Ayurved medicine is a traditional method of healing patients practiced in India and quacks have started posing as traditional medicine practitioners. They are on the rise and one reason to blame for this is increased obsession is to get cheap natural healing without any “side effects”.
In this blog, we will try to find out how these unqualified “Doctors” are playing with the health of the Indian people and why you and your family members should stay away from them.
Ayurved Medicine Quacks Rise-
Quack Doctor- Who are they?
A person who is not registered with the Government of India or any State Government to practice and prescribe medicine ( Allopathy, Ayurved, or any other form recognized by the government) is termed a Quack.
Why quack doctors are bad for the patients?
Quack doctors do not have any medical or ayurvedic knowledge and they also have no knowledge about medicine or herbs used in the treatment of the patients.
They have no ability to find what patients are suffering from and what will be the diagnosis of the disease. So in this situation, they will try to give any medicine to the patients to earn money from them.
Two Harmful effects of getting treatment from these quack doctors:-
- Worsening of the disease- It is possible that the patient’s condition will keep on deteriorating because of possible wrong diagnosis and treatment methods.
- Side effects – Many medicines and herbs have some side effects especially if taken in the wrong doses. And since these quacks do not have any medical knowledge or training, the side effects are common in the patients.
Who is at risk from these quacks-
These quacks mainly target old age group people and young boys.
Villages are the most common area where they open the AYURVEDIC TENT CLINIC.
They will target old age people because mostly they suffer from chronic pain, Diabetes, and Hypertension. It is a common belief in the patients that if they take allopathy medicine then in the long term it will lead to various diseases of the kidney and liver.
They also claim to treat some surgical conditions like Hernia, Hemorrhoids, and Hydrocele with medicine only and this attracts more patients as patients are scared of surgeries.
Young boys are also an easy target for them as they claim to increase the manhood power of the men and this attracts the boys to attend these roadside tent clinics of Ayurved.
Factors Fueling Quackery-
Social media influence and misinformation-
Today social media is used by many people to search for health-related information and quacks use them to show how they are able to cure many chronic diseases with herbal medicines that are free of any side effects.
Many people promote going to these quacks as they are believed to have magical powers that can help cure diseases completely.
Many social media influencers and celebrities often promote ayurvedic products as magical remedies that can cure any disease and these quacks get indirect benefits from these promotions as people believe the celebrities easily and start going to these quacks.
Public distrust of conventional medicine-
Many people believe that Modern Medicine is full of side effects and that taking these medicines for a long time will lead to kidney and liver problems.
Sometimes getting treatment through modern medicine for chronic disease can be very expensive and it is not possible for middle and lower-income group people to afford the expensive medical bills. This forces the patients to look for these cheap treatment methods.
The desire for holistic and natural treatment-
Patients and their family members sometimes have a strong desire to get treated through natural methods just like our ancestors used herbs to cure diseases.
These uneducated and untrained practitioners from Ayurved tent clinics make people believe that they provide treatment not only to the body but also to the mind and soul. This sounds like the best way to get the complete treatment and people started finding these kinds of quacks to get complete natural treatment.
Risk of Quackery-
Health risk associated with unverified treatment-
Are you getting the original Ayurvedic Medicine?
These quacks keep many medicines in their Ayurved medicine tent clinic but we are not sure if the herb they are selling in the name of Ayurved is really that herb which they claim or is it just some other plant products.
Government Certification of the medicine that they are selling?
They do not have Government certification to prove the authenticity of the medicine which they are selling.
Quality of the medicine?
Storing the Ayurved medicine with good packing is necessary to prevent medicine quality from getting downgraded but these quacks don’t have any such knowledge and hence they do not pay attention to maintaining the quality of medicine.
Diagnosis of the disease?
“Are you sure about the diagnosis from the uneducated and untrained person?”. This is the question every individual needs to ask themselves before going to these quacks.
Medicine Dose Knowledge?
Every medicine dose needs to be calculated on factors like age, weight, or any other medication that the patient is already taking.
If the dose calculation is slightly wrong then also patients can suffer from serious and life-threatening complications.
Financial implications of getting quackery treatment-
They claim to provide cheaper treatment than other forms of treatment which helps to attract poor people. But they ask the patient to visit again and again with the promise of curing the disease from the roots. During these visits, they keep taking money for consultation and medicine.
Sometimes when they do the wrong treatment then the patient’s condition worsens and the patients have to get medical attention in the hospital which again costs them.
So the cost of the treatment increases more than what it would have actually cost if the patients had visited the Government Doctors ( Allopathy, Ayurvedic, Homeopathy).
Legal consequences of quack doctors-
It is illegal for anybody to advise treatment ( Medical, Ayurvedic, Homeopathy, or in any other form) to a patient without being registered with the government of India Or the state government.
Government can impose heavy fines and jail for such unregistered so-called “doctors”.
The Role of education and awareness-
Importance of educating the patient-
It is important for the government to spread awareness among people especially in villages and poor communities to stay away from these quacks.
Roadshow and other educational campaigns about the importance of visiting qualified medical professionals to get professional treatment, so that disease can be controlled better and not get aggravated.
Are there any side effects of Ayurved medicine?
According to the U.S. Food and Administration department, some Ayurved medicines contain Metals, gems, or minerals that are potentially harmful to human health.
A study published in 2015 on people using these medicines showed elevated blood levels of Lead and Mercury in 40 percent of patients.
According to a CDC USA report published in 2015, a 64-year-old woman had an elevated blood level of lead after using Ayurved medicine which she purchased online.
In rare cases, these medicines can cause Arsenic poisoning too.
So, it is important to keep in mind that there are chances that these medicines can cause side effects especially if taken in the wrong dosages.
Summary-
Medicines are meant to be given by doctors only and it is also the responsibility of patients and patient’s relatives to not take any medical advice from an uneducated person as sometimes this advice can lead to serious side effects.
Elevated Lead and Mercury levels are seen in the blood of some patients who took Ayurved medicine after purchasing the medicine online without consulting a qualified doctor.
