Tamil Nadu’s Siddha researchers develop tool to help in COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment

The institute is now working to popularise the Yi tool among the Siddha practitioners.

Coronavirus and Siddha treatment: Researchers at the Chennai-based Siddha Central Research Institute (SCRI) have devised a tool called ‘Yakkai Ilakkanam’ (Yi) in order to get a better understanding of why some people are infected with the novel coronavirus easily and why some patients recover quickly, according to a report by news agency PTI. SCRI, which functions under the Union Ministry of Ayush’s Central Council of Research in Siddha (CCRS), has developed the tool based on a comprehensive review of the Siddha literature as well as research, the report added. The tool aims to address the doubts and concerns surrounding the coronavirus infection, apart from reaching a tangible solution.

The Yi tool is a questionnaire which contains 33 questions, divided into three parts covering the physical, functional and the mental profiles of the human body, the report said. The questionnaire has been formed after condensing about 260 questions from the Siddha literature.

The report quoted SCRI Director in-charge Dr P Sathyarajeswaran as saying that Yi stands for Yakkaiyin Illakanam, which in English means constitution of body. The diagnostic tool, based on the Siddha concept, has been found to have a relationship with COVID-19, he added. He was further quoted as saying that the tool helps in a deeper understanding of the conditions of the patients during COVID-19.

He also said that the questionnaire is being sent to Siddha doctors and practitioners in 10 districts have already sought and obtained it, and the doctors would be filling up the questionnaire on the basis of the replies they get from patients as well as volunteers.

The report further quoted CCRS Director General Dr K Kanakavalli as saying that the tool would help the doctors in determining the appropriate treatment as well the proper nutritious diet that can help patients recover quickly.

The report further stated that in the Siddha system, the concept of body constitution is based on the principle of three vital life forces called Vatha, Pitha and Kabam. Sathyarajeswaran was quoted as saying that the condition of each patient is different and so is the immunity level. An accurate understanding of the body constitution would help in predicting the health status of patients, which would further help in proper diagnosis, planned treatment and preventive strategies.

According to the report, the Yi tool was applied on 36 patients who were quarantined in Tirupattur after they came in primary contact of COVID-19 patients.

Sathyarajeswaran said that all the volunteers were healthy and on the basis of the tool, it was found that the patients who fall in the vatha category have less immunity, while the people in the pitha category were found to be moderately immune at 75%. Meanwhile, people in Kabam category were found to be 100% immune, he said.

The team then corroborated the findings on the immunity and patients’ ability to recover with the detailed information in the Siddha literature.

The Yi tool was then also applied on the patients in the Tirupati COVID-19 centre to study how long the three categories of patients stayed in the hospital and how long it took for them to test negative for the virus. As per the report, the team said vatha patients took 7.5 days of treatment, while pitha patients took a week and kabam patients on an average took six days of treatment.

The institute is now working to popularise the Yi tool among the Siddha practitioners.