Management of affective symptoms in Early onset Parkinson’s disease through Ayurveda: A case report

Affective disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD) include depressive disorders, apathy, mania, anxiety disorders, psychosis, and many more that are often ignored. They add to caregivers’ burden, increasing dependency and reducing the quality of life. Customized approaches towards psychological symptoms can improve the physical symptoms of PD along with the well-being of the patient. Analogous to an understanding of functional overlap in neuropsychiatric disorders in modern biomedicine, Ayurveda believes in the role of Vata (~ Dosha responsible for movement and cognition) in diseases of neuropsychiatric origin. Here is a rare case of a 53-year-old man, a farmer, with a history of fear, overthinking, reduced interest in activities, poor social interactions, episodes of giddiness, and limb stiffness for eight years. The patient complained of difficulty in sleep maintenance, episodes of palpitations, chest tightness, burning sensation, and fearful thoughts for the past six months. The patient was given in-patient-based care comprising Sarvanga parisheka (~whole body therapeutic streaming), Dhoopana ( ~ fumigation), Matra basti (~a form of unctuous enema), Takradhara (~therapeutic butter milk streaming over the body), Shiropichu (~therapeutic procedure of placing tampon with oil over the head region), and Satvavajaya (~subjugation of mind/counselling) therapies. Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were assessed at the time of admission (before treatment), after treatment, and after follow-up. After10 days of treatment, the patient reported improvement in affective symptoms and a significant reduction in the assessment scales.