Effect of Takradhara in Children with Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

ADHD is a complex neurobehavioral psychosomatic disorder, which affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. According to the 4th edition, American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV criteria), the core symptoms of ADHD are 1) inattention 2) hyperactivity and 3) impulsivity. In Ayurveda it occurs due to vibramsha of Dhee (rational thinking), Dhriti (intellect / retaining power of the mind), Smriti (memory) which results into improper contact of the senses with their objectives and give rise to inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. In modern sciences, treatment predominantly relies on prescribing stimu­lant medications and psychosocial therapy. Stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD are associated with side effects like cardiovascular events etc. Therefore Ayurvedic literature explains many treatment modalities which are safe and effective in various disorders, among which Shirodhara (Takra processed with Brahmi, Jatamamsi, Vacha and Aswagandha) is a procedure which is widely used in psychosomatic disorders and there is a need to standardize this procedure as a safest treatment in children. Hence an effort is made to study the effect of Takradhara in Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

So to evaluate the effect of Takradhara in ADHD, 40 children aged 7 – 12years who were fulfilling the inclusion criteria and diagnostic criteria were selected from Kaumarabhritya OPD and IPD of S.V.Ayurvedic College & Hospital, Tirupati. Takradhara was done for 14 days and then again repeated after every two months for 3 consecutive sittings. The cases were recorded as per the case sheet and observations were recorded. Symptoms were scored and statistically analyzed for any change before and after treatment. In the group statistically highly significant change (p = <0.001) was observed in the symptoms of ADHD.