George Poikayil By

Express News Service

KASARGOD: The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) will “explore the possibilities” of replicating the integrative protocol developed by the Kasargod-based Institute of Applied Dermatology (IAD) to treat filariasis across the country, said secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.

The evidence suggests the protocol combining modern medicine, ayurveda and yoga is effective and can be replicated, he said. “They are able to reduce the inflammation of the leg by 70 to 90 per cent and improve the quality of life of the patients,” he told Express. “As of now, we are open to adopting the protocol standarised by IAD.” Kotecha was in Kasargod to attend the ‘National Colloquium on Evidence Based Integrative Medicine for Lymphatic Filariasis’ at IAD in Kasargod on Wednesday.

Batting for integrative medicine, Kotecha, an ayurveda doctor, said integrative medicine is a model which will give patients the best treatment. He said the government is actively considering introducing ayurveda and yoga in premier institutes, such as AIIMS. “In the future, medical students at AIIMS will have the option to study ayurveda and yoga as elective courses. That makes sense,” he said.

As part of AYUSH’s intervention, the integrative approach has been adopted in six districts in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The hospitals in the districts screened 10 lakh people and registered four lakh patients with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Of them, 3 lakh persons underwent AYUSH interventions. “Over a period of three years, AYUSH made simple interventions.

We found all 3 lakh patients saw some degree of improvement and their dependence on medicine had decreased,” he said.The programme was implemented with the support of doctors in primary health centres and other government hospitals.