New Delhi: The ongoing worldwide coronavirus pandemic which has affected millions of people and devastated economies around the globe has once again reiterated the age-old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’. The Covid19 pandemic has made people re-evaluate and prioritise their preferences for the future with a preventative approach to healthcare through naturopathy. The novel coronavirus disease has made people realise that administration of medicines is not the best way to complete healthcare; rather, creating a defence mechanism that would help in extending a disease-free life span by preventing and limiting disease complications is the best way for comprehensive healthcare.

Emphasizing the role of naturopathy in managing coronavirus pandemic, Dr Babina NM, Chief Medical Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute said “With the deadly virus wreaking havoc all over the world, there have been variations in the symptoms of the people infected with coronavirus. It has been observed that some people have mild symptoms and some have none; while for others, mostly with pre-existing comorbidities or sickness and elderly people have developed mild-to severe pneumonia, few of them resulting in fatalities also. The question is, why such wide variations are there if the virus affecting every person is the same? The answer lies in ‘immune competence’. Those with stronger immunity can sustain the viral attack better as their body can fight more robustly with the coronavirus in the event they get sick. Not only this, the people who already had comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, obesity or any heart-related disease succumb to the infection in the absence of strong immunity to fight diseases.”

Also, a union health ministry’s analysis released a few months back showed that nearly 53% of the people who have died due to Covid19 viral infection are aged above 60 years, emphasizing the fact that elderly people and especially those with comorbidities are at a higher risk of mortality. The data once again confirmed that people who have underlying chronic health conditions such as kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer are at higher risk of dying due to COVID-19 infection than patients without these comorbidities. The burden of non-communicable diseases can be easily avoided with naturopathy through non-invasive treatments, yoga, lifestyle and dietary changes. However, the unfortunate situation is that the public still remain largely unaware of the long-term benefits of naturopathy. It plays a crucial role in reducing the incidence of lifestyle diseases, saving the hassle of expensive hospital visits down the line.

Dr Babina NM further added, “We would like to urge all alternative medicine professionals and practitioners to take the lead in dispelling the misinformation and myths about coronavirus and naturopathy that there are no herbs, natural therapies, minerals, or other natural medicines that can treat COVID-19. While there are certain herbs, minerals, foods, and naturopathic treatments that can help enhance immunity, such measures should not be an alternative for preventive measures like physical distancing, wearing masks, using sanitizers, etc. as issued by the government”.

Additionally, encouraging a holistic approach to the prevention and treatment of various diseases, naturopathy adopts an alternative, drugless treatment regimen by including diet, yoga, and modifications to lifestyle, massages, fasting, acupuncture, and other therapies. With the Lancet reporting non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases on the rise in India, and COVID-19 being a serious threat to elderly people with comorbidities, naturopathy with its holistic approach to healthcare is prompting people once again to go back to the natural healthy ways of living.

Taking advantage of the desperate need of people seeking various immunity-boosting products to boost their immunity, certain companies were quick to chance upon the situation and exploited people with so-called health products like immunity boosters which were neither scrutinised nor followed any medical guidelines.  “Considering a huge market, many companies have come up with various immunity-boosting products. Effectiveness of such products and companies’ ethics, both can be argued upon. The emergence of such products has also put a question mark on the effectiveness of these products. People are piling up these products without thinking of their effectiveness” said Dr Babina NM, Chief Medical Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute.

There is no doubt in the fact that COVID-19 has emerged as a global health crisis with an alarming increase in rate of morbidity and mortality. Keeping in line with the rising concerns, the Ministry of AYUSH has also published useful guidelines for Naturopathy practitioners to impart yoga therapy, naturopathy treatment modalities, nutrition, diet, and lifestyle approaches to improve immunity in the population. Since the elderly population, children, and those with comorbid conditions are vulnerable to this infection, naturopathy interventions can be used as an adjunct preventive management.