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HEALTHWATCH
Alternative
Cancer Buster
Ayurvedic
doctors contend they can treat leukaemia effectively and without any side
effects
 An
alliance of ayurveda and allopathy may finally bust blood cancer. Ayurvedic
treatment on patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) shows remarkable
success, as an allopathy-style scientific analysis has found. Says Dr
Rajiv Kumar, who is monitoring 11 such cases at Delhi's All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS): "The treatment seems very promising."
Leukaemia,
which claims 22,000 lives around the world every year, occurs when cells
of bone marrow divide endlessly instead of maturing into white blood cells
that protect the body against disease. Early pointers are fatigue and
fever which hint at the loss of immunity before leukaemia is actually
diagnosed. Chemotherapy, along with drugs like ATRA and arsenic trioxide,
provide a lifeline for APL patients - the cancer regresses in four out
of five patients, leaving it "long term" for only one. But the
price to be paid for this extended life is steep - several lakhs of rupees
in treatment plus severe side effects.
Vaidya Balendu
Prakash says this need not be the case. His ayurvedic medicines, prepared
according to the Ras Shashtra, which, he explains, "is the therapeutic
use of metals", are cheaper, effective, and without reactions. Evidence
so far from the AIIMS study appears to support his claim. Of the five
relapsed patients and six freshly diagnosed patients in the study, only
one died, and that too because the patient discontinued treatment against
advice. All others are doing well, some even three years after medical
intervention. Says Satish Gupta, a relapsed leukaemia survivor and ayurveda-convert:
"The only treatment I have now is for the side effects of the chemotherapy."
He adds, "The entire ayurvedic treatment costs as much as a single
allopathic test."
Doctors
who deal with liver and kidney failures-often the outcome of inappropriate
use of heavy metals by ayurvedic quacks-are cautious. Says Dr S. Chatterjee
of Apollo Hospital: "Ayurveda could work, but the treatment's efficacy
has to be evidence-based and determined in a controlled study to be convincing."
That's all genuine vaids ask for-a chance to prove ayurveda's worth.
-Supriya
Bezbaruah
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IN
SMALL DOSES
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BIG
SHOT: When the doctor whips out a huge needle, smile.  Research
at Oxford University shows that bigger, thicker needles hurt less
than smaller thinner ones. A study involving 100 infants in a 16-week
immunisation programme measured swelling and tenderness caused by
using either a 23-gauge, 25 mm needle or a 25-gauge, 16 mm needle.
The larger needles caused smaller swellings in one-third of the children.
Now if only the needles looked as reassuring. |
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HOT
NEWS: Fresh salads may be fashionable, but for that extra
bit of iron, nothing can beat a dish of cooked vegetables. So say
scientists at the American Chemical Society, who found that the
body absorbed iron better from cooked vegetables, particularly leafy
green vegetables like spinach. Fresh vegetables, cooked in iron
vessels, with a tangy touch, like that of tomatoes or lemon, proved
the richest sources of iron. Looks like those big iron pots may
be back in demand.
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| BENEFICIAL
BREW: Sipping a strong cup of tea after a long day has
an unexpected beneficiary-the heart. According to the Brooke Bond
Tea and Health Information Centre, studies have shown that sipping
several cups of black tea per day can significantly reduce the risk
of severe atherosclerosis-a hardening of the arteries which is a major
cause of coronary heart disease. The study monitored the tea-drinking
habits of more than 3,000 men and women over the age of 55-and found
that the benefits were more favourable for women. |
Top
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