ROLE OF DOSHAS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CEREBRAL PALSY - A VIEW

Abstract

Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term commonly referred to as ‘C.P.’ and is one amongst the common paediatric neurological disorders described by loss or impairment of motor func-tions, caused by non progressive insult to brain. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth. It is one of the common causes of se-vere physical disability in childhood.It is a challenge for Ayurvedic physicians to diagnose and treat such a big ailment on Ayurvedic lines due to non-availability of clinical entity named as Cerebral Palsy in classical Ayurvedic literature. The disease doesn’t exist by a par-ticular name in Ayurveda but its sign and symptoms are definitely described by our Acharyas which are scattered here and there in different chapters of Ayurveda. Thus, this work is an effort to explore the involvement of different doshas viz. vata, pitta and kapha and its type involved in the pathogenesis of Cerebral Palsy. Amongst five type of each doshas Sadhaka Pitta, Pachaka Pitta, Shleshaka Kapha, Tarpaka Kapha and Maansika doshas Raja and Tama are vitiated and take part in the pathogenesis of C.P. along with all five types of vata.