SC allows homoeopaths for COVID-19 mitigation protocols, recognises their right to administer doses

This is a forever debate, about the efficacy of allopathy and homoeopathy in curing diseases. While the former addresses the immediate criticality, the latter is good for long-term management and prevention. Alternative medicine is now being used as an add-on and as part of an integrated approach to medicine and convalescent therapies. When it comes to the flu virus, particularly COVID-19, a cure is still remote in allopathy where research is still focussed on studying the virus. Homoeopathy is still prophylactic, based as it is on symptom management, and eases conditions of mild to moderate cases at least. With no drug present to specifically treat COVID-19, even allopathy is currently relying on HCQ and Remdesivir to target symptoms. Perhaps it is because the treatment is symptomatic in both disciplines at the moment that the Supreme Court has ruled that homoeopaths can prescribe medicines for prophylaxis, amelioration and mitigation of COVID-19 patients, provided the prescription is given only by institutionally qualified practitioners. It, however, clarified that no practitioner may flag it as a cure and strictly operate within the guidelines issued by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy). The court has enabled a bit of a stopgap, considering a cure is not in sight and vaccination will take time to cover the population our size. While homoeopathy has long been considered a palliative, its efficacy in cure, as claimed by patients, has not been demonstrated consistently in medical trials. So far, the evidence of their potential has largely been anecdotal than empirical. In fact, combinations like Bryonia Alba and Arsenic Album 30 have been in circulation as a preventive and recuperative aid, often used alongside allopathy.

India, besides Cuba, is the only country to officially explore homoeopathy as part of its COVID-19 prevention, treatment and research protocol. The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) has been conducting trials to prove that the discipline works in containing the disease but in the absence of concrete proof, it is at the moment nothing better than a placebo. Yet, homoeopathy enjoys mass acceptability in India, with users believing in its long-term effects. In fact, it is the second most popular system of medicine in the country which, given our oversized disease burden and a stressed healthcare infrastructure, could work in taking care of basic health problems. But there has to be a rationality of approach and not blind faith. Once the disease sets in, there is no alternative to the clinically proven and medically tested protocols. Traditional systems of medicine, like ayurveda and homoeopathy, are, therefore, good for overall well-being and building body resistance. This distinction is very important in a country growing up in a culture of naturopathy and home remedies and, therefore, is prone to trusting conventional wisdom. But this is a novel virus we are dealing with. There is no doubt that traditional systems of medicine in India have not only survived but flourished over the centuries and there are virtues embedded in our huge herbal heritage that are good for enhancing immunity and overall health management. But overplaying our herbs as part of a COVID-19 medicare protocol, when they are yet to cross the threshold of medical reason, comes with the attendant ills of misconception that they are just as effective as allopathic drugs. Like homoeopathic institutes, a few ayurveda pharmaceutical companies, too, have been working on simulation studies where few plant molecules have shown the ability to halt the alarming multiplication of the SARS CoV-2 virus in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) modelling. Researchers at IIT Delhi, in collaboration with Japanese scientists, have found that properties of Ashwagandha have “therapeutic and preventive value” against COVID-19 infection. But they are working on more conclusive proof that could allow for pharmacological interventions. Besides, our drug control laws need more teeth and the Health Ministry has even released the draft of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, with stiffer penalties. But more deterrence needs to be built in. Rather than upgrading AYUSH protocols, we need to lay out a tiered structure on evidence-based protocols and mapping the progression of the disease. That would make us truly holistic in approach.