Horner syndrome is a condition in which the sympathetic nerve supply to the eye is disturbed, causing drooping of the upper eyelid, elevation of the lower eyelid, slow pupillary dilatation, and impaired sweating of the eye. The cause for this condition varies according to the nature and location of different diseases which may cause pressure on the sympathetic nerve supplying the eye and may be located in the brain, the face, the carotid nerve or the chest. Depending upon the specific disease, symptoms can therefore include hemiplegia, cough, hemoptysis, swelling in the neck, and trigeminal nerve pain. Horner syndrome may therefore be a sign of a relatively benign cause; however, it may also be associated with a serious or life-threatening underlying cause.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment for Horner syndrome is aimed at giving symptomatic treatment for the signs and symptoms of the disease, as well as treating the known cause of the condition. Symptomatic treatment may involve treating pressure symptoms and inflammation in the sympathetic nerve supply to the eye. Therefore, herbal medicines which have an anti-inflammatory as well as strengthening action on the nervous system are useful in the management of this condition. Other treatments will vary and depend upon the root cause of the condition. Ayurvedic herbal treatment may therefore be required to treat inflammation and tumor of the brain, different causes of hemiplegia, respiratory infections and tumour in the chest, and possible swelling or a tumor in the neck.
The prognosis of Horner syndrome depends upon the root cause of the condition and may therefore vary from mild to very serious. Duration of treatment for this condition also varies according to the cause and may be required for periods ranging from 4 to 12 months. Morbidity and mortality in this condition is usually associated with the root cause; however, aggressive Ayurvedic herbal treatment can significantly improve symptoms, improve the chances for a cure, as well as improve the survival rate in case of serious disease.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com
