With the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, the Health Department has planned a research to study the efficacy of add-on personalised Ayurveda intervention on patients, in comparison to standalone treatment based on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.
The 90-day study, on a sample of 60 patients, has been proposed at the Stanley Medical College Government Hospital, Chennai, in association with the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Research Foundation, Coimbatore. The focus of the investigators, comprising Allopathic and Ayurveda doctors, will be on reducing the duration of hospital stay and ventilator support for patients.
According to sources in the Health Department, the research will be conducted on two groups of patients, each comprising 30 members and aged above 18. While one group will go through the add-on Ayurveda treatment protocol, including diet, the other will continue with the standalone ICMR-recommended treatment for COVID-19. The selected patients will be from those who tested positive through the RT-PCR method and not requiring ventilator support.
COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities like acute/advanced stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy, chronic liver diseases, recent history of cardiovascular events, renal problems, acute inflammatory complications of diabetes like non-healing ulcers and severe neuropathy will be excluded from the study.
Written consent
According to a senior health official, the add-on intervention will include an intensive Ayurveda drug-based treatment with general dietetic and lifestyle modifications.
“If the patient develops severe symptoms and alleviation of biomarkers, requiring intensive care during the treatment period, then rescue therapy, according to the local guidelines, will be applied. We will take the written consent of the patients before commencing the comprehensive treatment protocol,” the official said.
The official said that this was an initiative of Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan to control the rising number of fatalities and improve the recovery rate in the State.
The results of the study, he said, could contribute to national policy and pave the way for integrated medicine in the management of COVID-19 caused by the SARS CoV-2 Virus.
He pointed out that the State had already advised the use of Indian medicines like kabasura kudineer and Arsenic Album 30 as prophylaxis drugs for people to build immunity.
The study proposal is coming up before the Ethical Committee of the Ministry of Ayush for approval on Monday, officials sources added.
