Sunday 26 October 2014

Jeevani - Fever in Ayurveda



(From 'Jeevani - Ayurveda for Women' by Dr. P.L.T. Girija )

First-Aid for Fever
When a child is suffering from fever, the first step is to stop
feeding heavy foods. A child with fever should be immediately
put on to easy-to-digest gruels (kanji). If the fever is caused by
aggravation of Kapha (phlegm), rice (prepared from par-boiled grain) can be given instead of Kanji and hot water should be used for drinking. 


Where there is very high fever and there is no cold,
cough or congestion, a cloth soaked in cold milk can be applied to
the forehead. In case of headache, a warm paste of Rasnadi Choornam, a medicinal powder, can be applied on the forehead. In all fevers, fomentation with water boiled with medicinal herbs is useful. Rasnadi Choornam can also be used for fomentation. At the end of fever, when normalcy returns, the child is fed easy-to-digest
foods.


There are some medicines which can be used as home remedies
by everyone. In cold, cough and fever, Thaleesadi Choornam is an
effective medicine. This medicine improves digestion, checks nausea and vomiting, controls cough, fever and respiratory problems. In all types of fevers, Sudarsana Choornam / tablet is effective. In fevers, Dhanvantara Gutika is a very popular medicine and it is an effective and safe medication. Except major fevers, most cases of fever can be treated with just these medicines and a proper diet.


Ayurvedic vaidyas administer a variety of drugs for fevers,
based on the aggravated doshas. This line of treatment cures the
fever without giving rise to any side-effects. Especially, fevers caused by Vata like Chikunguniya and Dengue have effective cures in Ayurveda and it is wise not to resort to treatment with antibiotics, pain-killers and steroids.


Trying to suppress a fever as soon as it occurs, by repeatedly
swallowing paracetamol, is not the right way to go about treating
fevers. By swallowing ‘anti-pyretic’ drugs one may suppress the fever, but suppressing a fever can lead to weakness, tiredness, anaemia, loss of appetite, itching in the body and skin disorders. When a fever is suppressed, at times the fever does not entirely leave the body. There is always a mild fever present which persists for a long time. A typical case was that of a woman who was treated for a week with antibiotics for fever and yet continued to suffer from a low grade fever. She had a temperature of 99–100o F, which persisted. Two more courses of antibiotics did not relieve her of her suffering. This condition is known as jeernajvara. For such persistent low grade fevers, milk is the ideal medicine. Milk boiled with medicinal herbs and medicated ghee work wonders in prolonged fevers.

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