Smriti meditation with selected ayurvedic medicines in chronic lba associated with stress - a case report

Summary of article contents:

Introduction : Pain is a general term that describes uncomfortable sensations in the body, often caused by any damaging or intense stimuli. International Association for Study of Pain (IASP) widely used definition defines- Pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage. In medical diagnosis, pain is regarded as a symptom of an underlying condition. The latest neuroscience research explains how stress can fuel persisting or chronic pain. The psychosocial approach can only help them better by reducing high levels of physiological stress that often worsen pain since the pharmacological approach as a temporary solution led to drug dependency and may side effects Smrithi meditation is a guided interactive psychotherapy technique developed by Dr. KV Dilip Kumar for diagnosing and management for psychosomatic symptoms. It is based on the Ayurvedic theory of Satvāvajaya chikitsa (Psychotherapy) . Study Design : A single case study Place and Duration of Study: Kāyachikitsa OPD of VPSV Ayurveda college hospital Kottakkal, Malappuram, Kerala Presentation of Case: This is a single case study in which a female of 44 years was suffering from chronic low back pain (CLBP) for 8 years, which was aggravated for 2 years. She was under Allopathic medication for 5 years and Ayurvedic treatment for 1 year. She has been prescribed Ayurvedic medicines and 5 sessions of Smṛiti meditation for 1-2 hours each within 30 days. The followup was done after 15 days. Results: Assessment was done on the 0 th& 30 th days and a followup after 2 weeks (45 th day) The assessments were done by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability questionnaire, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the WHOQOL BREF Scale. Assessment for the quality of Smṛiti meditation was recorded after each session of Smṛiti meditation in the assessment record under two headings 1. Evaluation by the meditator and 2. Evaluation by the participant. Conclusion: Smṛiti Meditation with selected Ayurvedic medicines was found to be effective in relieving chronic low back pain within 30 days and the effect was retained up to a followup of 45 days. Keywords: Smr