Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection which can affect individuals living in temperate climates. The risk factors for this condition include living in endemic areas with contaminated soil, exposure to a large amount of fungus, immunocompromised status, and concurrent respiratory diseases. The common symptoms of this condition include fever, headache, chills, joint pain, skin lesions, cough, hemoptysis, breathlessness, chest pain, mouth ulcers, diarrhea, and eye inflammation. While most individuals affected by this condition do not require treatment because of the self-limiting nature of the infection, however, acute infection may prove to be life-threatening in individuals with an immunocompromised status. This infection in either acute, chronic, or progressive and disseminated. The chronic infection may relapse and run a protracted course of several months to several years.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment for Histoplasmosis is aimed at treating the fungus infection, improve the immune status of the affected individual, and prevent long term complications. Herbal medicines which have a specific anti-infective and antifungal action are used in high doses, depending upon the severity of infection. In addition, Ayurvedic immunomodulatory herbs are also used in high doses in order to rapidly improve the immune status of the affected individual, reduce treatment time, and prevent a recurrence of the condition. Ayurvedic treatment is effective and required more in the chronic infection or individuals with recurrent or relapsing infection.
Symptomatic treatment may also be required in order to treat respiratory infection and involvement of the joints, skin, mouth and eyes. Specific treatment is given according to the presentation of symptoms of affected individuals. Since this disease is commonly seen in individuals with concurrent respiratory infections, specific attention is given to treat the respiratory infections and also to give specific immunomodulation for the respiratory tract.
Depending upon the severity of the condition, most individuals affected with chronic and severe Histoplasmosis infection require treatment for periods ranging from four to six months in order to achieve a complete cure of the condition. The duration of treatment for immunomodulation varies from patient to patient and upon the severity of infection. Ayurvedic herbal treatment thus has a significant contribution to play in the management and treatment of Histoplasmosis.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com
