Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment for Acute intermittent Porphyria (AIP)

Acute intermittent Porphyria (AIP) is an acute manifestation of a metabolic medical disorder which is part of a group of inherited disorders.  AIP results from accumulation of porphyrins in the body due to deficiency of certain enzymes which are responsible for conversion of porphyrins into heme.  Heme is usually present in all the body tissues, but is mostly found in red blood cells, bone marrow and the liver.  The acute presentation causes symptoms like severe pain in abdomen, constipation, vomiting, muscular pain, convulsions, tingling and weakness, confusion, hallucinations, high blood pressure, and tachycardia.  The skin can also be affected, causing symptoms like itching and rash.

The modern management of AIP consists of hospital admission, intravenous glucose, and hematin tablets, if available.  There is no medication in the modern system of medicine to prevent or cure this problem.  Simple Ayurvedic medicines can be used to control as well as reduce symptoms like abdominal pain and vomiting, and thereby prevent or reduce the need for hospital admission.  Regular use of Ayurvedic medicines based on the Ayurvedic interpretation of the disease can gradually control all symptoms and help the disease go into a complete remission.

After an initial phase of treatment for about six months, most patients affected with AIP can manage very well on their own without the need for multiple medications.  AIP can be precipitated by medications, fasting, smoking, infections, surgery, stress, menstrual hormones, excessive use of alcohol, and exposure to the sun.  It is therefore very important to avoid all aggravating factors and adopt suitable lifestyle modifications.

It is heartening to note that AIP can be very systematically treated and controlled with the help of Ayurvedic medicines, using Ayurvedic principles of treatment.

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 Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP)

Porphyria is a complex group of inherited disorders resulting from faulty and incomplete conversion of porphyrins into heme.  Though heme is present in almost all body tissues, it is most commonly found in the red blood cells.  An acute presentation of this condition is known as acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), since the attacks are intermittent and recurrent, and cause acute symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, muscular pain, high blood pressure, red urine, itching and skin rash, and symptoms related to the nervous system.

This acute presentation is usually treated with intravenous glucose and the use of the medication, Hematin, where available.  Most such patients are sensitive to many medications which have to be strictly avoided, once the diagnosis has been made.  AIP can be precipitated by medications, fasting, smoking, infections, surgery, stress, and excessive use of alcohol or exposure to sun.  Other than conservative treatment of the acute stage, which is usually done in the intensive care section of hospitals, there is no known preventive or curative treatment for this condition in the modern system of medicine.  However, using Ayurvedic pathophysiology, this condition can be treated very effectively with simple medicines and simple procedures of Panchkarma.

AIP is usually treated with herbal medicines which have a digestive and antispasmodic action as well as medicines which have a lubricating and laxative action.  Other than these, medicines which treat an overactive nervous system, as well as an overactive metabolism, are useful in the management of this condition.  Thus, medicines which are useful in the treatment of Vata and Pitta doshas are utilized in the management of AIP, as well as in the long-term management of porphyria.  Simple Panchkarma procedures such as full body massage and fomentation (mild snehan and swedan), and simple matra basti (medicated enemas in low doses) are highly effective in treating acute stage of AIP as well as preventing further attacks.

Most such patients go into full remission within a few months of treatment and can then be managed with low doses of medicines, a strict diet in which aggravation of vata and pitta have to be avoided, as well as suitable lifestyle modifications in order to avoid precipitating an acute attack.  AIP as well as porphyria can thus be effectively managed and treated successfully using the Ayurvedic system of medicine.

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

Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment for Porphyria

Porphyria is a group of inherited disorders which result from incomplete conversion of porphyrins into heme, which is present in all body tissues, but is most commonly found in the red blood cells.  The build up of porphyrins in the body causes symptoms like abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, muscular pain, convulsions, tingling and weakness, confusion, hallucinations, high blood pressure, and red urine -- all symptoms arising from a dysfunction of the nervous system.  When porphyria affects the skin, it causes symptoms like itching, redness, swelling, blisters, and red urine.  Porphyria can be precipitated by medications, fasting, smoking, infections, surgery, stress, menstrual hormones, excessive use of alcohol, and exposure to sun.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment for porphyria is aimed at reversing the incomplete conversion of porphyrins into heme.  Ayurvedic herbal medicines which act on the blood tissue at the microcellular level are given in high doses in order to normalize the metabolism of porphyrins into heme.  In addition, medicines which act on the bone marrow are also given so as to have a combined effect with the above mentioned medicines to correct porphyria.  Medicines are also given to flush the porphyrins from the circulation either through the gastrointestinal tract or through the kidneys and the urinary tract.  This results in a reduction of porphyrins from the circulation and from the nervous system, which in turn brings about a gradual improvement in symptoms like pain, tingling and numbness, convulsions, skin symptoms, and red urine.

Ayurvedic herbal medicines are also given to strengthen the nervous system as well as the subcutaneous tissue and skin, so as to help in the improvement of the affected individual and bring about an earlier relief from all the symptoms of this disease.  Immunomodulatory herbal treatment also helps in reducing the overall treatment time  In addition, medicines which normalize and regulate the cellular metabolism of all the tissues is also added to the treatment, so that patients do not have a relapse of the condition after discontinuing the medicines.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment can thus be judiciously utilised in the management and treatment of porphyria.

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