Use of Ayush measures and advocacies by Ayush practitioners and health seekers for the prevention of coronavirus disease-19: Cross-sectional analysis of an application-based data

Abstract

Introduction: Ayush Sanjivani is a mobile application launched by the Ministry of Ayush to gather information regarding the acceptability and extent of utilization of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy (Ayush) advocacies for the prevention of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). The mobile application has different modules to garner the desired information regarding the trends of use of Ayush measures by the Indian public and practitioners. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the trends of the utilization of Ayush measures by the beneficiaries for the prevention of COVID-19 and to determine the benefit obtained in terms of self-reported parameters of general well-being, the overall impact on general health, and in preventing the onset of flu or COVID-19 like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle or body aches, cough, sore throat, and runny nose. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to analyze the data generated through the “Ayush Sanjivani mobile application” from May to July 2020. The responses generated in terms of demographic profile, utilization pattern, benefits obtained, the interventions used, and the data of beneficiaries in terms of geographic location and the interventions prescribed were analyzed statistically to assess the trends of the utilization of Ayush measures for prophylaxis as reported by the Ayush practitioners. Results: Data of 74,568 Ayush physicians and 13,521,245 beneficiaries/health seekers were used for the analysis. Ayush advocacies/measures were utilized by 69,195 (92.8%) physicians for prophylaxis. Samshamani vati, Chyavanprasha, and Arsenicum album-30C were the most commonly used Ayush interventions. Improvement in terms of appetite, bowel movements, sleep, mental well-being, stamina, preexisting disease, and disposition was reported by 42,400 (61.3%) physicians. Maximum beneficiaries were from the state of Gujarat followed by Madhya Pradesh. Arsenicum album 30°C was the most commonly prescribed/distributed intervention among the beneficiaries/health seekers. Conclusion: Maximum physicians reported utilization of Ayush prophylactic measures for the prevention of COVID-19. A large number of health seekers were provided Ayush prophylactic measures across various geographical locations in India.