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Tuesday 27 December 2011

Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment for Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite which is acquired from contact with cats and their feaces, or with raw or undercooked meat.  Toxoplasmosis is part of the TORCH infections which can affect pregnant women and cause recurrent abortions or congenital defects in children.  This condition can cause multiple symptoms which include fever, bodyache, running nose, swollen lymph nodes, muscular aches, and long-term damage to the eyes, brain and other organs.  While this infection does not usually cause pronounced symptoms in normal people, it can lead to havoc in immunocompromised people.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment for Toxoplasmosis is aimed at treating infection, reducing inflammation, improving the immune system, and preventing long-term damage to the body.  Herbal medicines are used in the management of this condition, which have a specific anti-inflammatory and ant-infective action.  Medicines which act on the respiratory tract, the lymphatic system, and muscles are also used in the management of this condition.  Ayurvedic herbal medicines which possess properties of removing toxins from the body are also used in the management of this condition, so as to prevent long-term complications. These medicines remove toxins through the gastrointestinal tract or the kidneys. 

Toxoplasmosis can be best handled by significantly improving the immune status of the affected individual.  An improved immune function reduces inflammation, resolves injury, and provides long-term protection so that damage to the body, or in case of a woman, damage to the offspring can be prevented.
Individuals affected with Toxoplasmosis require Ayurvedic herbal treatment for about six to twelve months in order to recover completely from the condition and avoid long-term or hereditary complications.

Pregnant women with diagnosed TORCH infections can also be treated with Ayurvedic herbal medicines so as to minimise or avoid altogether the damage to the offspring.  Women with recurrent abortions or miscarriages due to TORCH infections can also be provided preventive treatment of two or three months before going in for conception.  In such cases, it is advisable to simultaneously treat the husband too, so as to minimise chances of infection and damage to the offspring.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment thus has as a significant contribution to play in the management and treatment of Toxoplasmosis.

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