Do you remember a song from 3 Idiots: “Behati hava sa thaa woh?” Whenever this song plays, it recalls me: ADHD! This is the reason I have never understood this condition as a disease. This makes it easier for me to work with patients with ADHD and to provide complete ayurvedic treatment for ADHD.
The word is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. When someone doesn’t have the skills to concentrate and is hyperactive. This is a character, not a disorder. The most common neurodevelopmental issue among kids is this condition. This condition resolves at a young age but can be there until adulthood.
Ayurveda and ADHD
The science behind Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD
According to Ayurveda, everything revolves around the doshas and dhatus. ADHD is not different. We don’t have anything exclusive named like this condition in Ayurveda, but when we have an understanding of the doshas, we can explore the channels of treatment. The channels can help millions of people in Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD who are on the sufferers’ end.
Many think that this is only about Vata Dosha. But there are different subtypes of the Doshas that we need to look at. Here are the doshas involved in ADHD:
Udana Vata: As per Vagbhatta, the main three works of the Udana Vata are Dhriti, Smruti, and Manobodhana. Dhriti is the retention of memory. Smruti is all about memory and actions based on the memory. Manobodhana is- a mental activity.
Sadhaka Pitta: A curator of mental activities that help in the enlightenment of the brain for the expression of mental capabilities is a sadhaka pitta.
Tarpaka Kapha: This holds things together within the brain. This subtype of the Kapha is responsible for Dhairya.
So now we have the computation for everything related to ADHD. These three subtypes control everything, and this is something where we need to work. ADHD is all about three doshas, and when we want to opt for Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD, we need to strike the right balance.
Ayurvedic Treatment for ADHD
ADHD is a condition that needs immediate intervention, but not with some medicines to make the person sleepy. We need the techniques of awakening. In Ayurvedic terms, you don’t need to always pacify the doshas. You need to balance the doshas so that their normal activities can take place.
Because all three doshas are involved with this condition. Therefore, for the Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD, we need to focus on all three doshas. And because Vata is always in a governing position we need more focus on the Vata dosha.
ADHD is not a disease. This is a state. And proper control of ADHD comes with the proper planning of the treatment.
In planning, there are two parts: Ayurvedic medicines and Panchakarma procedures. The selection of treatment protocol is according to the condition and requirements of the person only.
Medicines for Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD
Because this is a complex state of the doshas, we cannot have a particular medicine for ADHD in Ayurveda. We need a more comprehensive approach to treatment, too. And when it comes to kids, we need to avoid too many medicines.
There are medicines like Kumarkalyana Rasa, Manas Mitra Vatakam, Brahmi Vati, Kalyanaka Ghrita, Mahakalyanaka Ghrita, and Sarswata Ghrita that are the main Ayurvedic medicines for ADHD. However, the selection of these medicines should not be random. Many times, parents start buying these medicines from online websites or local stores. But this is not advisable at all because self-medication doesn’t give proper results and can complicate the condition further.
So it is better to have a proper consultation with an expert Ayurveda physician for this.
Panchakarma treatment for ADHD
By reading panchakarma with improper information, patients think how can a young child go through all these tedious procedures? Complicated Panchakarma treatments like Vamana, Virechana, and Basti are not on the list for kids. There are certain other therapies that help patients with panchakarma.
There are simpler things that help patients at a young age. And for grown-up people, we opt for more aggressive panchakarma therapies, certainly.
For young patients, panchakarma therapies like Shirodhara, abhyanga, pizhichil, Navarkizhi, and Poddikizhi are beneficial.
For older patients: Vamana, Basti are done with external procedures of Panchakarma.
In most of the cases for Ayurvedic treatment for ADHD, patients are admitted to the IPD for intensive panchakarma care.
FAQs About ADHD
For ayurveda treatment for ADHD, generally, this is a 3 week program.
Yes, we believe in a proper integrative approach of treatment for ADHD and we never discontinue ongoing behavioral therapy programs.
No. Panchakarma therapies done properly are never painful.
ADHD is not primarily a disease therefore you should stop thinking like this. According to Ayruveda, this is prakruti-vighat chikitsa- means we need to establish the patient to his natural “state”.
