A Review on Agnikarma- A Boon for Pain Management and its Probable Mode of Action

Pain has always been a distressing feeling or the unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. A pain free life is longing of everyone and this is the biggest challenge for the medical science practitioners nowadays as how to provide efficient pain management. In modern medicine we have variety of pain-relieving medications that works brilliantly for short period of time and when used for longer duration they come up with various side effects. So there is a need to find a way to relieve pain without much suffering to the patient and Agnikarma is one of the sound ways to do so. It is therapeutic burning with special tools on specific sites according to the disease. It is a parasurgical procedure that is utilized as curative procedure, or as postoperative procedure or in hemostatic manner. Agnikarma is derived from Ayurveda, a renowned Indian system of medicine, which is procedure used generally for the management of pain and also for curing various disorders. In Ayurveda Vata Dosha is responsible mainly for various types of Ruja or pain in the body and Agnikarma is one of the best method to pacifying Vata and Kapha Dosha and hence relieves pain. Acharya Sushruta, a renowned Vedic Indian surgeon has very well explained the eminence of Agnikarma by saying that the recurrence of disease will not be there if once they are treated with Agnikarma. He in his text mentioned various Dravyas according to the diseases through which Agnikarma can be performed. Also several Dahanaupkarana are mentioned in the classics that provide practitioner abundant methods to perform Agnikarma without much limitations

Conceptual And Applied Aspect Of Agnikarma In The Purview Of Cauterization

In Ayurveda, Shalyatantra is one of the eminent branches based on six major methods of management among which Agnikarma is boon for local Vata and Kaphaja Vyadhi. Its effect can be assessed as Sthanik Karma (local action), Saarvadaihik Karma (Action throughout the body) and Vishista Karma (Special actions). Based on amount of Agni needed, the condition and site of disease, Dahanupakarana are used to produce therapeutic burns during Agnikarma Chikitsa. It can be classified according to Dravya used, site, disease, Akritiand Dhatu to be cauterized. Based on the Dagdha (Burn), it is again of four type viz. scorched burn, blistered burn, superficial burn and deep burn. Its indication is in all seasons except in summer and autumn. Indications and contraindications are well expounded in classics with detail information on Purva Karma, Pradhana Karma and Paschat Karma during Agnikarma as it is superior to every other procedure used in Ayurveda Surgery. In modern medicine, there is no use of therapeutical burn i.e., Samyak Dagdha Chikitsa but its use is in other form eg., Cauterization is used for coagulation and tissue destruction. Agnikarma is considered as the best therapy to pacify Kaphanubandha Vata Dosha because Agni possesses Ushna, Tikshna, Sukshma, Aashukari Gunas, which have anti Vataja and anti Kaphaja properties. It is done by red hot Shalaka. It gives quick relief to the patient and hence is termed as best therapy.

A Review Of Burn Injury And Its Management In Ayurvedic System Of Medicine: A Comparative Study For Local Wound Care

Burn injury has been associated with the evolution of human civilization since time immemorial. Burn injuries has always been faced by human in different era with change of mode injury from past to present. Unlike other diseases the basics of burn injury remains more or less same. The basic concepts and principles of management of burn injury is described in Ayurveda are very much relevant and useful in this era of modern surgery. Sushrut Samhita, the treasure of surgical knowledge of ancient Indian civilization, is a rich source of information regarding burn injury, assessment and management. Most of the other scholars of Ayurveda follow the basic concept of Sushrut Samhita. All the Brihatrayee (three greater treatises) and Laghu trayee (three lesser treatises) and other relevant textbooks of Ayurveda studied to search the different data regarding Dagdha vrana (burn injury), etiological description, gradation, different principles of treatment and available dressing material. The collected data evaluated scientifically to make it usable in the modern era of surgery. The result shows that although there is change in mode of burn injury found in modern era, the basic principles of etiology, classification, management and use of dressing material are almost the same as standard burn wound management of contemporary medical science. So the benefits of Ayurveda can be inducted in modern era of burn care.