovery," says Dr Bendale.
"Ayurveda’s approach is not towards any specific antiviral medicine which will directly kill the virus, rather it works along with the immune system of the person and leads to a faster recovery and eventually helps in the deactivation of Virus. Ayurveda has a separate branch of medicine called as “Rasayana “these Rasayana medicines are potent immunomodulators and helps protect the body against various pathogens. Such immunomodulation by Ayurveda medicine is completely natural and does not cause any adverse effects on the body. It will not only help in faster recovery of COVID 19 patients, but it will also help to prevent COVID infection in high-risk individuals like healthcare workers and people with comorbid illness," Dr Bendale added.