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The
Pelvis Agony
The
Troublesome Whites
The Pelvis Agony
By
- Dr. Prashant Sawant, M.D (Ayu.)
Article
Published in “The Times Of India” on Saturday, February 22, 2004
Jagannath
Salve, in his late thirties, was in terrible pain. The grimace on his
face, when asked to bend and touch his toes, revealed the sorry state of
his back. He was having pain in his lower back and numbness and pins and
needle like sensation in his left leg, for over three years. However, for
last three months the pain had increased from bad to worst.
Jagannath
consulted an orthopedic surgeon who advised investigations. The M.R.I
showed bulging of the intervertebral disk between last lumbar vertebra
(vertebra of the back) and the sacrum (bone of the pelvis), which was
pressing on the thecal sac (structure at the lower end of the spinal
cord). The diagnosis was clear- a ‘slipped disk’!
He
was advised complete bed rest and a course of analgesic and
anti-inflammatory medicines. However, even after three weeks of the
treatment, the pain did not subside. He was referred to the center to try
some ‘alternative treatment’, before opting for the surgery.
What
is the “slipped disc”?
Slipped
disc is the popular name for the medical term 'prolapsed intervertebral
disc'. The bones of the spine (vertebrae) are separated by discs of
cartilage. The outer part of the disc is a tough fibrous ring, and inside
this is a softer jelly-like part (the nucleus pulposus). In a slipped
disc, the nucleus escapes from the ring and sticks out through a gap
between the vertebrae, usually to one side. It can press on a nerve root
in the gap, which then causes symptoms in the area of the body supplied
by that nerve.
The
symptoms:
The
main symptom of a slipped disc is a sudden, excruciating back pain with
severe back muscle spasm. It is usually so bad that any sort of movement,
like coughing or straining, triggers intense pain. The pressure on a
spinal nerve can cause numbness, tingling and weakness in the leg on the
affected side. This set of symptoms is called sciatica, because it is
often a nerve root of the sciatic nerve going to one leg that is
affected.
Other symptoms may include severe deep muscle pain and muscle
spasms. If the problem is at the chest level, the symptoms include
a band of pain or numbness around the chest, with back pain. At the neck
level, symptoms are muscle spasm and stiffness of the neck.
The reason:
A slipped disc usually happens when the
back is bent forward and is more likely to happen if the person is
bending forward and lifting with a bent back. It is more likely in people
who have had it before, who are overweight or who work in heavy manual
jobs.
The
treatment
The
conventional treatment includes strong painkillers, together with rest
until the pain has subsided enough to allow the person to get up and
about. Bed rest for longer than this brings no further benefit. If
healing does not happen on its own (a minority of cases), surgery can
remove the nucleus causing the problems. It can also be destroyed with a
special injection.
The
ayurvrdic management of ‘slipped disc’ includes internal medicines to
relieve pain and inflammation, local treatment with application of
medicated oils (snehana), followed by hot fomentation with herbal
decoctions on affected part and basti (therapeutic enema, one of
the panchakarma procedures).
Jagannath
was recommended a course of sixteen basti to be taken on
consecutive days. He was also advised katibasti (local oil
treatment, in which warm medicated oil is held over the back with
the help of a boundary made by grounded black gram paste, for about 20
minutes), followed by nadisweda
(local fomentation with vapors obtained by boiling herbs). Further he was
advised to take mahavata vidhwansa rasa and maha yogaraja gugul
in a 2 is 2 dosage, to be taken after lunch and dinner.
After a month of treatment, Jaganath’s
pain had considerably reduced. The numbness and pin and needle sensation
in the leg had completely disappeared. However, he was advised to
continue with the medicine and local application of the medicated oil. He
was also recommended to do certain yogasana regularly.
Dos and Don’ts
-
Avoid
heavy lifting with the body bent forward.
-
Try
to lose weight if you need to.
-
Exercise
gently and regularly to keep the back muscles fit
-
Avoid
all exercises in which you need to bend forward.
-
Avoid
sleeping on a very soft bed.
Useful
Tips:
- Yogasana
like bramha mudra, vajrasana, bhujangasana, naukasana, marjarasana,
katichakrasana, etc. are very useful to reduce the symptoms.
-
Gently
massaging medicated oils like mahanarayana taila, vishagarbha taila,
etc., on the affected part, help reduce local muscle spasm and pain.
- Basti, kati
basti, snehan, swedana, awaghaha sweda, etc. (different panchakarma procedures), are very useful
to relieve pain, spasm and inflammation.
- Some
of the generic medicines like mahavatavidhwasa rasa, mahayogaraja
gugul, vatarirasa, amrutadi gugul, dashamoolarishta, maharasnadi quath,
etc., are useful to relieve pain, however they should be taken under
medical supervision.
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The Troublesome
Whites
By
- Dr. Prashant Sawant, M.D (Ayu.)
Article
Published in “The Times Of India” on Saturday, February 29, 2004
Sumati Nanda, in her
late thirties, reluctantly confided about the frustrating problem she was
having since her last delivery, about eight years back. She complained
about the excessive white thin secretions from the vagina, which would
increase around a week before
anticipated period of menses. She also complained about pain in the lower
abdomen and lower back. She consulted her gynecologist, who informed her
that she had a small erosion (wound) on the cervix (external opening of
the uterus), which probably was causing the discharge and would need
cauterization (a minor surgical procedure). However, even after the
cauterization the problem persisted. She was recommended some internal
medicines and local ointments on several occasions, to no avail.
Leucorrhoea
or whites is a condition in which there is an
excessive
whitish or colourless secretion from the vagina. Most of the time,
it is an exaggeration of the normal (physiological)
secretion. Sometimes the cause is the irritation anywhere in the genital
organs, due to the common infections (pathological).
In
physiological Leucorrhoea, the discharge is caused due to excitement or
other factors like nervousness. It
is also found under following conditions:
-
In
newborn baby, for a week, due to the presence of the mother’s
hormones.
-
In
adolescent girls due to hormonal changes.
-
At
the time of ovulation and in early pregnancy.
-
During
sexual excitement.
In
pathological Leucorrhoea the causes are:
In
most of the cases, discharge originates from the uterine cavity or the
vagina, which may stiffen the linen or simply leave back a trace of white
powder or scales. In idiopathic variety of leucorrhoea, the discharge is
in a thin liquid form. In a few women, the discharge may set in around a
week before anticipated period of menses and stops as soon as menses
appear. However, in others, it may start when menses are over. It may be
accompanied by general weakness, pain in the lumbar region, pain in the
calves, burning sensation and constipation. There appears to be a direct
relationship of this disease with a nervous temperament.
It
occurs commonly among the weak and anaemic women. It can also be due to
the inflammation of the womb following childbirth, displacement of the
uterus, or infections. It may also occur during the menstrual periods in
young women, due to the thickening of the mucus membrane in the
reproductive organs.
Ayurved
considers that all diseases related to the genital tact, are primarily
caused by vitiation of vata dosha (one of the body humors).
However, in leucorrhoea, kapha dosha too, get vitiated
simultaneously.
Basti,
one of the panchakarma procedures, in which medicated oils and
decoction are administered as enema, is useful to treat diseases caused
by vata dosha. Sumati was
therefore recommended a course of sixteen such ‘basti’
on consecutive days. She was also administered uttara basti
(vaginal douche) with the decoction of triphala and panchawalkala,
on each day, prior to the enema. Further, she was advised pradarantaka
rasa, in a two-is-two-dosage and four teaspoons of ashokarishta,
diluted with water, to be taken twice a day before meals.
Sumati got considerable relief from her
nagging problem during the second week of the treatment. As a
prophylaxis, she was advised to continue with the same medicines for six
months. She was also advised to repeat the course of eight ‘basti’
every four months, for a year and herbal vaginal douche once in a week.
Dos
and Don’ts:
-
Avoid
fried and spicy foods
- Have a well balanced diet
- Avoid simple and refined sugars
(breads, pasta, baked goods, sweets), dairy products, alcohol,
peanuts, etc.
- Eat plenty of protein, vegetables, and
grains.
- Avoid wearing tight synthetic
undergarments and tight clothes
- Keep the genital and rectal area clean
and dry.
- Avoiding vaginal deodorants or sanitary
products containing deodorants.
Useful
Tips:
-
Regular
douching (except during menstrual periods) of the genital tract, with
the decoction made by boiling 20 gm. of triphala or the
fenugreek seeds or the barks of the banyan tree or the fig tree, in a
liter of water, for about twenty minutes, is very helpful.
-
Have
¼ teaspoon each of pimpali (Piper longum) and hrada (Terminalia
chebula) with a teaspoon of honey, after breakfast.
-
Soak
about ten grams of dry coriander (dhania) in 100 ml of water
overnight, and drink the water in the early morning after straining.
-
Some
generic medicines like ashokarishta, pradarantak rasa,
dashamoolarishta, pushyanuga churna, pradarantak loha,
chandraprabhavati, etc. are useful in treatment of leucorrhoea.
However, these should be taken under medical supervision.
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