ON SEPTEMBER 6, Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja reportedly endorsed a study which said that homoeopathic prophylactics were effective against Covid-19. It said that only a few of those who had taken the prophylactic contracted Covid-19 and they, too, recovered soon. The study was carried out in Covid-hotspot Pathanamthitta district, where Arsenicum Album 30C was distributed among 90 per cent of residents. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of the said homoeopathy medicine as an immunity booster. Shailaja later clarified that she neither said that homoeopathy medicines could be used to treat Covid-19 nor stated that the study had been scientifically proven. But by then, the damage was done—it had created a rift in the state medical community.
While the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) opposed Shailaja’s initial statement, homoeopathy practitioners came out in her support. The row has put the spotlight on the debate over the efficacy of alternative medicine to allopathic medicine in the fight against Covid-19, especially at a time when cases are rising and restrictions are being relaxed to open up the economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had repeatedly asked people to follow advisories issued by the ministry of AYUSH, which suggested a range of home remedies to boost immunity, including consumption of turmeric, honey, ginger and other concoctions. AYUSH treatments have often been questioned over their safety and efficacy, especially given the lack of robust, empirical studies in their defence.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 27, 2020-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 27, 2020-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
