{"id":109501,"date":"2021-05-29T19:10:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-29T13:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=109501"},"modified":"2021-05-30T11:55:29","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T06:25:29","slug":"role-of-ayush-during-pandemic-and-its-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/role-of-ayush-during-pandemic-and-its-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of AYUSH during pandemic and its challenges &#8211; Explained, Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5><b>Introduction<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a public health challenge. The burden of disease and mortality is steadily increasing in many parts of the country. Several social and economic factors are leading to devastating situations. Effective management to address this infection is still evolving and attempts are being made to <strong>integrate traditional interventions along with standard care<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this regard, India is using the AYUSH system of medicine to provide relief and alleviate some symptoms of COVID-19. The AYUSH system is not seen as a cure, rather it is being used for the management of asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid-19 and for prophylactic (preventive) care. But despite that the Role of AYUSH during the pandemic is indispensable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is AYUSH?<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These systems are based on traditional medical philosophies. They represent a way of healthy living with established concepts on prevention of diseases and promotion of health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2015, the Ministry of Ayush had also <strong>included Sowa Rigpa<\/strong> into the AYUSH system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benefits of AYUSH system:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is generally cheap and affordable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AYUSH medicines have lesser side effects than modern medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has proven to be effective in lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is used to provide healthcare in rural hinterlands where there is a shortage of allopathic doctors.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Institutional Framework for AYUSH<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>Ministry of AYUSH<\/strong> is at the apex. It promotes and propagates Indian systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB)<\/strong> coordinates activities relating to conservation, cultivation, marketing, export and policy-making for the development of the medicinal plant&#8217;s sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)<\/strong> and the <strong>Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH)<\/strong> are t<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">wo statutory regulatory bodies<\/span>. They are responsible for &#8211;\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">laying down minimum standards of education,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recommending recognition of medical qualifications,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">registering the practitioners and laying down ethical codes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are <strong>five research councils<\/strong> that undertake officially sponsored research activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The country also has <strong>eight National Institutes for teaching the AYUSH system<\/strong>. This includes the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur; the National Institute of Siddha, Chennai<\/span> etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Four different Pharmacopoeia Committees work for preparing official formularies\/pharmacopoeias(An official authoritative listing of drugs). They aim to evolve <strong>uniform standards in preparation for drugs<\/strong> in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><strong>Role of AYUSH medicines used during pandemic<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The role of AYUSH medicines increased significantly during the pandemic. The AYUSH medicines and techniques used during the pandemic are,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/ayush-64-ayurvedic-drug-govt-is-recommending-for-mild-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Ayush-64<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It is <\/span><b>an Ayurvedic drug <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences(CCRAS). It is the apex body for research in Ayurveda under the Ministry of Ayush.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The drug was <strong>originally developed<\/strong> in 1980 <strong>for<\/strong> the management of <strong>Malaria<\/strong>. It has now been used for Covid-19 as its ingredients showed notable antiviral, immune-modulator, and antipyretic (anti-fever) properties.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/ayush-ministry-launches-nationwide-campaign-for-ayush-64-kabasura-kudineer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kabasura Kudineer<\/a>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is a <strong>Siddha medicine<\/strong> for the treatment of fevers. It is now being used to treat asymptomatic, mild, and moderate COVID-19 infection cases.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It increases immunity and <strong>acts as an immune-modulator<\/strong> as this virus adversely affects the immune response.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Habb-e-Bukhar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It is an <strong>Unani drug<\/strong> given to Covid-19 patients who are undergoing high fever.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Arsenicum album:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is a <strong>homoeopathy drug<\/strong> considered correcting inflammation in the body. It takes care of diarrhoea, cough and cold.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is recommended for prophylactic (preventive) use against Covid-19. Further, it is also found to be <strong>useful in treating <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/black-fungus-or-mucormycosis-declared-an-epidemic-by-rajasthan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mucormycosis<\/a><\/strong> (fungal infection).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Yogic Protocols<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They are used in the Covid-19 treatment centres to improve respiratory and cardiac efficiency, reduce stress and anxiety and enhance immunity. Asanas like Pranayama, Shavasana etc. are extremely beneficial in this regard.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Challenges faced by AYUSH medicines and practitioners<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The tussle with Allopathic care<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Many allopathic doctors don&#8217;t believe in the traditional system. They <strong>question the credibility of AYUSH practitioners<\/strong> and are against their inclusion into the modern health care system.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, the <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/ayurveda-and-patient-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Indian Medical Association objected<\/strong> <\/a>to a recent gazette notification by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM). As it allowed postgraduate <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/explained-surgery-as-part-of-ayurveda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ayurvedic doctors to perform 58 basic surgeries<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Lacks in Validation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientific validation of AYUSH medicines has not progressed despite dedicated government expenditure. There are very few AYUSH treatments that have been successfully validated by well-designed randomised controlled trials (RCTs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Poor Quality of Practitioners:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ayush.gov.in\/docs\/ayush-Protocol-covid-19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>practitioners lack quality<\/strong><\/a> as Ayurvedic graduation and post graduation courses are often substandard and of poor quality.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Most AYUSH institutions would have to shut down<\/span> if they were subjected to the same stringent norms that MBBS medical colleges are subjected to.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, due to <strong>poor economic opportunities<\/strong>, the AYUSH system <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">fails to attract<\/span> the country&#8217;s best <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">talent<\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Overuse of AYUSH medicine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They are sold as over the counter products and nutraceuticals to avoid regulation. Further, Ayurvedic stores do <strong>not even have a legal requirement<\/strong> of a pharmacist to dispense the medications unlike pharmacies selling modern medicine. This leads to greater consumption and enhanced self-medication.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There have been numerous cases of <strong>terminal liver failure and irreversible organ damage<\/strong> due to over consumption of herbal preparations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Suggestions to improve the role of AYUSH<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firstly, AYUSH practitioners <\/span><b>should follow the instructions issued from time to time <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by the WHO, Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare and Ministry of AYUSH. They should mould their advice as per the changing guidelines in order to administer proper treatment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secondly, the <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/ayush-clinical-case-repository-accr-portal-and-ayush-sanjivani-app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AYUSH sanjivani app\u2019<\/a>s data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> must be regularly assessed and evaluated in order to include\/exclude the usage of traditional medicines in tackling the pandemic.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sanjivani is a mobile app for impact assessment of the effectiveness, acceptance and usage of the different AYUSH advisories.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thirdly, the AYUSH medicines should be put through <\/span><b>rigorous trials<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in order to be accepted as legitimate medications in the present times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fourthly, the governments <\/span><b>must stop treating AYUSH education and practice with an excessively liberal mindset<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They should subject them to the same stringent norms and requirements expected from practitioners of modern medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fifthly, the government should also focus on <strong>Capacity-building of licensed AYUSH practitioners<\/strong> through <\/span><b>bridge training<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to meet India\u2019s primary care needs.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Sixthly, Cross-pathy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between the traditional and modern systems should be allowed to fill the lacunae in respective systems. However, this must be done after due deliberation with experts from the respective systems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seventhly, the government should <\/span><b>create courses that produce qualified pharmacists<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trained in AYUSH pharmacopeia, who can then be placed on thousands of AYUSH stores across the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, every formulation of AYUSH medicine <strong>must carry a label<\/strong> detailing its ingredients, side effects and other important information as is mandated for modern medicines.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pandemic has made us realize that no single health care system can provide satisfactory answers to all the health needs of modern society. There is a<strong> need for an inclusive and integrated health care regime<\/strong> that could guide health policies and programs in the future. <strong>Medical pluralism<\/strong> is here to stay and the <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answered-revival-of-the-traditional-indian-systems-of-medicine-which-comprises-ayurveda-yoga-and-naturopathy-unani-siddha-and-homeopathy-ayush-along-with-strengthening-of-modern-med\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">role of AYUSH sector<\/a> has a critical role to play in the new and emerging situation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a public health challenge. The burden of disease and mortality is steadily increasing in many parts of the country. Several social and economic factors are leading to devastating situations. Effective management to address this infection is still evolving and attempts are being made to integrate traditional interventions along&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/role-of-ayush-during-pandemic-and-its-challenges\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Role of AYUSH during pandemic and its challenges &#8211; Explained, Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,9],"tags":[1289],"class_list":["post-109501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","category-public","tag-soc_0","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109501\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}