Ayurvedic Management For Agnosia

Agnosia is a Greek word which means 'absence of knowledge'. This term was coined by 'Sigmund Freud' in 1891. Agnosia is a neurological disorder which is characterized by the loss of ability to recognize things. Here, the person affected by it is unable to perceive the objects, persons, places, shapes, sounds and smells.

The interesting fact is that all the senses are intact and there is no defect at all but due to some defect in the brain like- damage of occipitotemporal border which may occur because of head injury, a person may lose these sensory abilities. But agnosia will affect only a single modality at a time, it's either auditory, speech or vision. In this condition, a person who is affected by agnosia can interact with the world normally. There are different types of agnosia.

As per Ayurveda, this is a Tridoshaj Vyadhi with the predominance of vata dosha which affects all the dhatus especially the majja dhatu of the brain.

WHAT CAUSES AGNOSIA?

The exact cause of the disease is still unknown. But there are some probable causes that contribute agnosia are –

• Any trauma to the parts of the brain that stores information and knowledge
• Other diseases like – dementia, stroke, encephalitis, tumor and other neurological disorders
• Genetic predisposition
• Any history of developmental disorders

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF AGNOSIA?

Agnosia is broadly classified into three types, they are –

1. Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is defined as an inability to recognize visual objects. It is further classified into the two main categories. They are – Apperceptive visual agnosia and associative visual agnosia.

Apperceptive visual agnosia is the one in which a person is not able to see the objects. This happens due to damage to the posterior part of the right hemisphere (in the brain).

On the contrary, in associative visual agnosia, the person is able to perceive the thing but unable to name that thing or object. Usually, defects are observed in the left and right hemispheres at the occipitotemporal border.

Moreover, the apperceptive type is a failure to perceive and associative is the one where perception occurs but person is a failure to recognize the things.

There is one more type by the name – Prosopagnosia (face blindness) where the person could not recognize faces. So, individuals who have prosopagnosia find difficulty in recognizing friends, family members, relatives, etc.

2. Auditory Agnosia

In this type of agnosia, a person feels difficulty to distinguish between voice and speech even from the other environmental sounds. Further it is of 2 types – Semantic (damage to the left hemisphere) and discriminative (lesion in the right hemisphere).

3. Tactile Agnosia

In this agnosia, the person fails to recognize things on touch. Here, an individual can feel the weight of the object but can't recognize its use. This occurs due to lesions in the parietal lobe of the brain.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AGNOSIA?

• Inability to recognize people.
• Unable to recognize objects, shapes and colors.
• Unable to identify the sound.

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis can be made through a variety of psychological tests, CT scan (Computed tomography) and MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

TREATMENT

There is no exact management strategy to deal with Agnosia but some organizations are really working hard in finding solutions of these rare diseases to evaluate the exact cause and provide a fruitful treatment to sufferers.

Ayurveda provides help in these rare diseases with the help it's both effective ways like palliative care and Panchakarma. Here, with the help of Panchakarma we can detoxify the whole body and rejuvenate the damaged areas. The therapies that are quite effective are – Basti (It will support the gut system in turns initiates the neurons), Shiro basti and Shirodhara (both the therapies locally support the head region), Nasya, Karna purna, Akshitarpana (these are an effective and supportive therapies that are advised, as per involved lesions).

Planet Ayurveda offers really effective treatment in these rare neurological disorders with the help of natural herbs which are pure and free from side effects.

1. Amalaki Rasayan

Amalaki (Emblica officinalis) is the best Rasayana that rejuvenates the whole body including our degenerated neurons. Amalaki is a rich source of antioxidants hence responsible for repairing the oxidative changes in the body.

Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with plain water or milk, after meals.

2. Brahmi Capsules

These capsules are composed of pure extract of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) which is a medhya rasayana and enhances mental strength. It stimulates the production of neurotransmitters in our brain which creates balance in the sensory and motor functions.

Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with plain water or milk, after meals.

3. Ashwagandha Capsules

Ashwagandha is a generalized tonic that helps to improve body's as well as mental functions. It balances all the doshas, sharirik as well as mansik doshas. It helps to stabilize all the dhatus in our body.

Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with plain water or milk, after meals.

4. Brahmi Ghrita

Brahmi ghrita contains brahmi, cow's ghee, etc. They improve functions of the brain cells hence, enhance memory, intellectual power, learning skills, retaining capacity and also improve recognition. It helps to pacify vitiated Tridoshas in the brain.

Dosage: ½ teaspoon twice daily by mixing in a glass of milk, after meals.

5. Anu Taila

Anu taila is composed of tila taila, musta, aja dugdha, shatavari, shalparni, bala, renuka, daru haridra, yashtimadhu, etc. They help to improve higher mental functions, memory, intellectual power and visual impairments.

Dosage: Instill 2 drops of anu taila in both the nostrils, advised in the early morning.

Contact my assistant to provide you the costing / ordering and delivery information at - costing.planetayurveda@gmail.com, Call at +91-172-5214030, Whatsapp at (+91) 9915-593-604

YOGA AND MEDITATION

In the case of reduced sensory functions, we need to take the help of Yoga and Meditation. These mental exercises aid healthy healing in all neurological and psychological disorders.