Dementia And Its Ayurvedic Treatment
Introduction
Dementia is a wide group of disorders which results in the abnormal changes in the brain causing negative impact on social abilities, thinking skills and memory of a person making him/her unable to perform daily life activities normally and independently. It is a generally a term used for loss of language, memory, thinking and problem solving abilities. The most common type of dementia in all the disorders is Alzheimer’s which accounts for approximately 60-80% cases of dementia. Many conditions like vitamin deficiencies and thyroid disorders can also result in dementia. Dementia is also many times incorrectly related with senile dementia (changes in brain due to aging) but it is not true such serious mental declination is not a part of aging.
Signs And Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of dementia can vary from one person to other depending upon the cause. However some of the common ones are:
- Loss of memory which is first noticed by someone close to the person
- Inability or difficulty to find correct words and communicate
- Difficulty in solving problems or giving reasoning
- Short term memory loss
- Problem in handling difficult tasks
- Difficulty in organizing and planning things
- Problems like getting lost while finding their own home or workplace or while driving
- Difficulty in motor functions and coordination
- Disorientation and complete sense of confusion
- There are various psychological changes in the person like anxiety, depression, changes in personality, agitation, inappropriate behavior and hallucinations
Causes
The main cause of dementia is damage to the nerve cells in the brain and their connections resulting in loss of functions which were controlled by that particular area. Hence, dementia affects people in different ways depending upon the area which is damaged. Depending upon the protein or part of protein or part of the brain which is damaged is used to group various types of dementias. Some of the disease conditions may mimic dementia like that due to vitamin deficiency, however they get improved with medications. Similar to dementia, conditions other than vitamin deficiencies can be depression, side effects of certain medications, thyroid disorders or excessive alcohol consumption.
Diagnosis
No single test can diagnose dementia. Proper medical history can help in the revelation of the signs and symptoms along with the history given by the attendant (about personality changes and memory loss) and will direct towards dementia. Further for the confirmation of the diagnosis certain laboratory tests, physical examination and tests associated with daily activities and thinking abilities can be done. However it can be difficult to diagnose the specific type of dementia as many changes in the brain and signs and symptoms can overlap. In this case you can contact a specialist like a psychiatrist, neurologist or psychologist.
Treatment
Most types of dementia are progressive in nature and considered to be incurable as per modern medicine. Conventionally treatment is done depending upon the cause of the dementia. There are no medications that can be given in the modern system of medicine to slow down the progression of the disease. There are certain medicines given to relieve the symptoms temporarily and also Non-drug therapies are used to relieve these complaints. However, the relief is limited and temporary.
Ayurveda introduces various potent therapeutic herbs which are proven to possess medicinal properties that help in treating the cause as well as slow down the progression of the disease to certain extent. Nature itself has given us amazing herbs which have neuro protective properties that when used for treatment of dementia helps in slowing down the progression as well relieving the present complaints, naturally.
Herbal Remedies By Planet Ayurveda
Planet Ayurveda has been serving the suffering humanity through the herbal remedies and Ayurvedic formulas for around two decades. Purely vegetarian, herbal and organic medicines are produced here to treat various types of health ailments. No kind of preservatives, binders, fillers, chemicals, additives, colors or yeast are used in production of any of the herbal products here in Planet Ayurveda. Strict supervision of the Md Ayurveda doctors is always there in production of the herbal medicines and products which are formulated as per the classical Ayurvedic literature. These medicines are easily available to all the people be it in India or other parts of the world as there are many distributors of Planet Ayurveda located in various parts of India as well as in different cities around the globe. For dementia also, Plant Ayurveda offers an amazing combination of herbal remedies which helps in managing the condition naturally.
Product List
- Brahmi Capsule
- Gotukola Capsule
- Memory Support
- Medhya Churna
Product Description
1. Brahmi Capsule
It is produced using standardized extract of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Brahmi capsules possess many medicinal properties which help in slowing down the progression of dementia and treating the presenting signs and symptoms like antiepileptic, mind relaxing, antipyretic etc. These capsules help in enhancing memory and learning, treating Alzheimer’s disease, relieving stress and improving functioning of the brain.
Dosage – Take 1 capsule twice daily after meals with plain water
2. Gotukola Capsule
Standardized extract of Gotukola herb (Centella asiatica) is used in the preparation of these capsules. Gotukola capsule helps in treating dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, treats behavioral abnormalities and improves memory. It boosts the functions of the brain and has a therapeutic effect on the nerves of the brain which eventually leads to slowing down in the progression of dementia.
Dosage – Take 1 capsule twice daily after meals with plain water
3. Memory Support
These are the multi herbal capsules prepared using various amazing herbs like Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis), Vacha (Acorus calamus), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Memory support capsules help in boosting memory, improves concentration and mental functions which are the main complaints in dementia.
Dosage – Take 1 capsule twice daily after meals with plain water
4. Medhya Churna
Various medicinal herbs like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Vacha (Acorus calamus), Ajmoda (Carum roxburghianum), Marich (Piper nigrum), Pippali (Piper longum), Patha (Cissampelos pareira), Sonth (Zingiber officinale), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) etc are used in preparation of Medhya churna. This Ayurvedic churna helps in enhancing the functions of the brain, protects the brain from any kind of damage, boosts concentration and memory.
Dosage – 1/4 teaspoon once daily with 1 spoon of Cow Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Conclusion
Dementia cannot be completely treated, however these herbs can help in slowing down the progression of the disease and also relieves the existing complaints to a certain extent. Further damage to the brain is prevented owing to the natural neuro protective properties of these herbal remedies that too naturally without causing any harm to the body, even if taken in the long term.
