NE HEALTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, JULY 16
Ever wondered why some people are easily infected by coronavirus and why some of the positive patients recover fast. The Researchers attached to the Siddha Central Research Institute (SCRI) functioning under the Central Council of Research in Siddha (CCRS), under the Ministry of Ayush in Chennai, have devised “Yakkai Ilakkanam” (Yi) tool through comprehensive review of Siddha literature and research, aiming to address the doubts and concerns, besides coming out with a tangible solution.
With three divisions, each covering the physical, mental and functional profiles of the human body, the Yi Tool is a questionnaire with 33 questions, condensed from about 260 questions in Siddha literature.
“Yi stands for Yakkaiyin Illakanam, which in English means body constitution.
This diagnostic tool is based on Siddha concept. And we have found that there’s a relationship between Yi tool and COVID-19,” P Sathyarajeswaran, Director in-charge, Central Siddha Research Institute (CSRI) here said.
He said it provides a deeper insight in understanding the patient’s conditions during the Covid-19 times.
At present, the questionnaire is being sent to Siddha doctors and those already the practicing in ten districts have sought and obtained it.
The doctors fill up the questions based on the replies from the patients/volunteers.
According to Dr K Kanakavalli, Director General of the apex body, Central Council of Research in Siddha (CCRS), this tool aids the doctors in deciding the appropriate treatment and right nutritious diet to be administered to the infected and help them recover faster.
The concept of ”Udal iyal” (Body constitution) in Siddha system of medicine is based on the fundamental principle of ”Muth thaadhu” or three vital life forces, ie Vali, Azhal and Aiyam (also known as Vatha, Pitha and Kabam).
“The condition varies from person to person and not all have the same immunity levels. An accurate assessment of the Udal iyal will pave the way for predicting health status of patients thus contributing to diagnosis and planning treatment and prevention strategies,” Sathyarajeswaran said.
The Yi tool has three divisions, each covering the physical, mental and functional profiles of the human body.
This tool was applied on 36 persons who are primary contacts of COVID-19 patients and quarantined in Tirupattur in the state.
“They are all healthy volunteers and based on the tool it was found that those who fall in the vatham category have less immunity, pitham had moderate immunity level at 75 per cent while those who are Kabam were 100 per cent immune,” he said.
The findings on immunity and ability to recover from the infection and the detailed information provided in the Siddha texts were corroborated.
The finding were documented by Dr Vikram Kumar of Andiappanur as per the guidance of SCRI team. Based on the encouraging results, the team applied the Yi tool on the patients at the COVID-19 centre in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to study the period of stay in hospital for treatment and the duration for testing negative for coronavirus.
A team documented that those of vatham took 7.5 days, the pitham took a week while the Kabam patients had average six days of treatment duration.
“We are popularising the use of Yi tool among the Siddha practitioners,” Sathyarajeswaran added.
