Mano Roga or Ayurveda Psychiatry

OCTOBER 10 -   WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

By Ayur. Psychiatrist
  Dr.Saman S.Hettige

      Mental illnesses are increasing day by day. According to the WHO there are 450 million phychiatric patients around the world.
      Mano Roga is classified into twenty two psy-chopathologies. It emphasizes how important the biological predisposition is to amalgamate with the environmental factors to develop psychiatric disease in human beings. This system is still being practiced in its original form at Manasa Hospital Boralesgamuwa (Sri Lanka) , Neelammahara by generations of traditional psychiatrists , which is endemic to them.
      Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian sub continent and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative therapy.
      Ayurveda remains an influential system of medicine in South Asia. The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic Period in India.Over the following centuries , Ayurvedic practitioners developed a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for the treatment of various ailments and diseases and the first plastic surgery was done by Ayurvedic surgeon Susrutha 3500 ago and the blood circulation was exactly described in earliest ayurveda literature exactly as William Harvey described in 17th century.
      According to Ayurveda , "Nidrava" or sleep factor plays a vital role in one's mental health. One needs to have a sound sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours a day for the well-being of one's mental heath. It is stressed that breaking rest at night and sleeping during the day time are factors detrimental to the well-being of one's mental heath.
      The food we consume has an impact on our Mano dhosa and Kaika dhosa (Mental and physical heath). If consuming harmful food influences the mano Dhosa , it can effect the kaika dhosa and Manasika dhosa as well as in the end cause the malfunction of the brain.


Treatment
      This also indicates that physical conditions also effect the psycological state of and individual and vice versa. In Sankaya dharshanaya this bond is known as "Samavai Sambandathavaya" if broken there will be losses in the bond between the body and mind. Environment plays a vital role in one's mental health. If the individual id frequently exposed to stress induced environment or if a person is addicted to substance such as alcohol , heroin or even betel leaves they are vulnerable to mental illness. hereditary factor is also mentioned in the classical text as Nija Roga.
      In ayurveda the treatments are mainly divided into three. Ukththi Viyapashra (Rational therapy) , Daivap Viyapashra (Spiritual therapy) and Sathvawviyapashra (Phycological theraphy).
      Treatments are conducted according to the severity of the individual's condition.
      If the patients are aggressive , hostile and if the treatment cannot be conducted at home , we admit them to hospital for indoor treatments.For patients who are aggresive and hostile , special treatments such as Nasna (Nasal draining) , Hisagalvum (head packs) , Werechana (Purgatives) and Sheerodara are administered. If their condition is critical , counseling would have no effect. Therefore we are using these special methods to sedate the aggressive patients in the initial stage.
      October 10 is World Mental Heath Day. Boralesgamuwa Neelammahara Manasa Ayurveda Hospital the first ayurvedic mental hospital in Sri Lanka would be conducting a mental health campaign at the hospital the hospital premises today from 10a.m to 4p.m to raise public awareness about mental health issues. We want to make people aware of three conditions.
      Most often patients' guardians fail to recognize these conditions. And bring them to us only after the situation becomes worse. Once the disease becomes Nidangatha or chronic , it is very difficult to handle than during acute phase.