E-mails and posts around the Internet are describing a series of swine flu prevention tips from a Dr. Vinay Goyal of the Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre in Malad, India.

I wanted to attempt to validate the information and the source. I haven't been able to validate either. The tips seem to follow common sense, but the source is looking unlikely. In case anyone wants to follow-up on the source, I'm posting what I discovered here.

First, the Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre does exist. It is in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai, India. A link to the Google Maps description of the center is:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=10433582070178990891&q=Riddhivinayak+Cardiac+loc:+Malad,+Mumbai,+Mumbai+suburban,+Maharashtra,+India&gl=us&hl=en&cd=1&cad=src:pplink&ei=RW_mSs36O5j8yASKoZz7Ag

There is a doctor at this clinic named Venkay Goyal, but none that I can find named Vinay Goyal. Though this might be a nickname. Venkay Goyal is a Clinical Fellow. You can see his information at:

http://sigs.nih.gov/scig/Lists/Stem%20Cell%20Interest%20Group%20Members/DispForm.aspx?ID=181&Source=http://sigs.nih.gov/scig/Pages/Members.aspx&RootFolder=/scig/Lists/Stem%20Cell%20Interest%20Group%20Members

There does appear to exist a Dr. Vinay Goyal who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Neurosciences Centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He is a MBBS, MD and DM.

Neither of these doctors appear to do any research or work related to virus transmission, so these doctors being the source of the advice is unlikely.

Bottom line: The message circulating around with swine flu tips appears to be a constructed, fake message. That doesn't mean the advice isn't good advice, but it does make it suspect. If you can independently verify the advice from a reliable medical source, definitely do it; otherwise, do it if you want to, but it may or may not have any effect.

If anyone wants to contact either of the doctors to verify whether they were the source, or to independently validate the advice, please do. Hope the above information helps.

Do you have a copy of the email that you're referencing? I got an email that was supposed to be from TV's Doctor OZ a while back and, while the information wasn't bad (the usual "wash your hands" kind of advice) I think most of it was cobbled together.

Thanks for this info. A few days ago I contacted Dr. Vinay Goyal, MBBS, MD, DM, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He said he did not write the email.

This is the email in question (it has also circulated under the name "Dr. Oz"):

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/dr_vinay_goyal_swine_flu.htm

Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt)... *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know 20 who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it...

Great post; thanks!

I put the name and location information into Google to see what kind of advice the email was giving - this is the first I'd heard of it - and lo and behold, the first result (after a Google Maps "is this the address you're looking for") was our own Fearless Leader.  I guess I should read the blog/articles more frequently...

This site has a link to a profile of the doctor quoted.  Says his "areas of interest are movement disorders and neuro-infectious diseases."  Interestingly, the email address they give for him lists his first name as Viany instead of Vinay.

Says he gave the speech in Molokai, Hawaii - this blog cites the "Molokai Advertiser-News dated September 2, 2009."  Looking up the Molokai Advertiser-News is a bit of an education. "The Militia of Molokai's Community Newspaper," "patriot-guerrilla journalism." 

Anyway, here's a PDF edition of that week's release with the article in question.  They don't say where the doctor lectured, or at what event, or why, or anything else, and I shall leave it to someone more... adventurous than I to make contact with the publisher.

(All of which I imagine David has already done, but what the hell, googling beats working. Although, I did learn a new medical term - I had never heard of an intensivist before today.  So I was KIND of working.)

ETA: *sigh* Must learn to google faster.  There were no replies when I started; now I'm #5.