West Syndrome Treatment in Ayurveda

Abstract

From birth till 2 years is considered as infancy period and during this phase a child develops rapid change and growth. At the same time, the child’s system is more vulnerable, so it is a must to take more care of your child at this time. It is more important to take care of the infant despite any medical condition and not to be left with any guess work or intuition. So you should go to consult your doctor or any expert for a specific condition. The importance of care of infants is must as at that time the baby is more vulnerable towards various diseases and medical conditions. Especially if a child is suffering from any neurological condition, parents take their child for regular check up on a regular interval. In this article we are going to discuss one such condition that is West Syndrome or infancy spasms. In the upcoming article we will discuss the condition along with its Ayurvedic management.

Introduction

West Syndrome or Infantile spasms is one of the rare conditions that is characterized by subtle seizures generally within the first year of their life. If left untreated the infant may suffer from serious complications. It is a rare form of Epilepsy with a presence of three main features – infantile spasms, reduced developmental milestones and brain waves in high irregular patterns that is known as electroencephalogram. This is some brief views about the condition and below we will discuss the condition in detail. So let’s have a look!!!!

Some Facts About West Syndrome

Following are some facts to be known about West Syndrome

• This disease is named after the person who first discovered this condition , Dr. William West. he is the one who discovered this condition in his son who was just 4 months older at that time, in 1841.
• This condition affects 1 in 2500-3,000 children.
• The children who get diagnosed with this condition, 5 out 100 do not live more than 5 years.
• The babies with West Syndrome may suffer from severe mental disability, this seems to be noticed in 7 out of 10 babies.

Causes of West Syndrome

The causes that can lead to West Syndrome are listed below

• Metabolism disorders
• Genetic mutations
• Brain injury
• Lack of oxygen to brain
• Unusual brain development
• Infections that affect the brain
• Brain tumors
• Birth injury

The above mentioned are common causes of West Syndrome and on the other hand infants experience spasms from an unknown cause. Basically the other causes remain undiagnosed neurological conditions.

Symptoms of West Syndrome

West syndrome is also known as infantile spasm, the spasms appear in various different ways. As per Epilepsy Foundation infantile spasm consists of following characteristics

• Baby get suddenly stiff
• Waist get bend, arms flights out and knees pull up
• The legs get straighten and stiff which causes head thrown back
• Movements are repeatedly uncontrollable like head bobs and body crunches.

Spasm lasts in a couple of seconds but they tend to recur at close intervals. The number of spasms is up to 100 times a day. These types of spasms usually occur after waking

Diagnosis of West Syndrome

If a Doctor finds that there is a situation of Infantile spasms then he must order for an EEG (Electroencephalogram) that makes the diagnosis more easier and clear. If this test shows no clear results then a Doctor may refer your child for Video EEG. This test is the same as that of EEG but the thing is a video captures your baby’s behavior while EEG. Pediatric neurologists notice brain waves during infantile spasms. Another test to diagnose the same is MRI, which shows abnormalities in the Brain. Genetic testing is done to analyze if there is any genetic reason behind these seizures. If it gets diagnosed then you must seek help earlier to prevent the serious complications.

Ayurvedic View of West Syndrome

Ayurveda is a holistic science, a natural medicine system that originated from India, for more than 3000 years. The term Ayurveda comprises two words ayur and veda, in which ayur means life and veda means science of knowledge. So the complete meaning of Ayurveda is knowledge of life. This science works with the aim of balancing between the mind, body, environment and spirit. As per this holistic science the condition of West Syndrome is correlated to aggravation of Vata Dosha.

Common causes of Vata Dosha Aggravation: Excessive workout, excessive fasting, excessive walking, dry food, wake up at night and various other practices that are vata vardhaka (increases vata dosha).

Common symptoms of Vata Dosha Aggravation: Nervousness, panic, anxiousness, fear, tics, twitches, spasms, tremors, chapped or dry skin, bloating, constipation, gas, hard stools, dislike of wind and cold, interrupted sleep and various others according to the condition.

Significance of West Syndrome in Ayurveda: As West Syndrome is a type of Epilepsy then this condition is correlated as per Ayurveda to Apasmar. The cardinal feature of this condition is considered as loss of consciousness and loss of smriti (memory). Specific causes of Apasmara are affliction of mind due to fear, worry, anger, anxiety and grief. The common symptoms of Apasmar are visual hallucinations, cardiac pain, falling down, frothing salivation, twitching of eyes and tongue, tremors or spasms of hands and feet. For the treatment part let’s read further upcoming articles!!!

Herbal Remedies for West Syndrome by Planet Ayurveda

Planet Ayurveda is a company that manufactures their own herbal products along with the strict methods of preparation mentioned in Classical Ayurvedic texts. All the formulations are made up with pure herbs and minerals. The wide range of Planet Ayurveda’s products includes herbal powders, herbal capsules, herbal tablets, herbal teas, herbal juices, herbal oils and beauty and cosmetics products. These products have authentication with GMP and ISO certification and have no side effects. This company works with the strict aim of Ayurveda that is to keep a healthy man healthy and eliminate the disease of the diseased person. For the purpose of treatment of West Syndrome following remedies are provided by Planet Ayurveda.

1. Neurogenie Capsules
2. Saraswatarisht
3. Neuro Plan Syrup
4. Kumar Kalyan Ras
5. Brahmi Ghrit
6. Anu Tailam

Product Description

1. Neurogenie Capsules

Neurogenie Capsules is a polyherbal capsule formulation by Planet Ayurveda. These capsules consist of standardised extract of herbs like Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). These capsules as the name suggests are especially formulated for maintaining good nervous health. The properties such as vata pacifying and rejuvenating assist in managing the symptoms of West Syndrome.

Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with plain water after meals.

2. Saraswatarisht

Saraswatarisht is a classical Ayurvedic formulation prepared by Planet Ayurveda as mentioned in classical Ayurvedic texts. This formulation is available in syrup form which consists of ingredients such as Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), vidarikand (Pueraria tuberosa), khas (Vetiveria zizanioides), saunf (Foeniculum vulgare) and various others. This herbal syrup has been used since ancient times for maintaining good Brain health. This remedy shows good results in patients of epilepsy thus given in managing this form of epilepsy also.

Dosage: 5 ml twice daily with equal amount of added water after meals.

3. Neuro Plan Syrup

Neuro Plan Syrup is a herbal syrup made up by Planet Ayurveda. This herbal syrup consists of juices of herbs such as mandukaparni (Centella asiatica), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Jyotishmati (Celastrus paniculatus) and some others. This herbal syrup promotes the health of neurons and prevents further damage to the Brain. The rejuvenating properties assists in eliminating toxins from the body that are the main reason for any medical condition in the body. All the herbs present in this herbal juice effectively pacifies vata dosha which is the main reason behind fits.

Dosage: 5 ml twice daily with plain water after meals.

4. Kumar Kalyan Ras

Kumar Kalyan Ras is a classical Ayurvedic formulation available in tablet form. This tablet formulation is prepared by Planet Ayurveda under the strict guidance of M.D. Ayurveda practitioners. These tablets consist of ingredients such as kumari saar (Aloe barbadensis), Shudha parada (purified mercury), shuddha abhrak (Purified mica), Loha Bhasma (Calyx of iron) and some others. This formulation has nootropic effect which assists in promoting memory heath. As in this case Infant milestones get delayed thus this remedy promotes the milestones to be developed on their actual time.

Dosage: 1 tablet once daily with plain water after meals.

5. Brahmi Ghrit

Brahmi Ghrit is a classical Ayurvedic formulation which is formulated by Planet Ayurveda as per strict accordance with Classical Ayurvedic practitioners. This formulation is available in paste form and made up of ingredients like Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Vacha (Acorus calamus), Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) and some others. This is considered as one of the best formulations as it balances all the three doshas. So by balancing all three doshas Brahmi ghrita assists in reducing the seizures episodes. It also consists of medhya properties thus also maintaining a healthy Brain.

Dosage: 3 drops twice daily and if the child is above 7 years then give ½ tsp twice daily with warm milk.

6. Anu Tailam

Anu Tailam is one of the formulations in oil form prepared by Planet Ayurveda as mentioned in Classical Ayurvedic texts. This oil preparation consists of contents like Til tail (Sesamum indicum), jeevanti (Leptadenia reticulata), ushir (Vetiveria zizanioides) and some others. By administering this oil into nasal openings it assists in balancing all three doshas. According to Ayurveda “नासा ही शिरसो द्वारम”, which means nose is considered as the way to Brain. So if anything is administered through the nose it will help in managing the diseases of the Brain.

Dosage: Administered 2 drops in each nostril if the child is above 7 years.

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

West Syndrome or Infantile spasms is one of the rare conditions that is characterized by subtle seizures generally within the first year of their life. There is no such cause of West Syndrome but some researchers found these conditions are considered as the risk factor of West Syndrome. This includes Metabolism disorders, Genetic mutations, Brain injury, Lack of oxygen to the brain, Unusual brain development and some others. Common symptoms include: the baby gets suddenly stiff, waist gets bent, arms fly out and knees pull up, the legs get straightened and stiff which causes head thrown back, movements are repeatedly uncontrollable like head bobs and body crunches. As per Ayurveda this condition can be correlated to Apasmara and this generally includes aggravation of Vata dosha. For the purpose of eliminating this condition Planet Ayurveda provides you with various remedies. You can consume these remedies without thinking about its side effects as all the medicines are 100% natural.