Live
- Nitin Gadkari Admits Feeling Embarrassed at Global Summits Over Rising Road Accidents in India
- Opposition Slams ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill as Anti-Democratic; BJP Allies Support the Move
- Celebrate Karthigai Maha Deepam Virtually with Sri Mandir’s LIVE Darshan Experience
- BJP Extends Support to Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Employees' Strike, Demands Immediate Regularization and Welfare Benefits
- Dr. M. Priyanka Stresses Quality Education, Nutritious Meals, and Cleanliness in Schools
- Mandal Level CM Cup Sports Concludes in Ija with Promising Talent and Enthusiastic Participation
- Harish Rao Slams Revanth Reddy: "More Talk, Less Action"
- Revolutionising Oil and Gas: Gaurav Kumar Sinha’s AI-Driven Innovations Transforming Efficiency and Profitability
- AiDASH Names Vishal Jain Head of AI to Advance First Integrated Platform for Grid Inspection and Monitoring
- Congress Central Election Committee has finalised the names of around 20 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections
Siddha products for Dengue- Love or loveless ness?
Highlights
With the advent of Dengue outbreak and epidemic, many systems in AYUSH are trying hard to sell their system for treating and curing Dengue. This is quite natural. But the question is whether the treatment approaches claimed to prevent, treat and cure Dengue as described in Siddha system and the evidences provided for the above by CCRS (Central Council for Research in Siddha, Government of India) are sufficient to believe and accept such approach?
With the advent of Dengue outbreak and epidemic, many systems in AYUSH are trying hard to sell their system for treating and curing Dengue. This is quite natural. But the question is whether the treatment approaches claimed to prevent, treat and cure Dengue as described in Siddha system and the evidences provided for the above by CCRS (Central Council for Research in Siddha, Government of India) are sufficient to believe and accept such approach?
.jpg)
Can the Government of India allow such approache to remain as an integral part of our medical system for treating diseases like Dengue? Can we afford to justify the above by saying, till date no one has questioned so why we should it be questioned now?The doubt has come only because of the contradictions and absolute anomalies found in the guidelines of CCRS for treating Dengue by own practitioners.
One important point worth appreciation is that the CCRS has finally come out with own list of products and has notified the same officially to Siddha healers to follow. Such an effort would certainly limit the Siddha healers in private practice not to encroach into allopathic system and adventure with the life of poor Dengue patients in rural India.
The diagnosis of Dengue by Siddha system is done strictly through reverse matching and correlation of some of the symptoms of Dengue and what is being described in ancient Siddha texts under the title ‘Suram’. Today Siddha system is conveniently using the above matching approach to claim that Siddha system has drugs to treat Dengue.
The cardinal point over and over getting reiterated is about the goodness of Neelavembu kudineer for
1. Prevention
2. Treatment of Dengue
Further, the Siddha system also claims that they have drugs for haemorrhagic fever and fever due to Dengue. Besides that they also have laundry list of products to be used for treating Dengue.
The point to be debated is about the evidence they have for Neelavembu kudineer.
They have cited two research articles published in 2011 and 2012. Interestingly both the articles were based on in vitro (laboratory) findings.
The first research article speaks about the effect of methanol extract of Andrographis paniculata having DENV-1 and the second article is about the effect of ethanol extracts of Neelavembu choornam having analgesic, antipyretic and anti inflammatory activities.
How a research institute constituted by Government of India – CCRS for developing Siddha system through intense research can afford to extrapolate the in vitro findings to qualify Neelavembu kudineer as drug for prevention and treatment of Dengue?
If such simple screening is only required for drug development, will the DCGI (Drugs Control General of India) permit allopathic Pharmaceutical companies to come out with drugs just based on some in vitro screening?
Why we follow dubious standards for defining and granting license to drugs? When we show our love for ISM, are we not proving we are least concerned about the health and safety of people in rural India?
Even if we believe that ethanol and methanol extracts of Andrographis paniculata has strong effects, does the chemical constituents of Andrographis paniculata present in ethanol and methanol extracts are as same as that of Neelavembu kudineer?
How the findings obtained for Andrographis paniculata can the stretched to entire Neelavembu kudineer. In Neelavembu kudineer, Andrographis paniculata is only one of the 11 ingredients.
When research organizations hype and cherry pick science, should it not convey reliable and scientifically acceptable message?
The point of debate is not about whether Neelavembu kudineer is effective or not for Dengue. Will it cure Dengue, as it is claimed?
Why the dosage of 60 ml for adults and 30 ml for children is recommended? When Neelavembu kudineer can be used for prevention and treatment, why such dose specificity is mentioned? Have they established such dosage schedule through pharmacokinetic analysis?
Who should own responsibility? There are many untold science we can find from what is told about the treatment approaches for Dengue?
If the ISM research organizations are going to cite some ancient texts as reference, then why the Government should run such organizations? Such textual references can be easily taken from books kept in library.
When people are panic about Dengue and Dengue trying to reach an epidemic proportion in rural India, can we allow the role of AYUSH as one of the treatment systems for Dengue.
We should limit the role of AYUSH to just offer wellness and post disease care instead of treating diseases Dengue with ISM products that miserably beg scientific proof and validation?
The role of AYUSH must be set clearly. We should not push AYUSH as medical system. Promote it as wellness based paramedical science.
Imagine, the students of such system is given permission to prescribe allopathic drugs, what would be the consequence?
Do not allow AYUSH to enter into the treating diseases like Dengue without proven science.
Let us love our people and their valuable life first, then let us shower our love for AYUSH.
S Ranganathan
Next Story
ADVERTISEMENT
