Tens of thousands of asthma-sufferers mobbed a southern Indian stadium to swallow live sardines smeared with a yellow herbal paste they believe will cure their breathing problems.

Despite doctors’ criticism, the Goud family has drawn throngs of people for years with a secret fish and herbal formula it says it received from a Hindu saint about 170 years ago. They give it away for free annually and refuse to reveal the mix, saying the saint warned it would lose its potency if commercialized.

One man died of a heart attack and several others sought medical attention for breathing difficulty after waiting hours for the treatment, Hyderabad police said. They said the stadium was unprepared to deal with the 70,000 people who rushed the gates when they opened.

The family offers the treatment annually on a day chosen by astrologers.

After swallowing the live fish, believers are told to abstain from fried foods and keep to a strict 45-day diet of 25 different foods, including lamb, rice, white sugar, dried mango, spinach and clarified butter.

As I have lived with asthma for many years, Rufus thought it would be more appropriate for me to comment on this strange story. Admittedly, I have somewhat outgrown my asthma since my first breathing problems in my teens, and now only certain things tend to trigger attacks, like cat dander or pollen.

Therefore, I am postive that there is no actual medical cure for asthma and that one can really only treat the symptoms with inhalers or primatene tablets. So, to make claims that sardines dipped in a “yellow herbal paste” will make you breathe better sounds a lot like faith healing to me.

Now, it has also been claimed that the mere power of suggestion has caused some people to believe that they actually feel better from whatever ails them. But since the Goud family isn’t revealing their secrets, I’m going to take a rain check on their unique treatment.

I suppose eating healthier afterwards could make anyone look and feel a lot better, even if that wasn’t the original goal. Despite the healthy diet, the risk of possibly still needing serious medical attention doesn’t seem an acceptable risk to try the “sardine cure.” I think I’ll keep to my A.M.A. approved relief.