EFFECT OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA PROTOCOL IN MANAGING CHILDREN
WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
AUTHORS
..........................................................................................................................................................
1.
Dr. Dinesh.KS, Founder of CIMCD, AyUCALM,
Principal Investigator of the project, Professor and head, Vaidyaratnam
P.S.Varier Ayurveda College, Kottakkal, India[+91 9447698085,
www.ethicalayurveda.com,
drayurksd@gmail.com ]
2.
Dr. Nazeema P.K, Professor and head,
Vaidyaratnam P.S.Varier Ayurveda College, Kottakkal, India
3.
Dr. Swapnachitra, Senior Research Fellow, Kerala
Ayurveda studies and research society, Government of Kerala, India
4.
Dr.Santhikrishna, Junior Research fellow, Kerala
Ayurveda studies and research society, Government of Kerala, India
.................................................................................................................................................................
a
AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER
Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of neuro-behavioural conditions, the
symptoms of which are seen in patients from early development stages. Of late,
there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of these conditions. ASD
is mostly prevalent in the ‘developed’ world. It is a negative consequence of
the lifestyle changes of the people of these areas that has, otherwise, brought
them improved health and living conditions. This is further validated by the fact
that ASD is rarely found in tribal populations that live in remote places.
Parents and
caregivers of the patients are always on the lookout for treatment and
therapeutic techniques that yield maximum results, while being affordable in
the long run. The solution to this is to follow a comprehensive protocol that
gives long-term results while helping to maintain the quality of life and not
being expensive.
A group of
Ayurvedic medical professionals from Kerala, India had come together to formulate
one such protocol and carry out studies on its impact. The research was funded mainly
by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
The group
named the protocol as AGASTYA, an acronym for the components, as below, that
constitute the treatment regime:
-
Ayurveda Herbal Drugs
-
Gut Therapy Protocol
-
Ayurveda Standards of Living
-
Training of the Parents
-
Yogic Assistance
ABOUT AYURVEDA
Ayurveda is
an Indian traditional medical treatment system that has been in practice for
many millennia and the wisdom and knowledge of which has been passed on for
generations. The treatments are based on a holistic approach to diagnosis of
conditions and prescription of treatment regimens that addresses the good and
bad sides of the biological, psychological, social and spiritual domains of the
patient. The Ministry of AYUSH (
[http://ayush.gov.in/]) of Government of India is the governing
authority for Ayurveda medicine.
BASIS FOR FORMULATING
THE PROTOCOL
Children affected
by ASD require undivided care and attention to ensure their physical and psychological
development. Their condition must be managed at all domains – social, biological,
psychological and spiritual – to ensure proper care. These actions should be
initiated and continued by the child’s family so that it will result in the
child leading a normal and independent life in the future. The AGASTYA protocol
was formulated to comprehensively address the management of all the domains
with the active participation of the whole family in bringing about positive
transformation in the child. The treatment methods administered and the results
of the research on the impacts of these on patients are described below.
THE AGASTYA
PROTOCOL
1.
Ayurvedic Medicines:
Based
on the detailed diagnosis of the condition of the patient, a group of multi-herbal
Ayurvedic medications were formulated and administered. These herbal medications
contained ingredients that are detoxifiers, brain tonics, digestive correctors,
metabolic correctors, supplements, prebiotics and probiotics.
2.
Gut Therapy (GT):
The
major component of GT was the administering of individually tailored medications
of various herbal combinations that were in the forms of tablets, fermented
liquids, powders, aqueous extracts, etc. The main therapeutic actions of these
medicines were to correct digestion, establish an equilibrium of dysbiosis,
reduce gut allergies, inflammations and leaky gut syndrome. The GT therapy
regimen also included maintaining food and feeding schedules, drinking
medicated water and following lifestyle guidelines. The researchers provided digital
and printed handouts detailing the GT procedures as also conducted bi-monthly
reviews to assess the progress of the therapy.
3.
Ayurvedic Standards of Living:
The
treatments prescribed in this protocol were:
o
A full program of lifestyle regimens to be
implemented each day and night, changes to be made to this regimen based on the
change of seasons, customisation of food and diet, following codes for social
interaction, conduct training and learning sessions for the patient, etc.
o
Procedure based therapies (PBT) on the body and
head (Sirodhara, Udwartana, Sirolepa, etc.) to be performed initially in the hospital
in the presence of the parent so that they can learn the exact methods of administering
PBT that are to be continued at home. The PBT was repeated in the hospital after
six months.
4.
Training of Parents:
All
the family members of the patient were trained in administering the techniques of
all the protocols like principles of Yoga, GT, Ayurvedic Standards of Living, PBT,
etc. Training was imparted through various practical sessions and other means
of communication as detailed below:
o
Periodical Training (once every four months): The
first training module consisted of two days (6hours per day) workshops on PBT. The
follow up sessions were conducted every four months. These one-day sessions
consisted of 6hour continuing education classes followed by a review test of
30minutes duration. The training modules were prepared as per relevant quality
standards by training management experts. Family members who did not show
commitment to learn in the training sessions were excluded from future
sessions.
o
Printed handouts of the training materials were
given to the family members.
5.
Yogic Assistance:
The family
members were trained in helping the patient perform a set of yoga techniques
that included Pranayama, Aasanas, relaxation techniques, tightening and
loosening exercises (Sukshma Vyayamas), etc. These family members performed
these techniques in the training classes and were trained to become adept in helping
the patients perform these.
PARTICIPANT FAMILIES
This article is about 672 families who were participated in
the assessment program.
Effect of AGASTYA in the family
·
Effect in negative feelings towards the child
·
Effect in positive feelings towards the child
·
Impact in social life
·
Impact in the quality of life assessed by
criteria of world health organisation
Effect of AGASTYA on CARS [CHILDHOOD AUTISM RATING SCALE]of
the children
Effect of AGASTYA in problem behavior of the children
Effect of AGASTYA in abdominal problems of children
Effect of AGASTYA in the intestinal dysbiosis was assessed
by 1d6s rRNA whole genome sequencing. Statistically highly significant results
are observed in this assessment. However due to the complexity of data
presentation for the common man, we are not producing the same here as graph.
CONCLUSION
Ayurveda is a
non-linear, dynamic and complex system of knowledge that encompasses all
aspects of life. AGASTYA is a protocol that imbibes this true spirit of
Ayurveda and comprises more of social rather than medical interventions to
manage ASD in a child and the effects of these on the immediate family and
society. Research has established that AGASTYA is a highly effective protocol that
can be implemented to become a way of life for the ASD child and family.
ACKNOWLEDEMENT
·
Department of AYUSH, government of india for
funding of the project
·
AyuCALM[Ayurveda center for autism and learning
disability management], Kottakkal, India
·
CIMCD[center for integrated management of
children with differential abilities], kottakkal, india
·
Kerala Ayurveda studies and research society,
Government of kerala, India
·
Jeevaneeyam Ayurveda Hospital , Ernamkulam,
India
