The use of integrative therapy based on Yoga and Ayurveda in the treatment of a high-risk case of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 with multiple comorbidities: a case report
Authors
Alka Mishra
Department of Ayurveda and Holistic Health, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, India
Sumitra Bentur
Ayurveda physician and yoga expert, Noida, India
Sonika Thakral
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
Rahul Garg
National Resource Center for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
Bhanu Duggal
Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
Keywords:
COVID-19, Ayurveda, Yoga, Integrative therapy, Case report
Abstract
We report a high-risk case of a coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19)-positive patient with comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease (CKD), treated successfully using an integrative therapy plan based on Ayurveda and Yoga, along with government-mandated compulsory modern western medicine (MWM) treatment. Recently, some evidence has been emerging on the use of Ayurveda for treatment of COVID-19. The classical texts of Ayurvedic medicine such as Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita contain descriptions of pandemics of similar proportions and describe them as Janapadoddhvansa, meaning the destruction of communities, along with their causes and treatment.
Case presentation
The case reported herein is a 55-year-old man from Delhi, India, with confirmed (tested) COVID-19, who first took MWM for 7 days before seeking integrative therapy. The patient has comorbidities including DM, HTN, hypothyroidism and CKD and had developed symptoms including fever (which was resolved by the time integrative therapy was started), sore throat, dry cough, body aches, weakness, bad taste and smell, and heaviness in the abdomen. Based on the patient’s symptoms and comorbidities, a treatment plan including Ayurvedic medicines, Yoga protocol, dietary recommendations and lifestyle modifications was prescribed by a registered Ayurveda doctor and a Yoga consultant. The patient started experiencing improvement in all the symptoms within 2 days after starting the treatment; he reported approximately
75
%
relief from the symptoms after 5 days, and almost complete relief within 9 days. Also, the blood sugar levels (both fasting blood sugar [FBS] and postprandial blood sugar [PPBS]) exhibited significant improvement after 5 days, and decreased to within the normal range within 12 days. Besides relief in symptoms, the patient’s real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test done on the 19th day returned negative results.
Conclusions
Integrative therapy was found to be effective in mitigating the symptoms of COVID-19 in this patient with multiple comorbidities. Moreover, a significant improvement in blood sugar levels (not under control with modern medicine) was also achieved. Integrative therapy based on the classical texts of Ayurveda and Yoga may offer a promising and scalable treatment option for COVID-19 patients. A case series or a suitably designed randomized controlled trial is needed to assess its efficacy.
Keywords: COVID-19, Ayurveda, Yoga, Integrative therapy, Case report
Author Biographies
Sonika Thakral, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
National Resource Center for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
Rahul Garg, National Resource Center for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
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