ROLE OF AYURVEDA IN CEREBRAL PALSY

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is one among the most common childhood disabilities, which cripple and hamper the development of a child. It is ubiquitous and it occurs all around the world, causing considerable hardship to affected individuals and their families. Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture that appears during infancy or early childhood. It is caused by non – progressive damage to brain before, during or after birth. It is not a single disease but a name given to wide variety of static neuromotor impairments syndrome occurring secondary to a lesion in the developing brain. Cerebral Palsy is not curable, several advances in its management and research are going in various parts of world with goal to improve the physical and functional status of the CP child. Cerebral palsy cannot be co-related with any single disease or condition in Ayurveda as it is a multifactorial condition. All most all major neurological disorders are identified with Vatadosha. So, considering the classification and their respective features, Cerebral Palsy can be compared to Vatavyadhi or Vikara, which may manifest itself in any form like pakshaghata, ekangavata, pangu, sarvangavata, kampavata etc., and diagnosis is based on the lakshanas. In Cerebral palsy, as the main etiology is damage to the brain, so along with panchakarama procedure (shali sashtic pind sweda & basti) a group of Medhya drugs, vatahara drugs are used. Acharya Kashyapa had mentioned many medhyarasayanas among which yastimadhu, vacha, brahmi, satavari etc.