COVID19 impacted not just the health of the people but also the health of the economy. Ayurveda and Yoga can provide immense support in building up the immune system to help fight infections.
The corona virus pandemic has assumed gargantuan proportions globally, what with the daily tolls of fatality and positive cases increasing across countries. In India, while we are speculating whether we have entered stage 3 of the epidemic, it is a matter of concern that the cities & districts are under severe lockdowns. This has impacted not just the health of the people but also the health of the economy.
Trade & commerce and businesses are at a stand-still and the country is looking at an eventuality of massive salary cuts and also unemployment. Flattening the curve while increasing the number of testing has become paramount and our government and our healthcare workers are working relentlessly to maximize their efforts. Multi-efforts are being made also to have an antidote or a vaccine in place and end this pandemic.
As of now, it is still not a health or social emergency in India. But we have to test more and keep vigilance. The WHO has given out health advisories talking about precautionary measures such as
1.Frequent hand washes.
2. Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
3. Using a mask.
4. Covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing.
5. Avoiding large gathering.
6. Staying home to prevent the virus from jumping hosts.
Building a strong immunity would certainly help:
While practicing the precautions is compulsory, let us not forget that this is a disease of the body and the first line of prevention or treatment should also focus on the health of the individual, not only on the ‘logistics’. The health of an individual, beyond their genetic disposition, depends greatly on their immune system – a complex representation of various aspects of their body, diet and lifestyle. The numbers coming from across the world show that the elderly and individuals with co-morbidity issues are more susceptible to COVID19, giving enough empirical indications that patients having a weak immune system are more vulnerable to serious complications.Hence, building a strong immunity would certainly help mitigate the symptoms and ensure a quicker recovery (not to be confused as prevention from catching the disease).
Traditional Indian systems of medicine, like Ayurveda and Yoga can provide immense support in building up the immune system to help fight infections. There are several natural foods, herbs and exercises that help in boosting the body’s immunity and its overall recovery mechanism.In fact, a lot of them can be found in our kitchens and can be readily included in our diet. Our diet is of prime importance since our gut and its microbiome are the main regulators of immunity hosting about 70% of our body’s immune cells.
Ayurveda, in its infinite wisdom, recognized that a well-balanced gut, with the right ratio of good and ‘bad’ bacteria, is key to a strong immune system. Ayurveda also gives us the science of Rasayana to augment our health and wellness. For example, herbal products infused with the goodness of Guduchi satva and Rasayana herbs, significantly help enhance the count of good bacteria in the gut, thereby improving immunity and overall physiological functioning of the body.
Consumers are increasingly turning to Ayurvedic medicines:
As the number of Covid-19 cases rises in India, consumers are increasingly turning to Ayurvedic medicines and products in the hopes of using them as prophylactics to boost immunity and manage symptoms such as coughs and cold. We believe that once supply chain (availability of packaging material currently diverted to making sanitizers) and logistical issues smoothen out, this will lead to anun seasonal increase in sales of 20% for this sector this quarter,especially for products like herbal cough syrups to specialized supplements, such as immunity enhancing prebiotics.
The reality is that a scientifically validated treatment or vaccine for COVID19 is still sometime away and in a populous country like ours, it is extremely difficult to avoid exposure to highly infective pathogens. We cannot remain in a lockdown with limited interactions with fellow Indians or foreigners till that time, leaving us to focus on the one thing in our own hands, our immunity and health. The need of the hour is for concerned government departments and authorities to give out medically validated recommendations and ‘instructions’ to the citizens on how to augment immunity through diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.
Mr. Chintan Gandhi
Director & CEO, Millennium Herbal Care
