Kathmandu, March 10:

The onset of summer season brings the contagion of jaundice (Hepatitis A), while at the same time more and more people are opting for Ayurvedic treatment for the disease.

Naradevi Ayurveda Hospital in Kathmandu alone receives around 13,000 jaundice patients annually, which is the highest among the governmental hospitals in the Valley.

According to Shesha Raj Acharya, director of the hospital, nearly half of the total patients at the hospital visit for treatment of jaundice and the patient flow is high in rainy season.

In 2006, the hospital treated some 4,800 jaundice patients from April to August. Acharya claimed that the hospital has successfully treated 95 per cent of its total jaundice patients. He added: “The flow of the jaundice patients in the hospital has convinced us that people’s belief in Ayurvedic medicine is increasing.”

According to him, the disease spreads rapidly during the rainy season and Ayurveda gives complete treatment without any side effects.

He further said several allopathic doctors prescribe some Ayurvedic medicines for their jaundice patients.

Generally, the Ayurvedic medicines for the jaundice treatment are made out of rhododendron, and are totally safe. Some of the basic medicines for the treatment are made by the hospital itself, said Acharya adding, the age-old practice of Ayurvedic medicine is gradually gaining popularity in Nepal. “It is all due to the successful Ayurvedic treatment of jaundice.”

Contaminated food items, excess of fat and spices in the food and dirty water cause jaundice and increase the Bilirubin level in the body. “Generally, the level of Bilirubin is itself high in the human body during summer which could add to infection of the jaundice, if improper food habits are practised,” said Laxmi Kanta Chapagain, an Ayurvedacharya.

The symptoms of jaundice are headache, body-ache, nausea, loss of appetite and the disease should be treated with proper medication and conscious food habits or it could lead to serious problems in future, he said.

A jaundice patient at the Naradevi Hospital, Rajesh Tiwari said that the Ayurvedic treatment has satisfied him.