In an unprecedented experiment that Ayurveda experts said was a “first in the world”, a bunch of doctors in Meerut successfully operated upon an 83-year-old man for prostatic surgery, removing a massive 240 gm of the prostate, without using antibiotics.
Currently, antibiotics are an inseparable part of the standard operating procedure. In the 4-hour-long operation, surgeons only used anaesthesia but no antibiotics before, during or post-operation recovery and only depended on ayurvedic medicines.
The patient, Ojaswi Sharma, who is allergic to allopathic drugs, responded well to the alternate medicine. The medical care team, coordinating with the best brains in Ayurveda in the country, has taken the medical fraternity by surprise, struggling as it is with non-effectiveness of increasingly drug-resistant antibiotics.
Sharma, who was operated upon on March 1 at the city-based Anand Hospital, was kept under observation for over a month and has completely recovered now.
Manoj Kumar, Director of Orthopaedics department at Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College, said, “The development is indeed a rare feat achieved by the doctors. Surgery is highly dependent on allopathy as of now. Conducting surgery with ayurvedic support is the beginning of a new era. However, this is just one case. Much research is needed to make it a standard operating procedure. It is high time a well-equipped research body was established in the country to conduct research and trials, particularly at a time when the human body is increasingly becoming antibiotic-resistant.”
Urologist Subhash Yadav, who conducted the operation, said, “Sharma had been suffering from an enlarged prostate for the past couple of years. On February 17, he developed urine retention, following which surgery became inevitable. Allopathic medicines did not suit him. Since urine was directly involved in the surgery, chances of infection were manifold. And to make it even worse, he was an 83-year-old man.”
A team of doctors comprising Yadav, Rahul Bansal, head of social and preventive medicine at Subharti Medical College, and Sanjay Jain, orthopaedic surgeon at Anand Hospital, was set up to ensure Sharma’s medical care. The team members decided to consult the country’s top brains in Ayurveda before conducting the surgery. “It was a difficult situation. We contacted 4-5 top ayurvedic experts in the country who gave us hope,” said Jain.
One of the experts consulted on this case was Hemant Kushwaha, retired professor and head, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur. “Special medicines comprising extracts of giloy, shigru, amla, turmeric and guggul were used in calculated proportions to be administered to Sharma. Shigru is for mild infections and is also a natural painkiller. Amla increases immunity while giloy is helpful in detoxifying the liver. The medicines were started 10 days before the operation,” Kushwaha told TOI.
GG Gangadharan, director, Indian Centre for Ayurveda and Integrated Medicine, Bengaluru, said, “I had been approached by the Meerut-based doctors on the matter. We told them that it was possible to keep the antibiotics away. There are medicines available in Ayurveda that can substitute modern medicine used in the surgical procedure. But it is good that the whole mission was successful. To my knowledge, this is the first time a surgery has been conducted without the use of antibiotics. There is scope for a lot of research in this area.”
According to a report of the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), Washington DC, drug-resistant antibiotics are increasingly becoming prevalent and if the problem is not addressed sooner than later antibiotic resistance could create a world in which invasive surgeries will be impossible and people will routinely die of simple bacterial infections.
The patient, a retired law teacher at Udaipur University, said, “I am happy to be part of this unique experiment. I am sure the achievement will go a long way in reviving ancient medical practices of India.”