Neurological Disorders-Ayurvedic Approach
Neurological disorders are diseases of the central and peripheralnervous system, which include the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves,peripheral nerves and muscles. These disorders include :
- Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzeihmer’s disease, dementia,multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease
- Cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, migraine and different types of headaches
- Traumatic neurological disorders due to head trauma like contusions, shaken baby syndrome
- Neurological disorders caused due to infections like bacterial,viral, fungal and parasitic, in which the disorder may occur due to infection itself or due to an immune response
Ayurveda being an ancient holistic science, has been treating common neurological disorders quite effectively since ages. According to Ayurveda,neurological disorders are problems with Majja dhatu. In broader term, majority of these disorders are classified as Vata vyadhi,i.e health problems induced by Vata imbalance. Along with that, Pitta and Kapha involvement as well as problems in dhatu or mala can also be present in different disorders.
Some common neurological disorders and the Ayurveda approach in their treatment is as follows:
1. Stroke:
Stroke is a cerebrovascular disorder, which is of two types based on its etiopathology and manifestations. Incomplete stroke or ‘ardita’ is described as either half of the entire body or half of the face affected by aggravated vata dosha. In this, nasya therapy is the first line of treatment and if performed judiciously in accordance with the classical procedure can produce noticeable result in ischemic conditions. While in complete stroke, which results in hemiplegia, monoplegia or quadriplegia depending on the focal area, virechana therapy is the recommended first line of treatment. This line of treatment is most effective in the initial stage i.e within 2-3 weeks of the attack. After this condition, it becomes a chronic condition and then the general treatment protocols of disorders of vata are recommended. Vasti is the main treatment for paralysis/pakshaghata. Therapies like Abhyangam, Pizichill (oil bath), Pathrapinda Swedam, Shashtika Pinda swedam are especially found to be effective in the stroke.
2.Headaches and Migraine:
Headaches can be triggered due to various reasons such as lack of sleep, high blood pressure, weak eye-sight, sinusitis, indigestion, anemia, emotional stress, anxiety etc. Different types of headaches manifest differently in the form of severe headache, dull headache, tightness, generalized or localized or associated with other clinical features like in migraine headache which precedes the aura in the form of visual disturbance, photophobia and vomiting. Ayurveda describes the imbalance of tridoshas as the reason for the onset of headaches, mainly vitiation of pitta which causes heat to build up in the blood vessels. Ayurvedic treatment not only help relieve the pain but also treat the root cause. Various cleansing and detoxification methods are administered to restore the digestive system of the body. Also, various treatments (both internal and external medication) are administered to calm and strengthen the nervous system.
3.Epilepsy:
Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder in which electrical activity of brain becomes abnormal, causing recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. They can cause a wide range of symptoms depending on which part of brain is involved, like uncontrollable jerking and shaking, stiffness, loss of awareness about surrounding, unusual smell or tastes and a tingling feeling in the arms or legs. According to Ayurved, Apasmara is divided into four types depending on the predominance of dosha i.e due to vata,pitta,kapha or tridoshaja. Apasmara can be caused due to genetic factor, congenital, intake of incompatible food, aggravated vata dosha, due to trauma to the head, psychological factors such as excessive fear, anxiety, grief etc. The aggravated dosha spread throughout the body through the blood vessels and nerves leading to manifestation of epileptic fits in the form of sudden jerks or convulsions. Ayurveda treatment in epilepsy focuses both on mental and physical well-being of the patient. If it is because of psychological factors, then treatment is targeted mainly towards calming down patient’s mind through mantras, meditation, counselling ,yoga etc. In case of Apsmara due to vitiated doshas, panchakarma therapies like vamana, virechana, vasti, nasya etc are done according to patient’s strength. Shirodhara, Takradhara, Sirolepam, Siropichu are very effective therapies to strengthen and rejuvenate the nervous system. Sirodhara can normalize the disturbed electrical impulses between the neurons which are causing the seizures. Ayurveda herbal medicines are prescribed as per the dominant dosha and the causative factor, which nourish and rejuvenate the brain cells.
4.Anxiety And other Psychological disorders (Manasika roga):
Anxiety disorders are the group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorders and separation anxiety disorders. Some people with no previous psychiatric history develop a characteristic pattern of symptoms which include a sense of anxiety, anger, depression, over activity and withdrawal. They can also show other symptoms like tremors, sweating, palpitation, chest pain, breathlessness, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, frequency of micturition, insomnia, poor concentration, irritability etc. According to Ayurveda, these disorders can be correlated to Manasika rogas. Due to excess shoka(sadness), krodha(anger), chinta(thinking), bhaya (fear), lobha( greed) and intake of virudha aharas aggravate the rajas and tamas dosha thus causing Manasika vikaras. Treatment first starts with avoiding the causative factor followed by shodhana therapies as per patient’s strength. Shirodhara, Shirovasti, thalapodichil are also beneficial therapies. Ayurveda medicines are prescribed to balance the dosha and strengthen the nervous system.