Yoga and Ayurveda maybe effective in the treatment of high-risk cases of COVID-19, suggests a research study on successful treatment of 30 high-risk COVID-19 patients. This study was conducted by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar.

Besides the standard care treatment as per guidelines, the patients were prescribed Ayurvedic medicines through telemedicine, and administered a personalized therapeutic Yoga programme using video conferencing. Almost all the patients were classified as high-risk owing to one or more of co-morbidities such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Chronic Kidney Disease, Coronary Artery Disease (which are known to lead to severe outcomes in cases of COVID-19), and/or age above 60. 

“Most patients reported that the therapy had a profound impact on their recovery process, with many experiencing improvements with respect to their comorbidities too. By the end of the treatment, several patients had decided to adopt Yoga in their lifestyle, and several turned to the Ayurveda doctors in the team for management/treatment of their comorbidities”, said Dr Sonika Thakral who coordinated with the patients for routine follow-up.

The findings of the study have appeared in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. The authors point out that high-risk COVID-19 patients undergo severe anxiety, which may further deteriorate their condition. 

“The study also demonstrates an urgent need to scientifically examine the Traditional Indian Knowledge systems at the top academic institutions. A timely and suitably designed randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of Ayurveda and Yoga based personalized integrative treatment for COVID-19 would have equipped the people with much more credible and dependable information about their use in managing COVID-19” said Prof. Rahul Garg, IIT Delhi who conceptualized the project.