Īyurveda is a system of traditional Indian medicine which is based on sound therapeutic principles and has a proven history of empirical use. Although the precise figures may vary with geography, the fact that the presence of comorbidities leads to poor clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients has been independently confirmed in many studies from various countries. In the same cohort, the percentage of patients for whom the illness progresses to a severe stage has been reported at \(16\%\), whereas for patients with comorbidities, the corresponding percentage is substantially higher, at \(32.8\%\). The mortality rate for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in China has been reported as \(3.1\%\), while among these hospitalized patients, for those who have one or more of the nine comorbidities (DM, HTN, COPD, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, hepatitis B infection, malignancy, chronic kidney disease, immunodeficiency), the mortality rate has been reported as \(8.8\%\). Physical inactivity, high-fat diet and uncontrolled HTN in addition to superposed infection are strong risk factors for cardiovascular complications such as myocardial toxicity in COVID-19. The presence of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or old age leads to poorer clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, and presents additional challenges in the management of the illness. Although there are several clinical trials underway, no cure has yet been found for COVID-19 in modern western medicine (MWM). As on August 28, 2020, more than 24.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in more than 227 countries and territories, resulting in more than 831,827 deaths. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc on every aspect of human life on planet Earth.
A case series or a suitably designed randomized controlled trial is needed to assess its efficacy. Integrative therapy based on the classical texts of Ayurveda and Yoga may offer a promising and scalable treatment option for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, a significant improvement in blood sugar levels (not under control with modern medicine) was also achieved. Integrative therapy was found to be effective in mitigating the symptoms of COVID-19 in this patient with multiple comorbidities. Besides relief in symptoms, the patient’s real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test done on the 19th day returned negative results. Also, the blood sugar levels (both fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar ) exhibited significant improvement after 5 days, and decreased to within the normal range within 12 days. The patient started experiencing improvement in all the symptoms within 2 days after starting the treatment he reported approximately \(75\%\) relief from the symptoms after 5 days, and almost complete relief within 9 days. Based on the patient’s symptoms and comorbidities, a treatment plan including Ayurvedic medicines, Yoga protocol, dietary recommendations and lifestyle modifications was prescribed by a registered Ayurveda doctor and a Yoga consultant.
The patient has comorbidities including DM, HTN, hypothyroidism and CKD and had developed symptoms including fever (which was resolved by the time integrative therapy was started), sore throat, dry cough, body aches, weakness, bad taste and smell, and heaviness in the abdomen. The case reported herein is a 55-year-old man from Delhi, India, with confirmed (tested) COVID-19, who first took MWM for 7 days before seeking integrative therapy. The classical texts of Ayurvedic medicine such as Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita contain descriptions of pandemics of similar proportions and describe them as Janapadoddhvansa, meaning the destruction of communities, along with their causes and treatment. Recently, some evidence has been emerging on the use of Ayurveda for treatment of COVID-19. We report a high-risk case of a coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19)-positive patient with comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease (CKD), treated successfully using an integrative therapy plan based on Ayurveda and Yoga, along with government-mandated compulsory modern western medicine (MWM) treatment.