By Shweta Khanna
India is land of home remedies. We have faith in our spices, herbs, fruits, and flowers. The concoctions that we make are promising to fight the changing weather, primary cough and cold, nourish our hair and skin. While these ‘Nani aur Daadi ke nuskhe’ can do all that for sure, they cannot cure diseases, and overdose of certain things can be harmful too. Let us look at the three most common myths doing rounds in our fight against coronavirus.
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Turmeric and lemon in warm water can help you fight corona: Lots of posts shared on social media claim that the easiest way to stay away from coronavirus infection is to keep drinking turmeric and lemon in warm water. The Ayush ministry and a lot of fact-checks done on post tell us that there is no evidence to prove that this drink can keep you protected from corona infection. Ayush Ministry says, “turmeric has suitable antiviral property, and lemon has lots of vitamins. Both help in boosting immunity. But there is no evidence that these can fight against coronavirus.”
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Black pepper, turmeric with honey in water can fight corona: It has been over six months of dealing with this pandemic, new symptoms are emerging, the tests are on for a vaccine, but one thing that hasn’t stopped is the circulation of myths. One Facebook post claimed that a boy in Pondicherry had found a perfect cure for corona. Mixing black pepper, turmeric, and honey may help you fight a nasty bout of cold; there is no claim that this home remedy can cure COVID-19. Also, one should keep in mind that coronavirus infection hits people differently. While some might have a mild infection; some can have severe symptoms. A simple home remedy can’t “Cure” it all.
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Pranayama and stopping your breath for 10 seconds: While pranayama is an effective form of yoga for improving your breathing. It makes your lungs healthy, makes you more aware and mindful because yoga is all about concentration. There is no evidence today or historically defining it as a cure for any disease. Once ill, you should first have medicine, regain some strength and then practice yoga. It can help you physically improve and mentally stay relaxed.
Similarly, holding your breath is just another way of strengthening your lung function. It cannot test if you have COVID or not. An average human being can hold the breath for anywhere between 30sec to 2min. Holding your breath for more than 30sec is not advisable unless underwater, as it could have some harmful effects.
For those who have a bent towards allopathic medicine are consuming multivitamins to boost immunity. But would that help? Are you consuming more than required in fear of pandemic?
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Eating Multivitamins to boost your immunity: Doctors prescribe multivitamins to people who suffer from certain deficiencies. Having Multivitamins is required when daily food intake is not sufficient to provide the desired amount. Vitamin C and Zinc the two micronutrients in demand and believed to be fighting COVID are essential for the body to function, but an extra dose of these won’t help you prevent anything. There are enough food sources which provide these two, and in India, deficiency of vitamin c and zinc is not common.
So, the question now is what can help you improve your immune system. The Harvard health portal gives us some essential tips to keep ourselves healthy and away from infection.
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Take steps to avoid infection, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask if suffering from cold and cough and cook meats thoroughly.
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Stay up to date with recommended immunizations.
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Don’t smoke.
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Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
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Restrict saturated fats and sugars to 10% of total calories.
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Minimize consumption of red and processed meats.
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Exercise regularly. Try to get 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.
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Maintain a healthy weight.
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Control your blood pressure.
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If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation.
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Get adequate sleep.
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Get regular medical screening tests prescribed for people in your age group and risk category.
