Yoga and naturopathy to aid the psychosocial rehabilitation of Covid-19 patients

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<strong>Realising the importance and need of psychological care along with the physical treatment during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, India's three premier institutions have come together to develop a protocol for psychosocial rehabilitation of covid patients.<br />
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The Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru and the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) will release the protocol on Friday morning during a virtual event. It will be followed by an online workshop for the Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences (BNYS) practitioners during which they will be trained in the protocol.<br />
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The workshop will also address the enhanced burden on the healthcare workforce in the country from the perspective of the naturopathy sector. The healthcare institutions in most parts of the country have been overwhelmed by the sheer burden of Covid-19 cases. It has reportedly become a challenge under these circumstances to pay attention to every individual patient.<br />
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As the crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic looms large, the current resurgence has increased stress and anxiety among the public. Covid-19 is not only affecting the physical health of people but is also impacting the psychological or mental health of the patients and even their family members.<br />
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As per reports, the accompanying psychologic distress in Covid-19 patients are often ignored and not managed. There have also been reports of anxiety and acute depression leading to suicides in Covid care hospitals.  Many of the patients, according to inputs coming in from different countries, have had to contend with isolation anxiety and distress due to fear of worsening of symptoms.<br />
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Complications like respiratory distress, hypoxia, fatigue and insomnia and other symptoms have also been observed. Yoga and naturopathy systems have shown effectiveness in facilitating recovery of Covid-19 patients. Simple breathing exercises and pranayama have been seen to enhance SPO2 levels in symptomatic patients and those with respiratory distress. Preliminary reports from studies conducted by CCRYN also validate these findings.<br />
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The current protocol is a collaborative effort to address these symptoms and psychological sequelae of Covid-19 patients. It will also help in imparting knowledge about epidemiology of Covid-19, course of disease, screening for distress, management of distress and using yoga and naturopathy approaches.</p>