June 26, 2017: Asthma is a chronic inflammation of lungs that affects people of all age groups. There is no cure for asthma and the best way to deal with it is to avoid the triggering agents. It is one of the most chronic common diseases among children and affects approximately 300 million people.
India has around 30 million asthma patients however Hyderabad has a special natural asthma treatment for the patients. In Hyderabad, a Bathini Goud family offers an unconventional method for treatment of Asthma which slips a living Murrel fish along with some herb down into the throats of the patients. This usually lets the patients gagging and they are advised to be on a diet for 45 days. Still, thousands of people visit this place for their treatment.
The Bathini Goud family says that the fish clears the throat down the way and this is a permanent cure for asthma and other respiratory problems but they refused to reveal the name of the herbs they use along with the Murrel fish and said that it was given to them by a Hindu saint in 1845. Parents of the children with asthma usually pinch their noses and tilt the head back to take this medicine.
Every year, thousands of people visit them for which the dates are declared at the onset of monsoon. Some doctors and rights groups have complained that the medicine is 'unscientific'. The Indian Government also helps in the fish medicine festival by providing special trains and extra police for the safety and comfort of people.
Prepared by Sumit Balodi of NewsGram. Twitter: @sumit_balodi