Overview
The Nervous System is one of the most dynamic mechanisms that control the human body. It is the network of neurones that transmits signals throughout the body. This governs the interplay with the outer environment and the internal framework and interacts with our bodies’ trillions of cells.
Some of the most common disorders relating the nervous system are as under –
Headache/Migraine
Headache is a common and yet very complex problem. There is hardly anyone in the world who at one time or the other hasn’t experienced it. According to the ayurvedic description of shiroroga (diseases of the head), migraine falls under the category of ardhavabhedaka and suryavarta. In the Madhavanidanam which is an authentic ayurvedic text of diagnostic moves, migraine has been described as severe and debilitating headache arising usually in half portion of the head which may include any area of temporal, frontal, eye ball and vertex region. The suryavarta type of headache more or less depicts a headache which occurs according to a time schedule. Ayurveda offers a very successful treatment for headache and migraine.
Epilepsy
It is a neurological condition involving the brain that makes people more susceptible to having recurrent seizures. It is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system and affects people of all ages, races, and ethnic background. Almost 2.2 million Americans live with epilepsy.
Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. This includes a high fever, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. Under these circumstances, anyone can have one or more seizures. However, when a person has two or more seizures, he or she is considered to have epilepsy. There are many possible causes of epilepsy, including an imbalance of nerve-signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters, tumors, strokes, and brain damage from illness or injury, or some combination of these. In the majority of cases, there may be no cause that can be discovered for epilepsy. Called Apasmar in ayurvedic parlance, ayurvedic is treatable with compound herbomineral medicines and by applying Panchkarma procedures.
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
It is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted. Ayurveda has many success stories in treating MS, where patient reports at an early stage.
Ataxia
Ataxia means without coordination. People with ataxia lose muscle control in their arms and legs. This may lead to a lack of balance, coordination, and trouble walking. Ataxia may affect the fingers, hands, arms, legs, body, speech, and even eye movements. The symptom of ataxia can be caused by many things including stroke, multiple sclerosis, tumors, alcoholism, nerve damage , metabolic disorders and Vitamin deficiencies. The treatment and prognosis differs according to the cause involved.
Alzheimer’s disease
It is the most common form of dementia, affecting millions of people over the age of 65, as well as hundreds of thousands under the age of 65 who have early-onset this disease. Women account for almost two-thirds of the patients. Unlike other forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s does not affect patients’ motor function until late stages of the disease. An early ayurvedic treatment helps to control the progress of the disease.
Parkinson’s Disease/ Paralysis/Facial paralysis
All these diseases come under the pretext of Vata Roga and most of the ayurvedic texts have discussed these in detail. Proper medicine, panchkarma procedures and skilled management helps to counter these debilitating problems.