What I love about the US higher education system is the unrivaled academic freedom to design, teach and evaluate innovative and experimental courses without anyone’s approval. Since joining UNLV in 1974, I have fathered 15 different courses, workshops and honors seminars. This individual freedom in teaching has struck a chord in my mind as I have been reading about the global approach being taken in combating the onslaught of Coronavirus or Covid-19. The local and native treatments must not be discouraged. 

Yesterday’s biggest headline was about a female medical researcher in Pune (India) whose team had successfully developed a testing kit to detect Covid-19. I was more sad than happy after reading this news! Sad, because even in India since its independence in 1947, both public and private support for research and development of Ayurveda has been insignificant. Ayurveda is the indigenous medical system that could not be decimated by the foreign rulers of the Hindus in India for over nearly 700 years. 

Throughout history, such havocal diseases have come and gone after mowing down 1-2 million people each time in the paths of their fury. Every scripture has references to such devastating diseases. In my memory, I recall the identical public fear of HIV and AIDS that raged in the US in the 1980s. 

Like India, China too has its ancient herbal medical system. About 2-3 weeks ago when I read about the speed with which the Chinese had built two fully furnished hospitals for the allopathic treatment, I was not happy then. The Chinese are ignoring their indigenous medical system too! In their entire history, great empires and dynasties have ruled China. Royalties and commoners were treated by the Chinese medical system both in peace and war. By any stretch, the modern system of medicine is only 300 years old. 

A hallmark of my teaching is a very strong emphasis on finding multiple solutions of a problem – no other consideration. It is frequently demonstrated in the class, encouraged in the homework and rewarded on tests and exams. That is true in every walk of life. I strongly believe that there are more than one cure of Coronavirus. It is terrible to see the shutdown of the nations while they search for a cure of Coronavirus in one direction only. This approach is likely to kill the economies and nations before Covid-19 can do it. 

Besides the time-tested India‘s Ayurveda and China’s Herbal systems of medicines, there are Middle East’s Unani (means from Greece!) and Homeopathy from Germany (but thriving in pockets around the world – like in India). Then there is Nature Cure (many forms). Gandhi (1869-1948) revived a Nature Cure system and practiced it on himself and his fellow ashramites for almost 40 years! There is a fundamental difference between Allopathy and Nature Cure. Allopathy kicks in when a person gets sick first. The essence of Nature Cure and Ayurveda is the art of staying healthy in the first place.

A lesson from history of the last 5000 years is that mankind has survived through many pestilences and wars. It is because of infinitely many local treatments. In the philosophy of survivalism, survivalists believe that the cure for any ailment is sitting right next to the source of the ailment itself. The challenge lies in finding it. 

At times, it seems to me that the entire world is carrying hammers to bolt out this virus that is only 300 nanometer thick/long – invisible and lost in a crowd of nearly 500,000 known viruses and bacteria –  good and bad. It is insane to isolate it for killing it. The lab is a different story as the isolation of the virus there is for the purpose of developing vaccines. I am for it. 

One may ask me as to what I have been doing in this direction in order to stay healthy. Long walks in the open is built into my system. I have increased my daily breathing exercises (pranayama) particularly those that strengthen the lungs. There are ways of ingesting raw garlic that maintains harmony in the metabolic system, and builds up immunity too. The coronavirus pathogens are micro tiny, unless the spots are wet, they are mostly flying in the air (common sense). 

This morning, I congratulated my 20-year old grandniece who celebrated her birthday in Panchkula (India) by performing a  havan/homa. It is a sanctified fire created with special ingredients. In addition, there were 108 recitations of the Gayatri Mahamantra, the potent syllables in Vedic Sanskrit. 

There is no advocacy for havan/homa. A particular choice of ingredients for the havan in order to stifle Covin-19 is a research or re-discovery problem for a few Ayurveda practitioners. This is a time for not ridiculing any local medical treatment of Coronavirus by calling it quackery or witchcraft etc. For instance, the American Medical Society voted to ban the practice of Homeopathy in the US 100 years ago! Of course, one should be watchful of the anti-social elements who are prowling out there to exploit this situation. 

The bottom line of this entire reflection is that different medical systems are not always mutually exclusive. They are no different from different culinary cuisines that we all enjoy at times. Period. 

Guest author Satish C. Bhatnagar is a mathematics professor at UNLV that he joined in 1974. He is the author of ten non-fiction books in six different genres.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the above article solely belong to the author Professor Satish Bhatnagar and are not an endorsement by vegasdesi.com. The editor is pleased to provide vegasdesi.com as a platform for the community members to engage in intellectual debates, opinions, and discussions.

 5,019 total views,  1 views today