ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemo-radiation (CCRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often suffer from side effects such as mucositis, xerostomia, pharyngitis, laryngitis, and pain, which are being managed symptomatically by alcohol-based mouthwashes. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of Ayurvedic mouthwash "Draksha Guduchyadi Kashaya" in reducing the severity of oral side effects of chemo-radiation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This concurrent parallel randomized controlled study was conducted at Sir Sunderlal Hospital, BHU, on 70 HNSCC patients scheduled to undergo RT/CCRT. Patients who met the inclusion-exclusion criteria were enrolled, and 35 were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (Ayurveda) or the control group using a simple random technique (lottery method). Blinding was not implemented in this study. Patients in the intervention group (Ayurveda) were instructed to perform kavala with 50 ml of "Draksha Guduchyadi Kashaya" for 2 min, ten times daily, while the control group performed 2-min gargling with soda-salt mouthwash ten times daily. RESULTS: Out of the 70 patients enrolled, data from 60 patients were analyzed, revealing statistically significant differences in the onset of mucositis (p = 0.049), pharyngitis (p = 0.034), laryngitis (p = 0.009) and intensity of variables such as mucositis (p = 0.000), xerostomia (p = 0.046), pharyngitis (p = 0.002), laryngitis (p = 0.035), and pain (p = 0.000). These findings indicate that Ayurvedic mouthwash may be beneficial in managing the oral side effects of chemo-radiation in HNSCC. CONCLUSION: This AYUSH financially supported trial (Reg No: CTRI/2020/04/024672) demonstrates promise as a safe and cost-effective alternative for managing oral complications of RT/CCRT, offering complementary treatment for comprehensive cancer care.
ABSTRACT
Patients undergoing Radiotherapy (RT) for Head and Neck carcinoma often suffer from side effects such as mucositis, xerostomia, pharyngitis, laryngitis and pain which are being managed symptomatically by mouthwashes of soda-salt, chlorhexidine or betadine. Among the side effects, oral mucositis is the most debilitating one. This comparative case study comprises of 4 patients undergoing RT. Here, 2 patients each are randomly allocated into two groups. One group received the existing prophylactic management i.e., Sodium bicarbonate-salt solution mouth wash and the other group received, Draksha-guduchyadi yoga for kavala (gargling). Both the sets of patients were asked to perform gargling, from the first day of radiation to 15 days thereafter. The effectiveness of both mouthwashes was compared for their healing potential on oral mucositis by RTOG grading. The reduction in mucositis was significant in the group which received Ayurvedic mouthwash compared to the other group. This study positively highlights the contribution of Ayurveda in cancer treatment especially in the field of quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Most of the people experience digestive problems like constipation, diarrhoea, acid eructations, loss of appetite etc. at some stage of life. These are the acute conditions that appear due to Agnimandya (reduced power of digestion, assimilation and metabolism). Conditions that may cause Agnimandya includes changes in diet and lifestyle and chronic diseased conditions. When the Agnimandya or the conditions that may cause Agnimandya persist for longer duration it turns into a life threatening disease. When Doshas (body humours) get aggravated, they affect the Agni (Power of digestion, assimilation and metabolism) and thus the food taken is not digested properly forming the Ama (morbid material). Ama when formed is accumulated in the body over the period of time, forming roots of many diseases. In the present case study the patient has Agnimandya, because of the chronic metabolic conditions. The Agnimandya and consequent nutritional deficiencies are addressed, while preparing the treatment protocol. The central focus of Ayurvedic treatment is the management of Agni and the Ama. The diet was advised on the line of Samsarjana Krama (Sequential administration of liquid diet to normal diet to kindle the Agni or digestive power) and the effect of treatment was analysed after 1 month. The symptoms of the diseases were reduced along with the improvement in the Agni and the nutritional status.
ABSTRACT
Excellent memory, extraordinary intelligence, great academic achievement, and successful career are the dreams of every individual in this era of competition and professionalism. A good memory power acts as a catalyst in all walks of life, be it academic success or maintenance of personal relationships. It is observed that an average man uses only 10% of his natural memory. Remaining 90% is left unused in a haphazard manner. As per the American psychologist Carl Emil Seashore, if one is alert and makes systematic attempts to awaken and use the natural memory properly, his/her natural memory would be activated creatively and would offer benefits of higher order. A comparative study was conducted comprising 90 subjects to know the efficacy of Medhya Rasayana and Yogic practices in short-term memory of school-going children. The study was conducted over a period of 3 months. It was an open, prospective, and randomized clinical study. The subjects of group A formed the control group and they were observed silently for 3 months without any intervention. The subjects in group B were administered with Choorna (powder) of four Medhya Rasayanas, Mandukaparni (Centella asiatica Linn.), Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn.), Guduchi [Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. f. and Thoms.], and Sankhapushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy), at a dose of 2 g twice daily with milk. Subjects belonging to group C were advocated regular Yogic practices of Asanas, Pranayama, and Dhyana. Further study revealed that among the three groups, group B treated with Medhya Rasayana showed highly significant and most effective changes with respect to objective parameters in the tests, i.e. (1) short-term memory test pictures and (2) serial recall effects test using memory scope. Among the three groups, group C treated with Yogic practices showed highly significant and most effective changes with respect to subjective and objective parameters in mini mental status scale i.e. test 3. The treatment is cost effective and devoid of side effects, which can be beneficial for the community. Mean increase after first follow-up in group B was higher as compared to group C. This shows that Medhya Rasayanas are quick in action and bring about improvement in memory faster when compared with Yogic practices. So, on the whole, group B can be considered to be the most efficient among the three groups.
