Between fear, resignation and belief, thousands of Colombians are trying to turn it into contamination COVID-19 with potions, herbs and homemade medicines as the government-announced vaccines arrive in the country, although there are also some in the process who fear the cure will be worse than the disease.
Baking soda, ginger, eucalyptus, garlic and lemon They are part of the Colombian pharmacy to reduce or even relieve the occurrence of symptoms in case someone is already infected at home, but there are others who spread fear because in their pledge to end the virus, they are also at risk of developing end. with whom does she practice.
“One of the symptoms identified with this disease is a loss of sensitivity to smells and tastes, so people using these agents do not feel as though they are affecting their throat with the same sensory change,” says the doctor. Juan Carlos Hernández, internal medicine coordinator and pulmonologist at the Clínica del Occidente, quoted in a statement from that medical center.
Like this clinic, others in Colombia have had to send messages through their social networks and web pages alerting citizens to the risks of practicing certain home remedies, of which little or nothing is known about their effectiveness.
From high temperature sprays with an herb known as anamú – prescribed in popular wisdom to relieve sinusitis – to spraying the mask with alcohol and then vacuuming it, as well as gargling with high temperature water, are some of the practices frequented by some Colombians today, for whom ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is at risk of a possible contamination of COVID-19.
“We’ve also seen consumption of alcohol, hypochlorite, inappropriate spices and salt gargling,” added Hernández.
INTERNET CONSULTATION
According to the Institute for Technological Evaluation of Health, since the first case of COVID-19 In Colombia, in March 2020, 75 percent of Colombians’ Internet searches related to health related to home remedies that could attack the virus, a percentage that does not include the videos, messages, and audios found on WhatsApp. and other social networks on the topic.
In virtual forums and through various media, Jorge Iván Ospina, Mayor of Cali (Southwest), physician by trade and one of the country’s best-known local leaders, has even proposed the use of the anti-parasitic Ivermectin as a remedy for the COVID-19, despite the fact that its efficiency has also not been proven, for which it has been criticized.
“I didn’t want to get into that debate anymore because I think it could be an exaggeration, but I have many colleagues who have been able to save lives with Ivermectin prophylactically (…). It’s something that I personally use,” Ospina said in the past December to the Blu radio station.
Like Ospina, several others have hinted at the benefits of Ivermectin, to the point that before the country’s first spike in the country’s pandemic in August 2019, the drug started to become scarce and even sold for three times as much. original price and clandestinely as an over-the-counter sale, although a prescription is required to purchase it.
“The fear was so great that time that we even had to use a doctor who recommended my dad make a medical formula for my sisters and me to buy it, but the truth is we never consumed it,” said him against Sputnik. a woman from Bogotá who asked for her name to be reserved.
INTERNSHIP IN BOGA
With the country experiencing the second peak of the pandemic as a result of the relaxation of biosecurity measures over the Christmas and New Year period, another common practice is the consumption of aspirin with lemon and honey from bees. , as well as the consumption of chlorine dioxide, a surface disinfectant that can be highly toxic and cause serious damage to health.
“A friend recommended aspirin to me and it worked for me, I drank it very hot three nights in a row and the maluquera (discouragement) went away,” said Rafael Renteria, a metal merchant in central Bogotá who claims “to have a strong flu. with a little loss of smell, “but that’s a test for that COVID-19 because simply “you don’t have to believe in those things.”
Inhalations and evaporation with hot water, as well as not drinking cold drinks, are other suggestions spread among Colombians today, perhaps more mythical than efficient – according to medical science – but at least have increased the demand for nebulizers and vaporizers. in spaces such as Mercado Libre.
There, a portable nebulizer for adults and children costs an average of $ 150,000 Colombian pesos (about $ 43), but sometimes you have to wait up to ten days to receive it.
“Much of these products are imported from China and today they are among the most in demand, along with oxygen concentrators for patients who are suffering or have suffered Coronavirus; the problem is that because of the global problems that the pandemic has created for trade, it takes longer to bring them, ”explains electronic engineer Hernando Arbeláez, who markets such devices to Sputnik.
He adds that its use should be under medical supervision, as its arbitrary use can damage the mucous membranes of the throat.
For now, and while it is expected that in February the Vaccinemass production in the country, doctors suggest consuming foods rich in vitamins A, B, C and E and others, such as fruits, vegetables or fish, moderate exercise and plenty of rest, rather than endangering health with home remedies they can take people to an emergency room from the comfort of their home.
Source: Sputnik