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| Image: spokesman.com |
Hyderabad: In a
world where science and technology is paving way for adv
ancement in the field
of medicine, there still lies a plethora of ‘believers,’ who undoubtedly depend
upon ancient techniques for treating incurable diseases like Asthma and Cancer.
Since 1998, an
ancient practice takes place in different parts of Andhra Pradesh called the
Fish Prasadam. The ancient remedy is said to be passed on to the Bathini
Brothers, a Brahmin family that administers the proceedings where a little over
100,000 people gather to get treated for Asthma by the ‘miracle cure’ for free.
Bathini
Mrugasira Fish or the Fish medicine is made into a small ball and packed inside
the mouth of live murrel fish of nearly 6cm in size. The fish is then slipped
into the mouth of the asthmatic patient by a technique initiated by the Bathini
family.
“The fish is
slippery, so there is no problem in swallowing it. The live fish moves, wagging
it tail and fins, through the throat and negotiates
the phlegm congestion, providing cure to asthma,” claimed
Bathini Harinath Goud from the Bathini family.
Dr R.Vijay Kumar
of Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad said, “Psychologists and researchers have
noticed a rise in the concept of the mass placebo effect. It parallels the very
idea of a positive therapeutic effect claimed by a patient after receiving a
placebo believed by him to be an active technique for treatment.”
Kumar also added
that Asthma is a chronic
respiratory condition for which several medicines are available. However, the
latter can control and prevent attacks to a certain extent but can never cure
the problem. “Doctors have never said asthma can be cured. That is why a lot of
people opted for non-Allopathic treatments.”
Thousands
had thronged to the fish prasadam mela at Exhibition Grounds in Hyderabad
earlier in June this year. Asthma patients from across the country
and abroad started queuing up for the tokens right from early hours where
23,000 murrel fingerlings were sold. The same medicine is treated to vegetarians
but mixed in jaggery.
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| Fish Prasadam being given to a lady in Hyderabad, June 2013 |
S
G Koti, a driver with the road transport corporation hailing from Karnataka got
15 people including eight women battling asthma in the hope of getting a
cure. “I took the prasadam for three years and I don't need to depend on inhalers
and medication anymore,” he said. Adding
that before taking the fish prasadam, his monthly expenditure for the illness
was around Rs 500 and but now he does not spend anything.
The
medicine was declared harmless by the State Government after NGOs like Jana
Vignana Vedika and Allopathic doctors protested against the distribution of the
medicine couple years ago. “Treatments like
‘fish prasadam’ provide nothing but a placebo effect,” said Dr Sailaja of Apollo
Hospital, New Delhi. He adds that the procedure could lead to diseases like
hepatitis if hygiene is not considered by takers.
Bathini Fish
Medicine is served and administered on a specific day called "Mrigishira
Karthi", which normally coincides with the arrival
of monsoon rains, during the first or second week of June.
Bathini Harinath
Goud throws light on the specifics of the traditional remedy, “The secret
formula of this wonder cure was passed to Shiva Ram Goud who later passed it on
to Shanker Goud. People from Middle East, UK and US also came this year. After
taking the medicine the patient has to be under strict diet control for 45
days,” he said.
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