PREAMBLE

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global health crisis posing an unprecedented public health emergency. The number of deaths and people being infected are increasing daily throughout the globe. This situation is much more severe due to the possible devastating social and economic state of affairs evoked by the unanticipated pandemic. Effective management to address this infection is still evolving and attempts are being made to integrate traditional interventions along with standard care.

Here at RISHI AYURVEDA HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE, we comprehend the factuality that Ayurveda can certainly play a pivotal role to augment the preventive measures against this pandemic. The current understanding of COVID-19 indicates that a good immune status is vital to prevention and to safeguard from disease progression.

IMMUNITY IN AYURVEDA

In Ayurveda, immunity is referred to as vyadhikshamatva. Ayurveda has a comprehensive approach of immunity encompassing two-fold management, respectively of health and disease. Vyadhikshamatva is the resistance of the body to fight a disease by either of the following two ways:

• Vyadhi -Bala- Virodhitvam – The resisting power of the body to restrain or withstand the strength or severity or progression of a disease.  Vyadhi- Utpada- Pratibandhakatvam – The resisting power of the body to prevent the manifestation of a disease. Significantly, various modifiable factors have been enlisted in Ayurveda that influence the host defense responses.
• (Bala/Vyadhikshamatva). These factors include a healthy diet (Pathyaahara), condition of biological humors (dosha) and the state of physical and mental health (Sareera).

Keeping this in view, RISHI AYURVEDA put forth an integrative prevention protocol that incorporates a 5 phased etiquette highly acclaimed to boost the immune system of each body constitution, thereby maintaining optimum health and preventing COVID-19.

THE FIVE PHASED ‘RISHI ETIQUETTE’ IN PREVENTION OF COVID-19

1. Basic precautionary measures.
2. Immune boosting diet and lifestyle regime.
3. Yoga and Pranayamas.
4. Internal Medications.
5. Mending mental health.

BASIC PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

• Maintain at least a 1-metre distance between yourself and others to reduce your risk of infection.
• Make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people.
  • Make sure the mask covers your nose, mouth and chin.
  • Always choose a mask with a nose wire. Nose wires prevent air from leaking out of the top of the mask.
  • Do not combine two disposable masks.
  • Wear a disposable mask underneath a cloth mask. Cloth mask should push the edges of the disposable mask against your face.

• Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol based handrub or wash them with water and soap.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently especially those which are regularly touched like door handles, phone screens etc.
• Know the full range of symptoms of COVID-19. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include loss of taste or smell, aches and pains, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, red eyes, diarrhoea, or a skin rash.

IMMUNE BOOSTING DIET AND LIFESTYLE REGIME

• Adequate sleep of 6 to 8 hours.
• Moderate physical exercises.
• Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption.
• Gargle with warm water added with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Water boiled with Triphala (dried fruits of Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula,Terminalia bellerica) or Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra) also can be used for gargling.
• Nasal instillation /application of medicated oil (Anu taila or Shadbindu Taila) once or twice in a day especially before going out and coming back home.
• Steam inhalation with Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) or Pudina (Mentha spicata) or Eucalyptus oil once a day.
• Intake of fresh, warm and balanced diet.
• Use warm water or water boiled with herbs like ginger (Zingiber officinale) or coriander (Coriandrum sativum) or basil (Ocimum sanctum / Ocimum basilicum), or cumin (Cuminum cyminum) seeds etc., for drinking.
• Drink Golden Milk (Half teaspoon Haldi (Curcuma longa) powder in 150 ml hot milk) once at night. Avoid in case of indigestion.
• Intake of Chyavanaprasha (10gm with warm water or milk) once a day.
• Concentrate on a low carb diet rich in immunity boosting vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin A	Green leafy vegetables Carrots Sweet potatoes Eggs Yoghurt
Vitamin E	Almonds Peanuts Sunflower oil
Vitamin C	Citrus fruits like orange, lemon Strawberries Broccoli Bell peppers Papaya
Vitamin D	Red meat Milk Sea food

 

YOGA AND PRANAYAMAS

Practice of Yoga has proven to improve respiratory and cardiac efficiency. Pranayamas particularly aim at improving pulmonary function and lung capacity. They also aid in muco-ciliary clearance and thereby substantially enhance the general immunity of the body.

• Suryanamaskara
• Standing asanas – Pada hastasana, Trikonasana, Tadasana, Ardha chakrasana (duration 1 minute)
• Sitting asanas – Ushtrasana, Sasankasana (duration 1 minute)
• Prone lying asanas – Makarasana, Bhujangasana (duration 1 minute)
• Supine lying asanas – Sethubandhasana, Pavana mukthasana (duration 1 minute)
• Resting asanas – Shavasana (duration 2 minutes)
• Kriyas – Vata neti 2 rounds (30 secs each with 30 secs relax), Kapalabhati( 2 rounds, 30 strokes each)
• Pranayamas – Nadi shodhana, Surya bhedhana pranayama, Ujjayee pranayama, Bhramari pranayama( 5 rounds each)
• Dhyana(meditation) for 5 minutes daily.

INTERNAL MEDICATIONS

At RISHI, we follow a holistic approach towards disease management and maintaining health. Our interventions in prevention of COVID-19 includes the incorporation of our patent medications that are highly acclaimed to boost immunity and thereby provide prophylactic care in COVID-19 patients. 

MENDING MENTAL HEALTH

Anxiety, worry and distress are common responses at times when we are faced with   uncertainty or the unknown. So it is normal and obvious that people are facing fear in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Added to the fear of contracting the virus in a pandemic such as COVID-19 are the significant changes to our daily lives  as our movements are restricted in support of efforts to contain and slow down the virus.

Taking this into consideration, the proficient Doctor’s panel at RISHI advises a standard approach of mental health care incorporating our holistic treatment protocols and tranquilizing hospital ambience that can render the patient with quietude and thereby helps in subduing the pandemic related anxiety and stress.

RISHI apprehends the fact that a healthy mind is the ultimate requisite towards a healthy body. Our unique approach towards mending mental health integrates modalities viz.

• Hypnotherapy
• Cognitive therapy
• Behavioural therapy
• Music therapy
• Nature therapy
• Rain therapy
• Spiritual therapy
• Sleep therapy
• Sound therapy
• Colour therapy
• Meditation therapy