Munchausen Syndrome Treatment in Ayurveda

Abstract

Humans are complicated, so are their doings and feelings. A person develops interest in various activities and holds ambitions. People do a lot to chase these ambitions and depending on the destiny some people achieve their goals and some get lost in the way. Certain instances and traumas can lead to the change in the nature of a human. Mostly these extreme changes happen in late childhood that affect the child maximally that can change the personality of the person. Munchausen syndrome is also such a condition that can arise from an extreme incident that results in feigning his/her disease to get attention from the medical staff. In the text below, we shall discuss the condition of Munchausen syndrome in detail and its management in the contemporary system of medicine and in the traditional system of medicine as well. Let’s discuss!!

Introduction

Munchausen syndrome is a syndrome where those affected induce or feign disease, abuse, illness, physical trauma or injury, psychological trauma to get sympathy, reassurance and attention towards them. This condition usually develops in late childhood or early adulthood particularly in those who have faced ignorance in their childhood age. The condition is considered rare as the diagnosis of the condition is difficult as it requires a detailed look into the history of the patient.and as well as other screening, blood work and other tests. Now let’s see the causes, classification, features, management and ayurvedic aspect of the condition of Munchausen syndrome.

Causes of Munchausen Syndrome

Exact cause of Munchausen syndrome is not clear. Though theories such as history of child abuse, neglect as a child, freuent ghospitalization, frequent illness and personality disorders are linked to the causative facvtors behind the condition of Munchausen syndrome.

Risk Factors

• Childhood traumas
• Emotional unavailability of parents/caretakers
• Serious illness in childhood
• Failed aspiration to work in medical field
• Personality disorders
• Low self-esteem

Signs and Symptoms

• The person creates symptoms or exaggerates the illness in order to get attention, sympathy and treatment from the medical personnel.
• It involves attention seeking and victim playing.
• Psychological and biological factors.

Investigations

• Diagnosis of the condition is difficult
• History of frequent hospitalizations, frequently medicine intake,
• Physical examination
• Labtests – Complete blood count, drug levels from blood, coagulation tests, urine toxicology, cultures, thyroid profile, DNA typing.
• CT Scan, magnetic resonance imaging, psychological tests, electrocardiography, electroencephalography.

Differential Diagnosis

• Factitious disorder

Management of Munchausen Syndrome

• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive behavioural therapy

Ayurvedic Aspect and Management of Munchausen Syndrome

In Ayurveda, a person has one sharirik from vata, pitta, kapha and one mansik prakriti from satvik, rajsik and tamsik. Or there can be a blend of two or more prakriti.

Some prakritis are condemnable in sharirik and mansik prakritis (nature). As the nature of a person depends on the mind he possesses. In mansik prakritis, there are satwik, rajsik and tamsik prakritis. Satwik is considered faultless and pious prakriti among mansik prakritis. Whereas rajasik and tamsik are considered faulty as they exhibit some characteristics that cannot be justified as ideal.

These are considered manodosha as the culprit is mana and results in a number of abnormal behaviour or activities.

Munchausen syndrome is also considered as one of the manodosha. And it can be well correlated with the heen satva.

A person with heen satva means a person who has inferior can sustain neither by themselves nor by others, although having big stature, they are unable to endure even mild pain, they are associated with fear, grief, greed, confusion and conceit and even during fierce, frightening, disliked, disgusting and uglyt narratives or on the look of the animal or human flesh or blood get afflicted with anxiety, abnormal complexion, fainting, insanity, giddiness or falling on the ground or even succumb to death.

Therefore, this kind of feared person is not exactly the same as the person with Munchausen syndrome but it pretends to be the closest to Munchausen syndrome.

There are various herbal medicines available that help in calming the mind and promote a good and positive thinking. These include saraswatarishta, brahmi vati, kalyanaka ghrita, sidharthaka ghrita, maha paishachaik, puranghrita, ghrita, brahmi ghrita, lashunadya ghrita, mahakalyanaka ghrita and others.

There are various herbs mentioned in Ayurveda that are helpful in correcting these conditions of mind and psyche. These includes yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), mandukaparni (Centella asiatica), shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis), jyotismati (Celastrus paniculata), guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), vacha (Acorus calamus), brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). kushmanda (Benincasa hispida) and others.

Sattvavjaya Chikitsa

The Sattvavjaya word implies supporting the satva. Satva is mana (mind) that is the underlying driver of the psyche. The psychotherapeutic method for managing the illness has been portrayed under Sattvavajya Chikitsa. Aacharya Charaka describes it as a methodology for controlling or withdrawal of the mind from innutritious objects (Arthas). It zeroed in on the control of the mind that one should move himself along in his/her own oneself ensuring to know the genuine substance of his/own soul and accomplishing the degree of supernatural quality and giving certifiable inspiration to life. As per Aacharya Charak it infers keeping the brain from the longings of unwholesome articles the development of insight, common information, tolerance, recall and yogic psychotherapy. Samadhi insinuates practising yoga and thought to lessen the waverings of mind finally inciting a focused and tranquilised mind. This huge number of measures assist in making with command over the Manas or mind, which is reliably unstable. Hence, an individual ought to be informed to do normal yoga and meditation that will ultimately assist persons with Munchausen syndrome.

Herbal Remedies for Munchausen Syndrome by Planet Ayurveda

Planet Ayurveda is a well known GMP certified, ISO 9001:2015 certified and US-FDA registered Ayurvedic Company, which adhered to the aim of manufacturing quality Ayurvedic products as mentioned in the various ancient texts of Ayurveda. formulations are manufactured without additives and preservatives and other kinds of chemicals or artificial flavouring agents which causes a number of side effects on the human body. Products prepared at Planet Ayurveda are pure and do not contain any kind of adulteration. The products are purely organic and vegetarian and gluten free. Planet Ayurveda presents its products which are beneficial in Munchausen Syndrome.

Following Is the List of Products That Are Great in Managing Munchausen Syndrome

Products List

1. Gotu Kola Capsules
2. Neurogenie Capsules
3. Sarotovahi Capsules
4. Mahakalyanaka Ghrit

Product Description

1. Gotu Kola Capsules

Gotu Kola capsules are enriched with the mind relaxing and nervine tonic properties. It is composed of the standardised extract of the herb gotu kola (Centella asiatica). The herb is known as medhya which helps in improving intelligence and intellect. In addition to this the capsules also channelise the thoughts in a positive way. Therefore Gotu Kola capsules are of great help and provide a good result in Munchausen syndrome.

Dosage: One capsule twice a day.

2. Neurogenie Capsules

Neurogenie capsules is a product of Planet Ayurveda which is composed of the herbs which are regarded as medhya in Ayurvedic texts and promote and improve neurological and mental functions. The formulation contains the herbs ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). These are useful in promoting wellness of the mind and coping up with stress. And also helps in channelizing the mind in a positive direction and elevates the mood. With its mind calming actions, Neurogenie capsules are helpful in Munchausen syndrome.

Dosage: Two capsules twice a day.

3. Sarotovahi Capsules

Srotovahi capsules is a product of Planet Ayurveda which contains the standardised extracts of herbs such as shilajit, guggul (Commiphora mukul), haridra (Curcuma longa), vidanga (Embelia ribes), maricha (Piper nigrum), dalchini (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and tulsi (Ocimum sanctum). The formulation aids in removing ama dosha from the body that is the main cause of obstruction in any of the srotas (channels of the body). It promotes the normal functioning of all channels by wonderful properties such as ant-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, digestive and induce digestive fire. It acts on manovaha srotas and helps in its abnormal or weird thought functioning such as attention seeking for no reason. Therefore, it helps in Munchausen syndrome.

Dosage: One capsule twice a day.

4. Mahakalyanaka Ghrit

Mahakalyanaka Ghrit is a classical formulation which helps in coping up with the psychological and psychiatric issues effectively. Mahakalyanaka ghrit is enriched with mind calming properties of herbs such as krishna sariva (Ichnocarpus frutescens), shweta sariva (Hemidesmus indicus), haridra (Curcuma longa), prishniparni (Uraria picta), daru haldi (Berberis aristata), tagar (Valeriana wallichi), manjistha (Rubia cordifolia), kapikachhu (Mucuna pruriens), ativisha (Aconitum heterophyllum), vidanga (Embelia ribes) and many others. Mahakalyanaka ghrit helps in coping with Munchausen syndrome as it relaxes the mind and manages the symptoms associated with stress. Hence, Mahakalyanaka ghrita is a product of choice in Munchausen syndrome.

Dosage: One tsp twice daily with warm milk

Contact Planet Ayurveda Support Team to provide you the costing / ordering and delivery information at – costing.planetayurveda@gmail.com or Call at 0172-521-4040 (India), +91-172-521-4040 (Outside India) or Whatsapp at (+91) 9915-593-604

Conclusion

Munchausen syndrome is a psychological condition which is characterised by longing for more attention and sympathy towards them. This seeking of attention makes the person feign the illness exaggeratedly. This condition can result from a number of factors that have been postulated including child abuse or not taking proper care by care providers and recurrent hospitalisations. Though the exact cause of Munchausen syndrome is not known. As this is a topic of research and thus its management is not available in the modern system of medicine. But in Ayurveda by correlating the condition with heen satva and manodosha, its management can be done effectively by the herbal medicines as we discussed above with their mind relaxing, calming and mind altering or channelising properties. The herbal medicines of Planet Ayurveda explained above beautifully manage the Munchausen syndrome.