Myasthenia gravis is a medical condition characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of voluntary muscles in which the eye muscles, and muscles of the face and throat as well as the muscles of the arms and legs are more frequently affected. This condition results from an immune dysfunction which reduces the affectivity of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which transmits impulses from the nerve endings to the muscles at the neuromuscular junctions. Myasthenia gravis is more commonly seen in women younger than 40 and in men older than 60. The modern management of myasthenia gravis includes the use of acetylcholine blockers which make this neurotransmitter available for longer time to the muscles.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment for myasthenia gravis is aimed at treating the root cause of the condition, strengthening the nervous system as well as the muscular system, and giving specific treatment to stimulate neuromuscular junctions. Ayurvedic herbal medicines as well as herbo mineral combinations which act on the central nervous system and strengthen each nerve cell are used in high doses so that the dysfunction of the nervous system and neurotransmitters is treated and cured. Medicines which act specifically on muscle tissue as well as on nerves are also used so as to correct the dysfunction of neuromuscular junctions.
In addition, immune dysfunction which is invariably present in people affected with myasthenia gravis is treated with the help of Ayurvedic herbal immunomodulatory agents, which boost the immune status of the affected individual and treat the immune dysfunction. This helps in an early recovery in the symptoms of myasthenia gravis, as well as prevents a relapse of the condition. Most people affected with myasthenia gravis need Ayurvedic herbal treatment for a period of about four to six months, so as to get significant relief from the condition, and avoid a relapse after discontinuation of therapy.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment can thus be judiciously utilised in the management and treatment of myasthenia gravis.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com
