Ayurvedic management of Alzheimer’s Disease - A Case Study

Abstract

The prevalence of age-related cognitive decline is becoming an important public health concern as there is premature ageing due to various environmental and lifestyle changes. Alzheimer’s disease is now recognized as the most common disorder of dementia. Dementia is a syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – in which there is deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. Features of Smrti Vibhrama and characteristics of Pranavruta Vyana are being observed as Alzheimer’s dementia. There is still no effective cure for dementia in contemporary medicine. So, developing an Ayurvedic protocol to treat dementia is a necessity. This is the case of a 66 -year-old male patient presented with loss of interest in daily activities, fatigue, reduced appetite and increased sleep for duration of 2 years. Diagnosis was done based on the criteria of Mini-mental status Examination Scale. The management was a combination of modalities including Shirodhara, Nasya, Dhoompana and internal medications. The treatment modalities were found to be effective in the cognitive and depressive symptoms as well as improving the social behaviour in dementia patient.