Alternative medicine: an ethnographic study of how practitioners of Indian medical systems manage TB in Mumbai

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Andrew McDowell, M Pai

Abstract

Mumbai is a hot spot for drug-resistant TB, and private practitioners trained in AYUSH systems (Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha and homeopathy) are major healthcare providers. It is important to understand how AYUSH practitioners manage patients with TB or presumptive TB. We conducted semi-structured interviews of 175 Mumbai slum-based practitioners holding degrees in Ayurveda, homeopathy and Unani. Most providers gave multiple interviews. We observed 10 providers in clinical interactions, documenting: clinical examinations, symptoms, history taking, prescriptions and diagnostic tests. No practitioners exclusively used his or her system of training. The practice of biomedicine is frequent, with practitioners often using biomedical disease categories and diagnostics. The use of homeopathy was rare (only 4% of consultations with homeopaths resulted in homeopathic remedies) and Ayurveda rarer (3% of consultations). For TB, all mentioned chest x-ray while 31 (17.7%) mentioned sputum smear as a TB test. One hundred and sixty-four practitioners (93.7%) reported referring TB patients to a public hospital or chest physician. Eleven practitioners (6.3%) reported treating patients with TB. Nine (5.1%) reported treating patients with drug-s...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 18, 2016·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·Joseph R FitchettElizabeth L Corbett
Nov 2, 2019·Lancet·Sougat Ray, Kavita Anand
Sep 22, 2021·Infectious Diseases of Poverty·Victoria HaldaneJun Hu

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