Moscow, Apr 1 (IANS): Investigative journalists have reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being briefed by 10 doctors when he travels, while he himself is interested in unconventional medicine, such as taking baths using deer horn extract.

"Projekt" investigation for Putin's 70th birthday found that in 2016-2017, the President was accompanied by an average of five doctors.

Coincidentally, in November 2016, Putin did not appear in public for five days, and during that period, 12 medics checked into the Rus sanatorium in Sochi at the same time, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

By 2019, Putin was accompanied by an average of nine doctors.

"Projekt" notes that oncologist Evgeny Selivanov, who deals with thyroid issues, is the most frequent traveller with the President.

He is described as "the doctor who can be the first to detect thyroid problems, including cancer problems".

The publication has also revealed Putin's interest in baths made from an extract of antlers, soft, unshrunken horns of red deer.

Sergei Shoigu, then head of the Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Response, was the first person in the Russian elite to become interested in antler baths.

In the mid-2000s, he brought Putin to Altai for the first time and convinced him of the benefits of the treatment, claiming it improves the cardiovascular system and rejuvenates the skin.

On one trip, the newly health-conscious Putin immersed himself in a bathtub filled with a distinctive reindeer horn broth, the report said.

An acquaintance of the President claims he has been warned there is no conclusive evidence of the benefits of antler baths.

But Putin liked it, and has been to Altai on several occasions since.