In Dehli, the city's government hospitals are swamped with swine flu patients. Advocates for alternative medicine are claiming that they have a cure to fight the virus.
On Wednesday, spiritual guru and founding father of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that the nation's wealth of Ayurveda knowledge could counter the pandemic. Delhi's Health Department maintained silence on the subject.
"I do not want to comment on a line of treatment that might or might not benefit the patients. This is a novel virus and we do not know a lot about it yet. It would be incorrect to say anything", Health Minister Kiran Walia told Newsline while speaking about the use of alternative branches of medicine like Ayurveda and Homoeopathy to cure H1N1 influenza.
Promoters of yoga say there are strategies to buttress the body's protection and stop the invasion of viruses. Hari Yogi, a yoga guru in South Delhi, announced : "Viruses attack the body when its protection is compromised. Since H1N1 is a droplet infection, it is crucial to perform nose and throat exercises. The logic is simple if you maintain your body's immunity, you won't fall victim to viruses. Ayurveda offers straightforward and effective cures to lift protection and build resistance." According to him, herbal medicines are known to heal fever and sore throat in a day.
While homoeopathic treatment involves a slow process to heal any illness, the experts still consider it a good technique when treating swine flu.