Ayurveda: a means of effective treatment for host of diseases, including HIV/AIDS

Yek Raj Pathak (Kathmandu) / March 24: A government officer Bishwonath Regmi has been suffering from the enlargement of prostate gland.

The disease may cause urinary changes in men as they age, making them difficult emptying their bladder as the most common symptom.

After being diagnosed of the disease that reportedly reached the second stage that time, doctors told him that he should undergo surgery for a cure. Hesitant to undergo surgery and having sought alternative to this cut-and-stitch procedure, he ended up in Ayurveda, a system of medicine that developed in ancient time, where he was later provided with treatment from an Ayurvedic Treatment and Counselling Centre at Lubhu in Mahalaxmi Municipality-3 in Lalitpur run by Krishna Prasad Pokharel.

“I reached the stage when I found it difficult to even speak, had fever and urine infection. Now I am recovering gradually as I am taking ayurvedic medicines,” shares 54-year-old Regmi, who serves as deputy auditor general at the Office of the Auditor General.

The ayurvedic doctors told me to take medicines for 45 days for a cure. I am on medication now and it feels that I am gradually recovering, he says.

Similarly, Laxmi Chhantyal, 69, of Butwal in Rupandehi was diagnosed of uterus cancer some years ago. Being prescribed by doctors shortly, she started undergoing radiotherapy at the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital (BCH). She is currently staying at Gongabu.

However, with no apparent signs of recovery, she discontinued the treatment and checked herself into the ayurvedic centre one year ago. “Now I am taking ayurvedic medicines and feeling well. The lab report at the BCH shows that I am gradually recovering,” she said.

Regmi and Chhantyal are only a case in point. Many people suffering from different kinds of illness visit the ayurvedic centre. The centre authorities said that people suffering from hepatitis, cancer and even HIV/AIDS among others visit the centre for treatment.

A retired civil servant, 65-year-old Pokharel of Kharibot-9, Gorkha district learnt this method of treatment from his father and grandfather. “I do not have any formal training or education in this sector. Whatever I know I learnt this from my father and grandfather. It is my family occupation,” Pokharel shared.

He is into this profession for the last sixteen years. He became the subject of discussion among the doctors after his feat of treating patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and a range of other diseases came to their knowledge. The Nepal Health Research Council also took interest in him and nominated him as the chief researcher.

The Council gave him a letter of approval for research on February 15 after it was verified following lab tests carried out at different hospitals that the patients he treated using herbs had recovered.

The Council has given him permission for conducting research in Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Liver Cirrhosis. Pokharel administers herbal remedy to patients under the supervision of the Nepal Health Research Council and the council meets the expenses for the medicines. He has been conducting the research under the Council’s supervision.

Pokharel has been using the herbs found in the country for preparing the medication. The Council has granted him permission for research after studying the reliability of the treatment that he is providing using the herbs found in Nepal.

He has been providing ayurvedic treatment services from his clinic he opened 16 years ago at Lubhu in Lalitpur. Patients from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand besides Nepal are receiving treatment at his clinic. Pokharel claims that he has treated patients from 12 countries. He says patients from over 60 districts of the country have visited his clinic.

“More than us, it is the foreigners who believe in and are interested in herbal treatment,” he shared. Doctors from Nepal and other countries as well as specialists in this treatment method come to him and ask about various aspects of herbs and herbal treatment. Specialists in alternative medicine from various countries as well as students have carried out researches together with him and studied his treatment methods.

“I have treated more foreigners than Nepali HIV/AIDS patients. Most of them are Indians. But now they do not want to disclose their previous status,” he said. He has also been operating Kantipur Herbs Processing Industry at Ratnanagar in Chitwan. Although source of some of the medicines are the herbs brought at his industry, Pokharel has to go far away to bring most of the herbs.

Pokharel said that people used to meet him as the final alternative after their efforts to cure the disease go vain even after spending huge quantity of money in hospital. He, however, gets highest satisfaction if he found the disease cured due to his medicines.

He said many anomalies are now seen in the name of herbal treatment and added that many people have also been found cheated due to this. He further said he never runs for cheap publicity and patients used to meet him through contact and word of mouth.

We are not only suffering from diseases for lack of proper use of herbs even after acknowledging valuable herbs, they are exported at a throw away price.

He said we are compelled to take the medicines manufactured from these herbs in high-price and added that the government has a special plan for the proper use of such valuable resource.

Pokharel said there is no any disease which is not cured through the use of herbs of Nepal, but it was said that we have failed to focus our research in this sector. RSS