Doctors caution against chain mails on ‘miracle’ cures

Following Yash Chopra’s death, hoax emails suggesting ‘natural cures for dengue’ are doing the rounds.

People are forwarding chain mails which claim that the juice of papaya leaves can immediately boost platelet count in the body and is a miracle cure for dengue fever.

City doctors say it is a complete hoax. Dr Nupur Krishnan, a clinical nutritionist from Kemps Corner, said that people should take such claims with a pinch of salt. She says that even if papaya leaves have nutrients capable of increasing platelet count, the human body might not be capable of absorbing such nutrients.

“People often think that eating leafy vegetables such as spinach and fenugreek will increase haemoglobin levels in blood. But certain acids present in such foods prevents the body from absorbing them,’’ she said.

Doctors say that claims for such treatments are misleading. Dr Pratit Samdani, a general physician, said that since diseases like malaria and dengue are caused by a virus, the platelet count increases when the virus recedes. Papaya leaves have nothing to do with it. “Often patients suffering from malaria drink such juices or place papaya leaves on their body, but it does not have any effect. The claim is untrue and there has been no scientific evidence to prove that such a remedy is effective,’’ he said.

Similarly, a website dedicated to unveiling scams on the Internet has posted that the same claim was made before for pegaga juice in 2005. The latest email is worded exactly like the one that surfaced in 2005. “Pegaga is the Malaysian term for Centella asiatica. The botanical name of papaya is Carica papaya. They are neither the same plant nor are they related,’’ states the website.