Vedanaadhyaayam

by Sheela Rani Chunkath

Kashyapa, the author of Kashyapa Samhita is generally considered the father of Ayurvedic  pediatrics.  While the book is incomplete there is one chapter that is of great interest to pediatricians and parents alike.  This chapter deals with the various ways in which babies indicate if they are suffering from any malaise.

In Ayurveda we really believe that the earlier one attends to addressing any malaise the quicker the problem will be solved.
Kashyapa has described a total of 34 conditions in which babies who cannot yet talk indicate what is wrong with them.

In Karna Vedhana, ear pain, it is said that the baby would roll the head from side to side, close his eyes frequently, keep touching his ear, make moaning sound, become dull and sleepy.

A little baby I was observing suddenly went from being cheerful to grumpy.  I also observed that he was trying to put his fingers in his ear and shake it thoroughly.  He also tried to book at me by laying his head on the table.  At first, I thought that it cute, he is trying to look at me from various angles, when I realized that he was in some kind of pain.  The listlessness, the shaking of the ear, turning his head in different angles was a way of communicating that all was not well in his world.  

The moment I realized that the baby was having an ear pain I asked the mother to put in a few drops of sesame oil in which two pods of garlic had been sauteed.  Two pods of garlic can be used for about three to four tablespoons of sesame oil. The oil should be filtered and made free of the garlic debris.  Two drops of the lukewarm oil should be instilled in the ear.  The mother was reluctant at first to put oil in the ear having been completely brain washed by the allopathic doctors, that putting oil in the ear can damage the ear.  In United States, such ear pains are ignored and no action taken till the infection becomes serious enough to put a tube in the ear surgically.  The mother was persuaded to instill the eardrops and the baby was back to normal within 6-8 hours.  I had to keep telling the mother that she should put in the oil another couple of days to ensure that the condition righted itself and the baby was free of all ear pain.

In Ayurveda, ear pain is generally caused by vitiation of vayu. Taking the baby in a stroller in an area with strong cold winds without covering the ears, giving him cold drinks, fruits could all be reasons for the pain.

So parents and caregivers should watch toddlers and neonates carefully to see what they are trying to tell us. When a baby has a problem with his throat he may salivate excessively, have fever, loss of appetite and moan softly.  Watching the baby carefully and starting treatment at home will avoid unnecessary visits to the pediatrician who if allopathic will often end up prescribing antibiotics.  Rajanayadi  Churanam and Arvind Asavam remain the mainstay of pediatric health.  These may be kept in the home after consultation with an ayurvedic vaidyar regarding your ward's prakriti.
    
The mother was very happy to see that her son who was dull and restless quickly regain his usual cheerfulness after the ear pain issue had been addressed.

Along with the concept of Kriya Kala (the details regarding progression of disease) and Vedhanadyayam, it is possible to catch a disease at its initial stage. And as I keep repeating, do ask the elders in yours house for their favorite heath tips.  Your family's health traditions may well be lost if we don’t consciously rescue them for posterity.

--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/