Effect of Yoga and Naturopathy in a Patient with Appendicitis: A Case Report

Appendicitis is the most common condition that affects approximately 233 cases/100 000 people. In general, conventional treatments can often involve invasive procedures, the patients seek alternative therapies for a variety of reasons, such as preserving the anatomical and functional integrity of the body, fear of surgery, financial issues, etc. A 21-year-old female was diagnosed with appendicitis in October 2015 using ultrasonography of the abdomen visited our hospital. She underwent conventional management for pain in a private hospital for 2-days. Then, she was admitted to a yoga and naturopathy hospital with the symptoms of poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient received yoga and naturopathy treatments such as warm water enema, cold hip bath, cold abdomen pack, gastro hepatic pack, direct mud application to the abdomen, mud pack to abdomen and eyes, fasting therapy, pranayama and relaxation techniques for 1 week. The patient was advised to undergo ultrasonography of the abdomen after 1 week of treatment. The results showed no sign of appendicitis [i.e., a) no inflammation, b) no dilation of bowel, and c) Bowel movements are seen) compared to the pre-test assessments [i.e., a) evidence of long tubular oedematous, aperistaltic structure with perilesional inflammatory changes, b) Severe probe tenderness, and c) Appendicitis measures 8 mm in size suggestive of acute appendicitis] was noted in the ultrasonography report. In addition, the patient did not report any serious adverse events during the study period. This result suggests that yoga and naturopathy systems of medicine, in addition to conventional pain management during acute (painful) conditions might be useful in cases of appendicitis. However, as the result is based on a single case, further studies with a larger sample size are recommended to warrant the results of this study.