CHENNAI: An international institute for yoga and naturopathy will be opened on a 50-acre land at the Government Chengalpettu Hospital, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said here on Monday, four days after observing the International Day for Yoga.
“The state will set aside 60 crore for establishing the institute,” he said. The announcement came 10 days after the demand for grants for the health budget was tabled in the assembly.
Senior health department officials said the institute will offer sand bath, mud therapy, oil massage and aroma therapy free of cost in a serene environment surrounded by herbal and aromatic plants.
The institute that will offer 100 seats in yoga and naturotherapy will also offer preventive and curative therapy for communicable and non-communicable diseases.
“The aim is to see if we can integrate traditional Indian medicine with allopathic treatment. The institute will offer supportive therapy to patients visiting the Chengalpettu Medical College Hospital and preventive therapy for their attendants,” officials said.
The faculty will teach patients the best asanasas for the diseases and disorders they are plagued by.
While patients will get oil massages, aromatherapy, mud therapy or steam bath as part of treatment, doctors will monitor what they eat.
At 6am, patients take up to three glasses of water. This is followed by a yoga session where exercises are tailor-made to suit patients’ needs. At every meal, patients get fruit and vegetables, sprouts and nuts. No cooked food, milk or dairy products will be served. They will also be given charts that will help them use food as medicine, a senior official said.
In February, Palaniswami promised 50 more beds in the Chennai-based government yoga and naturopathy college at Arignar Anna Institute of Indian Medicine.
