The Advanced Centre for Ayurveda (ACA) in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences located in the premises of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) is expected to receive a grant of Rs. 5 lakh for purchase of equipment for Panchakarma therapy from the Central Council for Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS) which is a part of the department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy, government of India.

The two-year old ACA set up at a cost of Rs. 1.15 crore on the CCRAS grant has now opened a 30-bed facility for the neurology and psychiatry patients. Although the in-patients ward is free of cost, there are four beds in the pay ward category at a cost of Rs. 200 a day.

The main aim of the in-patient facility is to improve the conditions of the admitted cases. Panchakarma is an important Ayurvedic intervention therapy for many disorders. We need some of the basic equipment, Dr. Devidas, assistant director, Ayurvedic Research Unit, told Pharmabiz.com.

Although, there have been recommendations that much of the Ayurveda therapies should be mechanised and have no manual intervention, we at ACA are of the view that the human touch in any therapy plays a critical role for treatment more so in mental disorders, he added.

ACA is yet to start its full-fledged research programmes. It is currently consolidating its clinical services to investigate and extend treatment facilities for conditions like Unmada (Schizophrenia), Manodvega (anxiety disorders), Manasa Mandata (mental retardation), Apasmara (epilepsy), Mamsavata (muscular dystrophy) and Pakshavadha (Hemiplegia). Another disorder, which has seen admissions to the in-patient ward, is the Gullian Bar syndrome, a rare virus disease where affected patients loose their limb mobility. With the administration of Panchakarma and Basti, there have been considerable improvements, as these patients who were brought to the unit in stretchers are now able to walk with support, said Dr. Devidas.

Although the unit was functioning at NIMHANS since 1971, it has provided successful outcomes of the treatment extended to the psychiatric and neurological patients.

The CCRAS approved an exclusive Advanced Centre for Ayurveda in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in the NIMHANS premises to provide Ayurvedic treatment and generate a scientific evaluation of the efficacy of Ayurveda approaches in mental and neurological disorders.

There is immense scope in research in mental health and neuro sciences through Ayurvedic approaches. The idea of the unit is to investigate the efficacy in a systematic manner, as there is no proper documentation available for treating many of these conditions despite the presence of drugs and therapies, informed Dr. Devidas.

For the psychiatric conditions like depression and Schizophrenia, the unit is administering 'Satvavajaya' a therapy to conquer the mind in a traditional method by suggesting remedial measures to control the condition. The team of doctor's counsel the cases based on Ayurveda principles to be able to come out of a sick state and maintain a healthy mind.

The unit has been continuing its Muscular Dystrophy clinic held on every fourth Saturday where specialists from both allopathy and Ayurveda see around 50 to 70 muscular dystrophy patients from Karnataka and neighbouring states.

The OPD (out-patients departments) has 215 cases a month coming for diagnoses and treatments every month. Through the in-patient Ayurvedic intervention therapies, patients have responded as out of the 37 in-patients that were so far admitted, 25 cases have been discharged with only 12 of them still undergoing treatment, informed Dr. Devidas.