Jai Ho

"It works," says 28-years-old Ravi Shrivastav, who is into advertising. He smokes and lives life in the fast lane-something unthinkable for an asthmatic patient. The secret­he religiously takes the fish medicine (administered by the Bathini brothers) every year (in spite of knowing that a complete cure is guaranteed in three years) .

How Does it Works?Since the formula of the medicine is a closely guarded secret, it is impossible to tell how the medicine works. However l we can at least analyse the other factors.

• According to Mr. Harinath Bathini, the fish carrying the medicine slips down the throat easily and enters the alimentary tract clearing the mucus and phlegm which is supposed to be the contributing factor to asthma. Even Ayurveda supports this theory, as it believes that asthma is an allergic disease, which starts in the digestive tract and not in the lungs as, is perceived by allopaths. The symptoms in the lungs are caused by ingesting things that trigger an attack.
• The peculiarity of the Hyderabad fish medicine is that it is administered on a particular day, Mrigashira karthi. The Bathini brothers have nothing to say about the significance of this day, except that they are following the instructions of the saint from the Himalayas, who taught this formula to their forefathers. However, as per Ayurveda, Mrigashira karthi occurs in the period between two seasons namely summer and rainy season, (rithu sandhi) which provokes vaata disorders. Asthma according to Ayurveda, is a disease caused by the obstruction of aggravated vaata by the kapha. So this is the right time to administer an anti-vaata medicine.
• Why murrel alone and not any other fish? It could be because murrel is a very agile fish and does not die easily when taken out of water, as such it can move about in the alimentary canal for a longer time compared to other fish.
• As most people believe, this treatment is not a gunshot treatment but has to be followed for 45 days with diet restrictions. Six pills are given to the patient to be taken on the 15th day, 30th day and 45th day. The pills are to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning and an hour after the evening meal. The diet prescribed surprisingly tallies with the one prescribed ,by Ayurvedic physicians for asthma. It includes 26 items which include old rice, figs, tea, ginger, garlic, ghee, old turmeric, hot chilli, peppers, sweet lime, dried mango pieces l palak, ambothi bhaji l mat bhaji, arvi leaves, white sugar, white jowar and tur dal. The items that do not match with the Ayurvedic prescription are mutton (goat), black gram and buttermilk, which is contraindicated for asthma patients.
  
  
  Watch Out

• Even as people flock to get the medicine, allopaths warn that ingesting raw fish can cause problems. For example, these fish may be infested with helminths which can infect the person who eats it.
• Fish is a known allergen and in people who are allergic to fish, the condition may become even worse.
• Since no one knows what the composition of the medicine is, where is the proof that steroids and compounds like arsenic are not mixed in the secret formula!
• Just like most unconventional therapies, there has been no scientific research or clinical trails under medical supervision done on this particular medicine, as the Goud brothers refuse to reveal the formula.
• Neither the Medical Council nor the Department of Indian Medicines and Homeopathy could do anything about it.
• As far as the cure is concerned, only a small percentage of the people get relief to some extent. It is possible that there may be some factor-the fish, the medicine, or the particular day is having some effect. It is also possible that this effect can also be attained with placebo therapy or faith healing .