Abstract

ACUTE MEDICINAL CARE IN AYURVEDA IN CHILDREN

*Vd. Indrajeet Shankarrao Gadge and Vd. Vijaykumar U. Gawai

Abstract

Ayurveda considers health not merely as absence of disease but as a condition where there is a perfect equilibrium of various systems operating in harmony with nature. It is believed that Ayurveda has limited role to play in chronic ailments only. This belief in society and Ayurvedic physicians has arrested development of Ayurveda, and limiting its role as adjuvant therapy. The acute management was also described in Ayurveda, which needs only enlightenment. Ayurveda has been criticized for no availability of emergency management, which is mere a belief. The question may be aroused whether there was no emergency in ancient times and people were suffering only from chronic ailments? The answer to this question is „no‟ and people were managed in life threatening conditions too. There is documentation in the literature of daruna and ashukari (emergency) diseases, which implies that emergency was managed using Ayurvedic medicines. Ayurveda has a specialized branch of Pediatric medicine known as Kaumarbhritya. There are a lot of acute diseases in children like asthmatic attacks, convulsions and sometimes high grade fever which make us disturbed that need the acute care accordingly which Ayurveda has also described. Only we need to apply it according to the severity of disease. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand Ayurvedic basics of emergency management focused on children. It includes understanding acute condition according to Ayurveda and management accordingly. It is important to note that mild to moderate emergency can very well managed according to Ayurveda.

Keywords: Acute management, acute diseases in children, asthma, convulsions, fever.