Successful Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is usually of three types: sensorineural, which results from a dysfunction of the auditory nerve leading up to the hearing centre in the brain; conductive, which results from a dysfunction of the middle ear; and a mixed type, which includes both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.  This medical condition may be related to various causes such as infections, trauma, medications, misuse or occupational overexposure to loud sounds. The modern system of medicine cannot provide any effective medication for such types of hearing loss, and the only options are surgical correction and the provision of hearing aids.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) can usually be treated completely with the help of Ayurvedic herbal medicines.  Treatment is usually given for about six months, depending upon the severity and presentation of each individual case.  Associated symptoms like diabetes, blood pressure, buzzing sound in the ear, and discharge from the ear can complicate the symptoms and may require additional medications.  Individuals affected with this condition, and who do not have discharge from the ear are also advised to use local ear drops.  Most patients report improvement in hearing with the first two months of treatment, and report an overall improvement in hearing of nearly 80 to 90% on completion of treatment.

Conductive hearing loss is usually related to an ossification of the tiny bones which connect the eardrum to the auditory nerve and thereby conduct sound impulses from outside to the inner ear.  The response to Ayurvedic treatment for conductive hearing loss is mixed; about 50% of patients improve very well with the first two months of treatment, while the remaining 50% report no change in this condition.  Based on past experience, further wastage of financial resources and time is prevented in the second group of patients by advising them to go in for surgical correction of the condition.  Those patients who respond well in the first two months are continued with the treatment, and most of them are able to carry on with their normal lives after taking a full course of six months of treatment.

Individuals with mixed hearing loss are treated on a case-to-case basis, depending upon the individual presentation and severity of symptoms.  However, most of these patients do require treatment since there is a sensorineural component to the hearing loss, and the majority of patients report an improvement in hearing of about 40 to 70%.  Ayurvedic treatment thus has a definite role in the management of all the different types of hearing loss.

The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant  at https://www.mundewadiayurvedicclinic.com and http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com

Successful Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment of Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of Hip

Avascular necrosis is a disease in which the blood supply to the head of the hip joint reduces drastically, leading to a disorganization and ultimate collapse of the head of the hip joint.  While this medical condition usually relates to the hip joint, it is also less commonly seen in other joints such as the shoulder joint. This disease usually occurs due to unknown causes, but it may also be related to trauma and the use of medication such as steroids.

Ayurvedic treatment has been very successful in the management of this disease, by reversing the main pathology of the disease, by improving and normalising the blood circulation to the head of the hip joint.  In addition, Ayurvedic medicines are also very successful in treating the symptoms of this disease such as pain, stiffness, and impaired mobility.  Treatment is usually in the form of oral medication and is supplemented by local applications and fomentation.  Intensive therapy is usually given for about six months, after which the affected individual can take supplemental therapy for another twelve months.  Pain and stiffness disappear in about four to six months, usually due to reversal of the pathology of the disease.  However, the process of remodelling of bone structure of the head of the hip joint takes a much longer time and may continue for twelve to eighteen months.  This is why maintenance therapy is necessary and recommended.

Currently, there is no treatment for this condition in the modern system of medicine, other than providing medication for pain relief and advising graded exercises for reducing stiffness and impaired mobility.  Gross changes in the structure of the head of the hip joint are surgically corrected, or a complete replacement is advised.  In this scenario, it is heartening to note that Ayurvedic medicines can successfully treat this disease completely and reverse the entire pathology of the disease.

The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at https://www.mundewadiayurvedicclinic.com and http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com     

Heavy Metals in Ayurvedic Medicines: A Real Cause for Concern?

An article published in 2004 by Saper and other researchers stated that about 20% of Ayurvedic medicines which were tested by them showed abnormally high content of heavy metals, which include mainly mercury, arsenic, lead and chromium.  Subsequently, several articles have been published concerning information related to heavy metals present in water, air, and products obtained from the soil.  Large number of industrial products, commercial packaging, nutritional supplements, food supplements, cosmetics and some Ayurvedic and modern medicines are stated to contain heavy metals.

It cannot be disputed that if a large amount of heavy metals are ingested in a very short span of time, heavy metal toxicity is highly likely to occur and harm the individual considerably.  As far as Allopathic (modern) medicines are concerned, all these medicines are usually single (chemical) molecules and therefore it is very easy to maintain quality control of such medicines.  The issue with Ayurvedic medicines is much more complicated, since even a single herb contains a large number of molecules, possibly in hundreds.  This scenario makes it very difficult to choose some common, standard parameters for quality control.  However, this very situation is also responsible for bringing about the well-known safety of herbal medicines, since some molecules from the medicine bring about the therapeutic effects; other molecules contribute a synergistic effect, while the remaining molecules in the medicine prevent serious adverse effects.

Herbo-mineral medicines are known to contain mercury, sulphur and metals in oxidized, ash form.  However, the medicines are the end-result of an elaborate system of purification and processing which renders these medicines harmless and biologically acceptable to the body.  In addition, even single herbs, as mentioned above, possess multiple molecules which bring about a positive therapeutic effect and prevent side-effects.  And this is precisely the reason why patients who take Ayurvedic medicines under the supervision of a qualified Ayurvedic physician do not exhibit any serious side-effects even after prolonged use of the medicines for several years.  This has been proved and documented with respect to the functioning of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys of patients on long-term Ayurvedic therapy.  Serious side-effects are usually observed when patients resort to self-medication, use spurious drugs without medical advice and supervision, or take treatment from quacks. It can therefore be concluded that while heavy metals may be harmful to the human body, the proper use of Ayurvedic medicines has not demonstrated any toxic effects of heavy metals.

The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com