Evidence Based Medicine
-
Ayurveda Claims Tuberculosis Can Be Cured by Massage, Music, Alcohol, and “Observing Beautiful Ladies”. Let’s Talk Science.
Ayurveda Claims Tuberculosis Can Be Cured by Massage, Music, Alcohol, and “Observing Beautiful Ladies”. Let’s Talk Science.
Credit u/Singleshotdepresso
A frequently shared excerpt from classical Ayurvedic texts claims that Rajayakshma (often equated with Tuberculosis) can be cured by massage, oil application, wearing pleasant clothes, medicated enemas, milk, ghee, meat soup, alcoholic preparations, perfumes, music, observing beautiful women, prayers, celibacy, donations, and good conduct.
This claim is not only scientifically incorrect, it is dangerous.
What Tuberculosis Actually Is
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
It is transmitted via airborne droplets and primarily affects the lungs, though it can involve almost any organ.
TB is not a lifestyle imbalance, moral failing, or spiritual disorder.
It is a bacterial infection with well established pathology, microbiology, and natural history.
What Actually Cures TB
Tuberculosis is cured with specific modern medicines that kill the TB bacteria. As per the newer treatment guidelines, patients are treated for four months. The first two months use a combination of four drugs HRZM. This includes isoniazid, rifapentin, pyrazinamide, and moxifloxacin. The next two months use three drugs HRM. These medicines must be taken regularly under medical supervision. This treatment has been scientifically tested, proven effective, and is recommended by modern medicine to cure TB and prevent its spread.
Why the Ayurvedic Claim Is Wrong
These claims are wrong because they do not address the real cause of the disease. Tuberculosis does not go away on its own. Comfort based practices like massage music perfumes alcohol or rituals cannot remove the disease from the body. They may give temporary relief or false hope but the illness continues to progress silently.
Such approaches create a false sense of safety. When people believe these methods can cure TB they delay seeking real care. During this time the disease worsens and spreads to others. The patient becomes weaker while the infection remains active.
There is no reliable scientific proof that these methods can cure tuberculosis. No objective testing shows complete recovery clearance of disease or long term survival using these approaches alone. Promoting them as cure misleads patients and puts lives at risk.
Most importantly these claims ignore the seriousness of TB. Tuberculosis is not a lifestyle problem or moral issue. Treating it as such minimizes the danger of the disease and contributes to avoidable suffering and deaths.
The Real Harm
Unscientific TB claims cause delayed diagnosis and allow the infection to spread further in the community. Wrong or incomplete treatment increases the risk of drug resistant tuberculosis and leads to avoidable suffering and deaths. In a country like India with a very high TB burden such misinformation directly worsens an already serious public health problem.
Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease that spreads from person to person and can be fatal if not treated correctly. Relying on unproven traditional claims instead of modern treatment leads to delayed diagnosis continued spread drug resistance and avoidable deaths. TB is not cured by lifestyle practices rituals or comfort measures. It is cured only by scientifically tested anti TB medicines taken for the full prescribed duration under medical supervision. Protecting patients and public health requires evidence based treatment not belief based claims.
-
Why chyawanprash survives on tradition not on scientific evidence?
Why chyawanprash survives on tradition not on scientific evidence?
Credit u/Boring_Researcher803
Chyawanprash is the ultimate “Grandma said so” miracle. It has survived for 2,000 years not because it passed a double-blind clinical trial, but because it’s a cultural heirloom. Calling it “medicine” in a scientific community is a bold move when it’s basically Herbal Nutella.
The Sugar Trap
If you look at the back of the jar, the first or second ingredient is usually Sugar (Sarkara) or Honey. Most commercial brands are 60-70% sugar so basically you’re taking it to “stay healthy,” but you’re essentially starting your day with a massive glucose spike. Science says excess sugar causes inflammation, which is the exact opposite of what an “anti-inflammatory” supplement should do.
The Bioavailability Mess
Chyawanprash contains 40 to 50 herbs. In modern pharmacology, we call this a lack of standardization. When you mix 50 different bio-active compounds, no one actually knows the Bioavailability of the final mess. There is zero rigorous evidence on how these 50 things interact. It’s the scientific equivalent of “trust me, bro.”
The Lindy Effect
It survives because of the Lindy Effect: the idea that if a “hack” has lasted for centuries, it must be legit.
Most “studies” showing it works are small-scale, often industry-funded, and lack proper control groups.
Peer-reviewed science demands reproducibility, which is hard when every batch of herbs varies by season and soil.
Research on Thermal Processing shows how high heat nukes the very antioxidants people are paying for.
The NCBI report on Polyherbalism admits that while individual herbs like Ashwagandha are great, the synergy in complex mixtures like Chyawanprash lacks “pharmacokinetic evidence.”
Conclusion
So what is the conclusion?
It’s a delicious, nostalgic, herbal jam. It might give you a placebo boost and some mild antioxidant perks, but it’s surviving on marketing and memories, not molecules.
Touch background to close
EBMdaily.xyz
