When Rosemary Odinga was able to see again, her father’s joy knew no bounds.
Rosemary lost her vision in 2017 and has been getting treatment at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eyecare Hospital in Kerala, India.
This is why when her father, Raila Odinga, received a bouquet of flowers at the hospital during a recent trip to India, he said if elected President, setting up a Sreedhareeyam-type hospital in Nairobi will be one of his priorities.
“When everyone was giving up, a friend of mine suggested an institution in India for ayurvedic treatment where we could try. We sent her to Kerala Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre at Koothattukulam in Kerala,” he said.
“By using these traditional medicines, she finally has her eyesight back and this gave us a lot of confidence. I have discussed with PM Modi to bring this treatment method (Ayurveda) to Africa and use our indigenous plants for therapeutics.”
Rosemary became sick about three years ago, he said. “She had a haemorrhage as a result of which she had an operation in Nairobi.”
During the operation, medics interfered with the optic nerve.
She was treated in South Africa for three months but did not recover eyesight. The family then sent her to Israel but she did not improve.
She went to China for further surgery and later to Germany but that didn’t help either.
That is when the family decided to send her to India. After treatment with traditional medicine, Rosemary’s sight improved, and she did not hide her joy either.
“After two years of treatment, I am able to even read messages on the phone. My family and I are indebted to Sreedhareeyam.”
Sreedhareeyam, the state-of-the-art facility for diagnosis and ancillary services, sticks to traditional ayurvedic methods for treating even advanced and complicated eye ailments.
Rosemary was put on treatment immediately upon her arrival, under Dr Narayanan Namboodiri, the chief physician.
Within four months, the doctor said, Rosemary’s eyesight had improved.
“She had suffered secondary optic atrophy as a result of the tumour and underwent various traditional ayurvedic procedures for its cure,” the hospital said.
But why ayurveda?
Developed more than 3,000 years ago, India’s traditional medicine targets ‘holistic’ health.
The term ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Thus, ayurveda translates to knowledge of life.
Based on the idea that disease is due to an imbalance or stress in a person’s consciousness, ayurveda encourages certain lifestyle interventions and natural therapies to regain a balance between the body, mind, spirit and environment.
It remains an integral part of India’s healthcare system and combines products (mainly derived from plants, but may also include animal parts, metal and minerals) diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.
John Hopkins Medicine explains that the concepts of universal interconnectedness, the body’s constitution (prakriti), and life forces (doshas) are the primary basis of ayurvedic medicine.
The treatment helps the patient by eliminating impurities, reducing symptoms, increasing resistance to disease, reducing worry, and increasing harmony in life.
The Indian government has even set up a whole ministry that deals with ayurvedic sciences.
This is because it is considered a form of medical care, equal to conventional Western medicine, and traditional Chinese, naturopathic and homeopathic treatments.
Practitioners of ayurveda in India undergo state-recognised, institutionalised training.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation, Dr Narendra Goyal, a wellness researcher and lecturer in Udaipur, Rajasthan state, says the practice seeks to strengthen the health of the entire body and mind, and may involve herbs, oils, exercises and meditation.
“One more reason behind the popularity of ayurvedic medicines in India is the cost factor, though there’s always been a major conflict between allopathy and ayurveda,” Dr Goyal said.
“One of the most controversial and popular figures who drives this debate is Baba Ramdev, a self-proclaimed yoga guru and the founder of Patanjali Ayurveda who has even developed ayurvedic treatments for Covid-19, like Coronil, Clevira (and) Kudineer, which have been approved by the government as ‘supportive’ medication in dealing with coronavirus.”
But India’s experience could influence treatments in other parts of the world. In September 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and the African Union Commission’s health affairs department endorsed a team to create protocols for phase two of trials on herbal medicine for Covid-19.
The 25-member committee will provide guidelines for research in Africa and provide evidence to determine if herbal medicine has an impact.
India remains one of the largest manufacturers of modern medicines. It has 250,000 registered medical practitioners of the ayurvedic system compared with 700,000 practising modern medicine.
Some 20,000 medicinal plants have been recorded. However, traditional practitioners use just about 7,500 plants to cure different diseases, according to Hindawi, a journal for alternative medicine. BY DAILY NATION