Be open to Ayurveda treatment, say doctors

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: On the occasion of Ayurveda day (October 23), doctors and patients alike have urged the people to explore this branch of medicine for treatment of various illnesses.

The Associate Professor of PNPS Ayurveda Medical College, Dr Mohammad Mirdas, has said that Ayurvedic treatments were very effective in treating certain illnesses like Sciatica – a pain caused by an injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve, which branches down from your lower back through your hips, buttocks and down each leg.

It can be caused by a herniated disk or bone overgrowth impeding on the nerve. “In allopathic medicine, for sciatica, the only option is either surgery or painkillers. In Ayurveda, there are specific methods, procedures and medicines, which will help to reduce the pain and address the nerve compression,” Dr Mirdas said.

“There are a lot of procedures. It depends on the person and the disease (the reason behind sciatica). Sciatica can be due to compressing of the muscle or disc prolapse, among other reasons. We have to identify the problem,” he added.

Kaleem (name changed) who had sciatica due to nerve compression said that it was a very painful condition, but ayurvedic treatment had helped him in easing the pain and managing the condition much better. “I had sciatica nerve compression. I had two issues.

The other was a disc prolapse as well as disc bulge, which touches the sciatic nerve, which got compressed. My case was a severe one. It aggravated due to lack of attention,” he said. “I went to an Ayurveda hospital, which follows thorough procedures and has been treating patients with these kinds of issues for a long time.

An experienced doctor – an Ayurveda MD – treated me,” he said, adding that things got so bad that he was limping. “I spent 17 days in a hospital and the treatment consisted of medicines to be taken orally and oil massage and other ayurvedic procedures,” he added. Kaleem said that he had been feeling much better and had been doing physiotherapy to manage his condition.

“Ayurveda, what I feel is, it is one of the best practices, if you have the time. Otherwise, I would have undergone surgery, which was avoided because I preferred Ayurveda treatment. Now, I’m recovering well,” he said.

‘Holistic branch of medicine’ Medical officer at Ramaiah Indic Speciality Ayurveda Restoration Clinic, Yelahanka, Dr Kusuma said that in Ayurveda, treatment was done holistically. “In ayurveda we treat a person as whole, not only a particular system. Many diseases need to be addressed physically and mentally also, where ayurveda is more apt.

Many musculoskeletal disorders like Osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis and spinal problems like cervical and lumbar spondylosis are very well managed with Ayurveda therapies and medicines. Skin problems like psoriasis, allergic dermatitis etc do respond very well, and use of steroids can be avoided which have their own side effects,” she said.