There is no doubt that the efforts of Baba Ramdev to re-introduce Yoga to the Indian people and revolutionizing it for the masses, deserve credit. (See earlier post below). That being said, his recent claims that are floating around in media every now and then regarding treatment of serious life-threatening diseases like Cancer and AIDS through Yoga only are hard to be swallowed. It would seem nearly impossible to substantiate these claims in the absence of any proper research.

While Yoga can help people suffering from various diseases in coping with the disease in a better way and to certain extent expedite the recovery and control the disease, ruling out completely any need to take medicines and treating these dreaded diseases only through pranayam (breathing exercises) will, in addition to serious consequences for the people suffering from those diseases, only harm the popularity of Yoga itself in the wake of people allegedly dying in Ramdev’s camps due to lack of proper treatment.

His claims in this regard have sparked a fierce controversy. While the Indian Medical Association reduced him to a quack, the Health Minister recently rubbished his claims. Another health institution, which was planning to confer honorary doctorate upon Baba Ramdev, has now reportedly scrapped any such plans.

While Baba Ramdev’s revolutionary style of preaching Pranayama made him a household name in India, rekindling the interest in Yoga in the masses, such unfounded claims, though allegedly withdrawn by him later on, will only bring bad name to Yoga and tarnish his own image among his followers.

We can only appeal to people suffering from these diseases to continue their in Yoga if they wish to but NEVER ever replace it for a professional medical practitioner’s advice and of course never stop taking your medicines.