Etiopathological study on cerebral palsy and its management by Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda and Samvardhana Ghrita

According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimation, 10% of the global population has some form of disability due to different causes; in India, it is 3.8% of the population. Nearly 15-20% of the total physically handicapped children suffer from Cerebral Palsy (CP). For India, the estimated incidence is around 3/1000 live births; however, being a developing country, the expected actual figure may be much higher. Despite the advancement in modern technology and improved neonatal care, stagnant or increasing incidence of CP has been observed, which is of great concern. As far as management or preventive aspect is concerned, no satisfactory criteria have been developed to date. The present study is based on a positive hypothesis for the efficacy of Ayurvedic treatment. The study was carried out in 16 patients, 8 in each group, namely group A (Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda externally and Samvardhana Ghrita internally) and group B (Samvardhana Ghrita internally) for 35 days duration. In group A, moderate improvement, mild improvement, and no improvement were observed in 50%, 37.5% and 12.5% of patients respectively. In group B, moderate improvement and mild improvement were observed in 75% and 25% of the patients respectively. Statistical significance of results on selected criteria showed the efficacy of the selected Ayurvedic treatment modality in relieving the signs and symptoms of CP. Although it is incurable, Ayurvedic science can provide a better direction by improving the quality of life of children with CP with better life expectancy.