World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. As per World Health Organization (WHO), TB is one of the top 10 causes of death across the globe. Based on its latest report announced in 2019, 10 million people across the world were infected by TB, out of which 26.90 lakh people had TB in India.
Symptoms of TB
The symptoms of tuberculosis in the lungs include:
* A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
* Pain in the chest
* Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
Other symptoms of TB disease are
* Weakness or fatigue
* Weight loss
* No appetite
* Chills
* Fever
* Sweating at night
Treatment of TB
With early detection and appropriate antibiotics, TB is treatable.
Treatment for latent TB can vary. It may involve someone taking an antibiotic once a week for 12 weeks or every day for 9 months.
Treatment for active TB may involve taking several drugs for 6–9 months. When a person has a drug-resistant strain of TB, the treatment will be more complex.
It is essential for people to complete the full course of treatment, even if symptoms go away.
Ayurvedic remedies to treat TB
- Make a thick paste of garlic, turmeric, onion and ginger and apply it to the lungs and tie it with a cloth.
- Consume milk, turmeric and Chyawanprash regularly. This helps in getting rid of TB which is genetically caused.
- To keep the lungs healthy, eat garlic, basil, lemon, orange, papaya, watermelon, spinach, ginger, raw turmeric and giloy.
- Eat gourd (lauki) and drink bottle gourd soup.
- Eat oranges on an empty stomach.
- Eat honey with coconut water.