Swallowing live fish to cure asthma?!

I read an article about a mob of people in Hyderabad, India who are desperate to cure their asthma. A family there, the Gouds, offer their "cure" annually on a special day chosen by astrologers. 

The "cure" consists of swallowing live sardines that are smeared with a yellow herbal paste. They believe it will cure people of all of their breathing problems. The Gouds claim that a Hindu saint gave the family the secret formula 170 years ago.

Every year, they give away the herb smeared fish for free but they won't tell what's in the mix because the Hindu saint said it wouldn't be as strong if it was made commercially.

Apparently, 70,000 other people believed it too, because they rushed the stadium where the Goud's were holding the special ceremony. On a sad note, one man died of a heart attack. Several other people had to get medical treatment because they were having a hard time breathing.

For the others in the crowd, after they swallow the specially treated fish, they are told to not eat fried foods and to have a strict diet for the next 45 days. They can eat 25 different foods, including rice, lamb, spinach, dried mango, white sugar and clarified butter.

Maybe it helps these people to believe that there is a cure. I know that there is NO cure for asthma. You  can usually control your asthma, but not cure it.

I guess if the people of India want to believe that, they can. But I wish they would keep their other asthma medications near by. I know that modern medicine has kept my kids alive (literally-they have had 12 hospitalizations for their asthma.) And I have used my inhaler 3 times in the last 24 hours (VERY unusual for me) I can't figure out what is causing my asthma attacks-but I always have my inhaler close by! 

I would hate to rely on an herb coated fish to "cure" me. I'll rely on my controller medication and rescue inhaler to control my symptoms.

But to each his own-