EFFECT OF AYURVEDA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CEREBRAL PALSY - A CASE REPORT
Dr. Sonam*, Dr. Mahapatra Arun Kumar and Dr. Rajagopala S.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives - The worldwide incidence of Cerebral
palsy (CP) is 2.1/1000 live births, and for India it is 3/1000 live births.
Cerebral Palsy is the leading cause of disability in children which can
be correlated with various Vata predominant conditions mentioned in
Ayurveda. There is no satisfactory criterion in managing this condition
is developed till date. Case Report - A male child aged 3 years
attended Kaumarabhritya OPD with complaints of unable to walk and
speak with drooling of saliva and irregular bowel habits, since the age
of development and was previously diagnosed as spastic CP.
Materials and Methods - The patient has undergone procedure based
therapy Udvartana with Kolakulatthadi Churna 3days, Sarvanga Abhyanga with Ksheerbala
Taila followed by Nadi Sweda with Dashamoola Kwatha for 14 days and Matra Basti with
Ksheerbala Taila for 7days along with oral administration of Abhaya Ghrita. Total duration
of the therapy was 90 days including 3 course of treatment with an interval of 15 days.
Assessment was done using Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Gross Motor Function Manual
(GMFM) and CP-quality of life (CP-QOL) Scale. Results - Gross motor function scale has
shown improvement in terms of crawling and kneeling, standing and walking and running
domain. No change was observed in spasticity, while mild change was observed in quality of
life of the patient in terms of communication, participation and health aspects. Discussion -
Vata get pacified by procedure based therapy and oral administration of Abhaya Ghrita in a
child with CP which in turn improves the gross motor functions and the quality of life of the
patient. Thus, it can be concluded that the Ayurveda approach is effective in improving the
clinical condition of the patient with cerebral palsy.
Keywords: Abhaya Ghrita, Cerebral Palsy, Gross Motor Functions Manual (GMFM), Quality of Life (QOL).
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