COVID-19 is not the only ongoing pandemic in 2020. A shadow pandemic of mental health illness is slowly emerging around the globe, exacerbated by the Coronavirus. The world is ill-prepared to handle the consequences of a double pandemic. However, Indians, not only just in India but worldwide, via their contribution to healthcare as well as their lead in complementary therapies such as Yoga and Ayurveda are leading an asymmetric fight to counter the pandemics.
This article is about the contribution of India and Indians who are Covid warriors – healthcare workers who have contributed to fighting the virus as well as those involved in the complementary medicine area and impart traditional therapies to strengthen immunity and enhance health as well as well-being.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2019), the United States spends 17.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product on health, which accounts for 3.6 trillion dollars and about $11,172 per person. These numbers have probably gone up in the first half of the year 2020. Many South Asians, especially Indians, work in healthcare as physicians, and nurses. Indian therapies such as yoga are actively being utilized by Americans. The Yoga in American Study indicated that about 37 million people in the U.S. practiced yoga in 2016. The contribution of both Indians and therapies originating from India is gaining recognition in these unprecedented times.
Healthcare Warriors
The Indian subcontinent has had a history of valuing good health both physical and mental throughout its heritage. Health is synonymous with food, water, and shelter. Historically and currently, a vast number of Indians have decided to pursue education and training in health. According to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), there are 80,000 physicians of Indian origin registered with the organization as of 2019, and according to the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (2020), about 1.4 million doctors of Indian origin work outside of India.
According to the National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA), there are thousands of Asian-Indian nurses working in the U.S. who continue to provide exceptional patient care. There are 19 chapters of NAINA around the nation (2020) according to the organization’s website and for example, about 5,000 Indian nurses work in 4 counties in the South Florida region according to the chapter President (2020). Indian doctors and nurses are continuously risking their lives and putting their loved ones at risk when they work long hours, especially in facilities that are not still fully equipped to deal with the pandemic. The surge in Coronavirus cases is also putting an additional strain on this group.
AAPI states that 1 in every 7 people in the United States receives care from a physician of Indian origin at any given time. If COVID-19 is a battlefield, healthcare workers are at the forefront. Covid-related infection rate in healthcare workers is approximated at 1 percent according to The Tribune News Service (2020). Hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers are putting their lives at risk every day during the ongoing pandemic. Healthcare workers in the field denote the risk of exposure in the field.
Yogis and Vaidyas
There is an intersection and overlap between Yoga and Ayurveda; a person’s mental and physical health constituency matters. 1 in 13 people suffer from anxiety-related disorders. About 40 million people over the age of 18 in the United States experience an anxiety disorder (ADAA, 2020). It is safe to assume that this number has gone up during the current pandemic; turning anxiety and mental health illness into a global pandemic in need of serious attention. According to the ADAA, only about 37% of those suffering from anxiety disorders receive treatment. If anxiety was not a global health issue before COVID-19, it surely is now. Non-traditional medical modalities such as yoga are effective in combating stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. One such modality is the practice of yoga.
Yoga is an ancient Indian instrument, a technology to enhance personal well-being. The practice of Yoga includes discipline towards the self, practicing physical postures, regulating breathing, practicing meditation, and mindfulness which also includes components of self-awareness. Studies about yoga interventions on stress show that yoga increases well-being and reduces stress, and anxiety, improves sleep, and reduces cortisol – a stress-related hormone. Anxiety takes a toll on a person’s physical and mental well-being and medication is not the only answer to combat this disease felt by many across the globe. Almost half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (2020). Yoga as an intervention continues to show significant potential in reducing Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Major Depressive Disorder – all of which fall under the Anxiety and Depression umbrella.
Ayurveda has enough potential and possibility to address the COVID-19 challenge. Ayurvedic doctors are known as Vaidyas. The Indian Ministry of AYUSH has outlined guidelines for citizens to keep their immunity up as well as designed Apps and surveys for people for self-monitoring. AYUSH stands for the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy and its goal is to develop, educate, advance research, and propagate indigenous medical systems in India. For example, there are about 3598 AYUSH hospitals and 2818 Ayurveda hospitals available in India (Rastogi et al., 2020). There are 25,723 AYUSH dispensaries including 15,291 dispensaries and over 773,000 registered AYUSH practitioners including 428,000 Ayurveda practitioners in India. The Ayurveda hospitals have been seeing and treating patients and the infrastructure can be used to set up primary care units and quarantine for those who have mild symptoms but require being monitored under a watchful eye. Also, clinical trials to find cures for COVID-19 are being carried out by Indian researchers and Vaidyas to validate Ayurvedic therapies within the evidence-based scientific framework.
Yogis – those who practice/teach yoga and Vaidyas – Ayurvedic physicians continue to play a part in combating the double-edged, unprecedented pandemic along with those who are practicing Western, biomedicine. Ancient Indians were concerned with discovering their true self, their identity, and their role in greater society. Discovering one’s self is related to maintaining good health within the self and with the surroundings. This tradition continues for Indians whether it be in the form of service in the biomedical field or the form of comparative medicine such as Ayurveda and Yoga. It behooves us to recognize and express gratitude to our fellow, Indian brethren for their selfless contributions towards health, science, and society.
References
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2020). Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from: https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,of%20those%20suffering%20receive%20treatment.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (2019). National Health Expenditure Accounts. Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical#:~:text=U.S.%20health%20care%20spending%20grew,spending%20accounted%20for%2017.7%20percent.
Dutt, Ela. Special Report: Indian-American Nurses on Frontlines of COVID-19 patient care. Retrieved from: https://www.newsindiatimes.com/special-report-indian-american-nurses-on-frontlines-of-covid-19-patient-care/
Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. (2020). About GAPIO. Retrieved from: https://www.gapio.in/
Rastogi, S., Pandey, D. N., & Singh, R. H. (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic: A pragmatic plan for Ayurveda Intervention. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine.
Tandon, Aditi. (2020). At least 70 Indian Doctors have died so far while on Covid duty. Retrieved from: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/at-least-70-indian-doctors-have-died-so-far-while-on-covid-duty-107081
Yoga In America Study. (2016). Retrieved from: https://www.yogaalliance.org/2016YogaInAmericaStudy
Image credit: UN News. Article was first published in Myind Makers