Ayurveda, yoga effective in treatment of Covid: IIT Delhi study

New Delhi: Yoga and ayurveda may be effective in the treatment of high-risk cases of Covid-19, according to a research by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar.

The study on successful treatment of 30 high-risk Covid-19 patients has been published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge.

The study also suggested that in addition to the treatment for Covid-19, yoga and ayurveda may be instrumental in relieving such patients from anxiety and aid in speedy post-treatment recovery. "The study also demonstrates an urgent need to scientifically examine the traditional Indian knowledge systems at the top academic institutions. A timely and suitably designed randomised controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of ayurveda and yoga based personalised integrative treatment for Covid-19 would have equipped the people with much more credible and dependable information about their use in managing Covid-19," said Rahul Garg of IIT-Delhi who conceptualised the project.

Besides the standard care treatment according to guidelines, the patients were prescribed ayurvedic medicines through telemedicine, and administered a personalized therapeutic yoga programme using video conferencing. "Almost all the patients were classified as high-risk owing to one or more of co- morbidities such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Chronic Kidney Disease, Coronary Artery Disease (which are known to lead to severe outcomes in cases of Covid-19), and/or age above 60.

"The treatment given to the patients was personalized (in accordance with the classical texts) and took account of each patient's medical history and the symptoms presented, which made it more effective as compared to a fixed standardized treatment plan," Garg said. The treatment included ayurvedic medicines, daily yoga-sessions including deep relaxation techniques, pranayama and basic asanas and some lifestyle modifications.