History of Medicine

Continuing with the theme of ancient medicine being used for treating COVID-19,  a recent article claims that a 3000 year old medicine, derived from the autumn flower crocus, was recently found to show promising results for the treatment of the disease. Autumn crocus flowers The medicine, colchicine, has been used for many centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent for gout and arthritis. It was first mentioned as far back as 1500 BCE in the Egyptian manuscript, the Ebers Papyrus as a remedy for joint pain. It was derived from the autumn flower crocus, and widely used by the 1st century AD for gout and edema. In fact, it is said Benjamin Franklin, who suffered from edema, imported crocus plants to North America from France. The Ebers Papyrus. Image: National Institute of Health After the active ingredient was isolated in the 1800s, colchicine is now available in the form of a pill for various ailments such as gout and periciditis. Now, a team of Greek doctors conduct

Just as ancient Indian medicine is under review for potential use for treatment of COVID-19, the Chinese have also turned to their ancient medical science to combat the disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China, and represents a multi-billion dollar industry. So when the novel coronavirus hit China in early 2020 and no effective treatment was found, the Chinese turned to TCM, apparently based on their past experience in the treatment of infectious diseases including the SARS epidemic in 2003. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body (and in fact, all matter) is made up of Qi or vital energy. The qi controls the basic functions of the human body; when the normal flow of this life energy is disturbed, it causes disease. In the case of COVID, the pathogenic qi is stronger than the healthy qi and has an adverse effect on the lungs. TCM doctors described severe cases of COVID-19 as caused by a noxious dampness that causes the qi in the lungs to

As I wrote previously, researchers in the U.S. and India are exploring the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda to combat the coronavirus. There are clinical trials underway to study the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines touted by many Indian doctors. In the meantime, the Indian ministry has endorsed immunity boosters specifically for COVID-19. They include concoctions like turmeric powder mixed with hot milk- a common remedy in India, also known as "golden milk"- and daily meditation with deep breathing.   Indian Ministry of Ayush poster. Image: Twitter Even though these therapies may not kill the virus, they can help boost the body’s natural immune system and improve lung condition. Lungs are the most affected organ in COVID. According to Ayurveda, herbs such as holy basil, Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu and other common household (to Indians) spices like turmeric can help boost immunity against respiratory diseases and help fight pathogens.  Because people are skep

As the world struggles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers around the globe are racing against time to find a cure and vaccine for the coronavirus. One of the therapies under investigation is the ancient Indian healing science, Ayurveda. It turns out Harvard and MIT scientists recently investigated the potential of Ayurvedic science to cure coronavirus and found promising results. They are not the only ones to look at Ayurveda- Indian researchers have been investigating it for the last several months and some doctors are already prescribing medicines based on Ayurvedic herbs. A doctor in India conducted clinical trial with a small number of patients with mild to moderate symptoms and found 100% recovery rate in 9 days or less. There is also an example of an Indian man who made a full recovery from COVID-19 in a short time after taking only Ayurvedic medicines. Interestingly, I read that Ayurvedic medicine was used extensively during the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago. A

For my Harvard neuroscience class this summer, I had to read a technical publication and recap it. I found the paper to be very interesting as it discussed the long term effect of social stress leading to clinical depression. Social stress takes on a whole new meaning during these times of social distancing and isolation and highlights a major issue facing vulnerable people. Social interaction is an integral part of our lives. We thrive off of communication and relationship with one another. However, with all of the benefits of being social come certain drawbacks. One such negative impact is social stress that arises from social interactions and relationships, and someone who is repeatedly exposed to it suffers from chronic stress. Scientists have now proven that there is a direct link between chronic social stress and clinical depression- in fact, they have found a prominent pathway linking the two. In other words, prolonged diminishing of self-worth can cause depressive behavi

Avicenna (980-1037 AD) was a renowned Persian physician, who is regarded as the one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. He was also one of the most influential philosophers of the pre-modern era (Middle Ages), whose teachings extended beyond medicine into astronomy, alchemy, geography, psychology, poetry, and philosophy.  Avicenna is the Latinized version of the Arabic name, Ibn Sina, which means Son of Sina. His formal Arabic name was quite a mouthful: Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Sīnā. Rather than make any new medical discoveries, Avicenna studied the Greco-Roman, Persian and ancient Indian texts widely, and helped bring their teachings into the western world, eventually forming the basis of modern medicine. He and other Arab scholars extensively studied Indian mathematical systems, astronomy, and medicine and combined them with Greco-Roman teachings, particularly that of Galen. Avicenna wrote two famous books, The Book of Healing

Even though Cajal is considered the father of neuroscience, his contribution came centuries after the first insights into the nervous system. As I wrote in my earlier posts, ancient doctors pondered over the nervous system, trying to understand what controlled the mind and body. Of these doctors, one that stands out is Galen, whose contribution to the understanding of the nervous system was fundamental to neuroscience. Through anatomical experiments, Galen was the first to observe and teach the functioning of nerves in the body. For these experiments, which he wasn’t shy about demonstrating to the public, Galen is regarded as the founder of experimental physiology. Galen is considered one of the most prominent and influential doctors in history, second only to Hippocrates. Galen was a staunch follower of Hippocrates and helped spread his teachings from Greece to the vast Roman Empire. Claudius Galenus, commonly know as Galen, was born in 129 AD in Pergamum in modern-day Turkey to a