Dear Friends: The following article is from the daily Telegraph UK (24 02 2012)
-bhuban Indian medical chiefs call for crackdown on 'quack gurus' Indian medical chiefs have called for the arrest of some of the country's top spiritual leaders, including the television yoga guru Baba Ramdev, for peddling "quack cures" for cancer and other diseases. Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev Photo: EPA By Dean Nelson, New Delhi Baba Ramdev, who is feted by politicians and revered by millions for his Hindu nationalism and anti-corruption campaigns, has courted controversy in the past with claims that yoga can cure homosexuality and Aids. He believes cow dung has medicinal properties and has been accused of using animal and human remains in some of his 'health preparations.' He denied the claims. But leaders of India's state medical councils believe the government should take a stand against 'gurus' like Baba Ramdev over false medical claims and charge them under India's Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act. They met in the capital New Delhi last week and spoke out against the number of 'quacks' offering 'magical' cures for diabetes, obesity, HIV-Aids and cancer. Baba Ramdev offers his own cancer cure based on yogic breathing exercises and the consumption of his own herbal wheat grass and tulsi or basil seed juice. On one of his videos promoting the cure he claims the juice is effective where chemotherapy fails. "Consume as much as you can digest. There is no side effect with this juice. With this treatment, we have seen that blood cancer can be cured," he said. The guru publicises unproven claims like these on his television shows which are watched by more than 30 million and help contribute to his global health empire which is believed to have a turnover of more than £25 million a year. Health officials want to rein in unlicensed and unqualified practitioners like Ramdev and for the so-called 'ayurvedic medicines' they promote to be regulated. "There is no drug for diseases like cancer or Aids and anybody claiming otherwise is misleading people; action must be taken against them," said Dr S C Sharma, drug controller for Uttrakhand, the Himalayan hill state where many of the country's top ayurvedic gurus are based. "The law is well defined and people claiming cure for cancer should be brought under Drugs and Magic remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act. In India only chemists selling allopathic medicines need a license; no such license is required for selling ayurvedic medicine. It becomes difficult for us to act against them," he added. Baba Ramdev has come under increased scrutiny since he led anti-corruption protests in New Delhi last year which became associated with the government's opponents. He is under investigation in connection with the acquisition of a £2 million purchase of Little Cumbrae or 'Peace Island' off the West Coast of Scotland, where his European operations are. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
