Indians Swallow Live Fish to Treat Asthma, But Does It Work?

Many Indians believe that a traditional medicine of swallowing live fish can cure asthma.

With pinched noses and watery eyes, thousands of Indians line up to swallow live fish in the traditional treatment for asthma administered annually in the country's south.

Asthma - Factors, Common Allergens, Diagnosis, Treatment, Support Groups, FAQs
It's a lung condition characterized by inflammation of the bronchi and constriction of the airways that result in coughing, wheezing or breathlessness. Allergy and other airway irritants can trigger it

Asthma sufferers gather every June in the southern city of Hyderabad to gulp down the fish stuffed with a yellow herbal paste, in hopes it will help them breathe more easily.

The wriggling five-centimetre (two-inch) fish are slipped into the throats of patients in a bizarre treatment that leaves them gagging.

The Bathini Goud family, which administers the treatment, says the fish clear the throat on their way down and permanently cure asthma and other respiratory problems.

Advantages of Eating Fish Foods - Health Benefits
Researchers worldwide have discovered that eating fish regularly is good for health. Regular consumption of fish may reduce the risk of diseases such as asthma, prostate cancer and eyesight.

But the family has declined to reveal the secret formula which they say they got from a Hindu saint in 1845.

Parents are often forced to pry open the mouths of reluctant children who cry at the site of squirming fish, while others pinch their noses, tip their heads back and close their eyes.

Thousands of people travel from across India for the free medicine during a two-day period, the specific dates of which are determined by the onset of the monsoon every June.

Rights groups and doctors have complained that the medicine is "unscientific", a violation of human rights and unhygienic, claims rejected by the family.

Wheezing - Symptom Evaluation
Wheezing is a sound arising from the airways due to an obstruction or narrowing, which prevents the free flow of air.

The Indian government arranges special trains for the "fish medicine" festival every year and extra police are on duty to control crowds.

After digesting the treatment, patients are told to go on a strict diet for 45 days.

Source-AFP