Kerala Journal of Ayurveda

Effect of Kalyanaka Avaleha Choorna along with ghrita (ghee) in Language Impairment of Children with Autism aged 3 - 6 years

2024-08-01T10:40:27-06:00

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of interests, behaviours, or activities. In Ayurveda, Autism may be correlated to the condition “Unmada”. Considering the language impairment in Autism, where Prana and Udana vayu dushti plays the major role in the samprapthi, ‘Kalyanaka Avaleha Choorna’ mentioned in the ‘Swarabhanga adhikara’ of Bhaishajya Ratnavali’ was selected as the trial drug.

The present study, which is an interventional pre and post-test was aimed at evaluating the effect of “Kalyanaka Avaleha Choorna” along with ghrita in language impairment of children with Autism aged 3-6 years, twice daily, after food, for a period of 60 days. 13 subjects satisfying the inclusion criteria were enrolled for the study and were assessed before and after the intervention and also after 1 month of follow-up period using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale (REELS-Extended version) for the language age evaluation. The receptive and expressive language age were measured in ordinal scale and were statistically analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test.

The study results showed statistically significant outcomes (p <0.01) which proved that the intervention “Kalyanaka Avaleha Choorna” along with ghrita was effective in improving the language impairments of children with Autism with remarkable outcomes in both receptive and expressive language

Status of ojus in post-COVID subjects of different dosha prakriti - An observational study

2024-08-26T06:35:54-06:00

The novel Coronavirus outbreak was declared as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the highest alarm level by WHO on 30th January 2020. As of July 2021, more than 18 crore cases have been reported all over the world and the death toll has risen to more than 40 lakhs. After the recovery period also, the patients suffered from several symptoms and complications known as post-COVID syndrome. Ojus is the essence of all seven dhatus responsible for the body’s strength and maintenance. Ojus plays an important role in consciousness, positivity, longevity, intelligence & memory. Fatigue is an ojokshaya lakshana which is a main symptom experienced by post-COVID individuals. Prakriti is a unique concept in Ayurveda that is inherent in the individual from conception to death. The concept of prakriti in Ayurveda stands as one of the most widely accepted & applied principles. Analysis of prakriti must be done to understand the anatomical, physiological, and psychological constitution of the body. This paper assesses the status of ojus and prakriti in post-COVID subjects. The paper study follows an observational design with a sample size of 71 participants. The status of ojus was assessed using the tool developed by Dr Amrutha Elamon for the clinical evaluation of the status of ojus. Prakriti assessment questionnaire from the book ‘A Working Model for Diagnosis in Ayurveda’ by Dr. P.M Madhu was utilized for the assessment of prakriti. The results indicated a significant change of ojus among the subjects with vatapitha, pithakapha and tridoshaja prakriti.

Evaluation of the combined effect of Yashti lodhra sekam and Netra vyayama in asthenopia- A randomized controlled clinical trial

2024-08-29T02:38:08-06:00

Asthenopia is a very common clinical condition nowadays due to the impaired lifestyle. They are of two types-the refractive asthenopia and muscular asthenopia. In Ayurveda, asthenopia can be considered as poorva rupa of timira which has predominantly vata kopa lakshan. For managing the eyestrain, the relaxation of eye and mind is an effective technique. Eye exercises relaxes the eye and mind and thereby pacifies the vitiated vata.

Study design : Randomized controlled clinical trial with concurrent control in 60 patients

Methodology : The 60 patients were divided into 4 groups of 15 patients each. Group 1 was given best possible correction with spectacles. Group 2 was given netra sekam with yashti lodhra kashayam twice daily. Group 3 patients were given a set of 10 eye exercises twice daily. In group 4, the patients were given sekam and eye exercise twice daily. The patients were assessed on 0th day, 15th day, 30th day, 45th day and 60th day. Follow up was done on 75th and 90th day

Findings

Eye exercise, sekam and combination has significant effect in reducing asthenopia during treatment and in follow up period. In the follow up period, the effectiveness of eye exercise and sekam are far ahead of spectacle usage.

Conclusion

Though eye exercise and sekam alone is effective in managing asthenopic symptoms, the combination helps to provide a more sustained effect than when used alone

The Ayurvedic management in Branched Retinal Vein Occlusion- A Case Report

2024-06-14T19:50:50-06:00

Background: Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most common retinal vascular disorder after diabetic retinopathy. BRVO is classified according to the anatomical location as major or macular. Major BRVO refers to occlusion of a retinal vein that drains one of the quadrants. Macular BRVO refers to occlusion of a venule within the macula. The incidence of BRVO is most common in superotemporal quadrant (58.1- 66%), followed by the inferotemporal quadrant (29%) and least common in nasal quadrants (12.9%).BRVO has many known ophthalmic and systemic risk factors including age, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, Obesity .

Case Presentation: A 42 yr old female Teacher by Proffesion with no comorbities but obese with BMI 30.7 kg/m² (Height- 161.5cm, Weight- 77Kg) presented with sudden central field defect and blurred vision in left eye noticed since 2 weeks. and recently diagnosed Hypertension, Blood investigation reveals Hyperlipidemia Ocular examination reveals on admission (done on 17/08/22) Visual acuity of left eye : CF(1m), <N36 without glass and no improvement with glass, Left eye- Anterior segment normal, Funduscopy of left eye: retinal haemorrhage( dot n blot Hg), Cystoid Macular Oedema (CMT- 864um). Internal medication along with external kriyakalpa was done for a time period of 5 month. Assessment was done both subjective and objective

Conclusion: One can conclude from this case report that ophthalmic disorders need not be treated only with local medications or surgical but kriyakalpa are also mentioned in classics for sannipataj kacham, and with the help of sedentary changes in lifestyle , this disease can be treated .The condition of this patient is correlated with sannipataj rakhta pradhana kacham.

Mukkadi purambada , netra sekam – kriyakalpa are used to reduce the oedema, while internal medictions and lifestyle changes are done to control the cholesterol , obesity, and hypertensive condition.Obesity is found to be one cause factor that is correlated with stholya and as per timira and Stholyata the treatment was given along with lifestyle management . Internal medications were used Shiva Gulika which acts as Kaphavata Shamaka also having anti-inflammatory property, Gomootra Haritki was Shothaghna, predominance of Agni and Vayu Mahabhut, and Most importantly the kriyakalpa was used with medications having kapha and Rakhtahara drugs, Vidalaka helped to reduce oedema

Effect of Amalaki (Emblica officinalis Gaertn) swarasa bhavitha Haridra (Curcuma longa Linn.) churna in Diabetic dyslipidemia - A case report

2024-08-20T09:18:04-06:00

Backround: Diabetic dyslipidemia is a cluster of lipoprotein abnormalities characterized by increased sugar levels, triglyceride, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) levels and with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in the body. The lipid changes associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are attributed to increased free fatty acid flux secondary to insulin resistance. According to National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) 34% men and 33.6% women come under the category of both diabetic and dyslipidemia. Both diabetes and dyslipidemia are indeed common health concerns today. These are often linked and share risk factors and diabetes can lead to dyslipidemia over time.

Case presentation: A 55year old male patient presented with complaints of the numbness of left little toe, increased sweating and hunger. Initial evaluation of blood sugar and lipid profile suggests as a known case of diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. He was advised to administer Amalaki swarasa bhavitha haridra churna capsules (2 x 500mg bd) with lukewarm water after food for 3 months. Assessment of FBS, PPBS and lipid profile were done at the end of each month. HbA1C was done prior to the treatment and after the completion of 3 months.

Conclusion: The combination of drug Haridra and Amalaki seems to be simple, safe and cost effective, easily available, without any adverse drug reactions (ADR) that can be administered in diabetic and dyslipidemic patients. The study drug was effective in reducing both the blood sugar levels and lipid profile value to a normal range in a patient with diabetic dyslipidemia.

CASE REPORT ON AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NONHEALING ULCER DUE TO VIPER BITE

2024-09-17T21:55:18-06:00

Among tropical diseases, snake bites are the most often ignored. Patients who survive a snake bite frequently have nonhealing ulcers as a result of the bite. The potency of the venom determines how severe the symptoms are. Common manifestations include spreading cellulitis and swelling of the bite area. If the patient recovers, necrosis of the skin, tendons, muscles, and even bones may emerge. Amputation may be required due to a variety of secondary infections that cause gangrene and suppuration.1-2 After the acute period, persistent problems have a negative impact on the victim's life and may cause financial hardship for the family.

In the present case, a male patient aged 55 years came with complaints of non healing ulcer over the left foot with a history of snake bite 4 months back, following which he developed an ulcer. He was presented with severe pain on the left foot and was unable to walk due to pain. On examination a 4x3x2 cm ulcer was found over the posterior aspect of foot overlying the tendo- achilles region. He was under allopathic treatment for the last 4 months and took antibiotic medicines for a long time. Still the ulcer did not heal so they advised him to do skin grafting which is an expensive treatment modality. As he couldn’t afford that, he consulted other allopathic hospitals, but all of them suggested the same. As a last resort he came to our OPD for Ayurvedic treatment. In Ayurveda it was diagnosed as Mandali dashta dushta vrana. Ayurvedic drugs described in classics having the property of vrana sodhana Vrana ropana and vishahara properties were given for the treatment, both internally and externally. In Ayurveda Viper is described as Mandali, which is paithika in nature, therefore medicines having pittahara property were also given.

Complete healing of the ulcer was obtained in 8 weeks.

Drosophila: Translational Renal Model for Ayurvedic Research

2024-08-29T03:17:35-06:00

Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine, emphasizes holistic and natural approaches to healthcare. However, its integration into modern medical research faces challenges due to the lack of systematic, evidence-based studies. With the global rise in renal disorders, there is a critical need for innovative and reliable preclinical models to study kidney related diseases. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), a well-established model organism in biomedical research, offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap due to its genetic similarities to humans and its potential as a biomimic for human renal physiology. The current review explores the utility of fly as a translational renal model in Ayurvedic research, particularly in studying renal physiology, toxicity, genetic and acquired renal disorders. With the parallels between drosophila and human renal systems, and the use of nephrocytes as analogs to human podocytes and malpighian tubules as functional equivalents to human kidneys. Further, the review highlights methodologies for studying renal physiology and toxicity in drosophila, as well as the generation of renal disease phenotypes through genetic manipulation, diet, and chemical induction. The current review emphasizes on drosophila as an experimental model to enhance the scientific validation of Ayurvedic treatments, particularly in the context of renal health, offering a promising avenue for the integrating traditional and modern medicine in developing better drugs and establishing the mechanism of action for renal care.