Chennai: One of the main setbacks of being a Covid-19 patient is that you will not have a bystander or a family member with you in the hospital. No one may be telling you comforting words or even tell you how you are recovering.
Even as we are learning about the viral infection each day, experts are sure about two things, one is to strengthen immunity and the second thing is to fight it with your mind.
Officials at the Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital in Arumbakkam say that they have been able to save patients even from ventilators through Yoga, breathing exercises and an immunity building diet.
Sample this, 39-year-year old Madhumitha (name changed) is a neurologist and research officer with a leading private hospital in the city. She contracted Covid-19 and her condition deteriorated in a matter of days.
Her pulse was below 50 and blood pressure was below 70 to 90. Her ECG was problematic and 70 per cent of her lungs were affected. The doctors kept telling her not to close her eyes and she was in a ventilator in Government Omandurar Hospital. Madhumitha wanted to live for the future of her two children.
While she was in the ventilator, Professor Dr Y Deepa, Head of Department, Manipulative Therapy, Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital in Arumbakkam visited her as part of counselling.
Though Madhumitha could not respond, Deepa counselled and comforted her. She taught her about the power of Shanthi Asana also known as Yoga Nidra. On the second day, she came out of the ventilator and in four days she recovered.
Speaking to News Today, Deepa says, Madhumitha began motivating other Covid-19 patients using her real life story. One of them was Kamala (name changed), aged around 50. She used an oxygen mask even while having food and needed a helper for a visit to the toilet. With several breathing exercises and pranayams, she recovered in two days.
Deepa says with the intervention of Yoga and Naturopathy- Meditation, Aroma Oil Therapy, Facial Steam Inhalation, Self Acupressure, Sunbath with Yoga, Yogic Counselling- and an immune building diet many patients have recovered.
From her personal experience in the Covid Ward, Deepa says, “Stigma and fear of communicable decrease the response of cure. The virus enters and manifests the body where the vital forces are less and lower. The vitality reduces due to accumulation of waste and sluggishness of immune system to fight against it. Eating fruits, raw vegetables and raw diet helps eliminate coronavirus.”
Their diet chart has plenty of garlic, turmeric, ginger, Vitamic C, green leafy vegetables, Tulasi which are all available at home.
Deepa says they began service in a containment zone distributing the immunity building drink and diet chart. Through WhatsApp they shared the Yogic poses and breathing exercises and made calls giving counselling.
When they saw it worked, the doctors all over Tamilnadu began engaging with patients on Covid-19 wards.
Yoga and Naturopathy intervention has now reached 55,000 patients. Their routine is to teach yoga, meditation relation techniques, advice facial steam, gargling, instruct them to take three to 3.5 liters of water.
They reach out to patients in four categories: Those in containment zone who are exposed to the virus, those who are institutional quarantined, those in Covid-19 wards and in ventilators.
Yoga poses such as Tadasana, Katichakrasana, Utkatasana, hand-stretch breathing, simple breathing exercises and breathing awareness helped patients overcome stress.
In some hospitals in Tiruttani, Ariyalur and Vellore, the patients are taken to the terrace for sun bath, yoga and acupressure. The team also distributes aroma oil therapy that has helped in overcoming nasal block and chest congestion. Deepa says that many asymptomatic patients have regained smell and taste after following aroma therapy. Eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, lemon grass are anti-viral and anti microbial.