Kashyapa, the author of Kashyapa Samhita, is considered the father of Ayurvedic paediatrics. While the book is incomplete, there is one chapter that is of great interest to paediatricians. This chapter deals with various ways in which babies indicate if they are suffering from any malaise. In Ayurveda, we really believe that the earlier one addresses the malaise, the quicker the solution.
Kashyapa has described a total of 34 conditions in which babies indicate what is wrong with them. In Karna Vedhana (ear pain), it is said that the baby would roll the head from side to side, close his eyes frequently, keep touching his ear, make moaning sound, and becomes dull and sleepy.
A little baby I was observing suddenly went from being cheerful to grumpy. I also observed that he was trying to put his fingers in his ear and shake it thoroughly. He also tried to look at me by laying his head on the table. At first, I found it cute, but then I realised that he was in some kind of pain. The listlessness, the shaking of the ear, turning his head in different angles was a way of communicating that all was not well in his world.
The moment I realised that the baby was having an ear pain, I asked the mother to put two drops of sesame oil in which two pods of garlic had been sauteed, in his ear. Two pods of garlic can be used for about three to four tablespoons of sesame oil. The oil should be filtered, lukewarm and made free of the garlic debris. The mother was reluctant at first to put oil in the ear having been completely brain-washed by the allopathic doctors that putting oil in the ear can damage the ear. In the US, such ear pains are ignored and no action is taken till the infection becomes serious enough to put a tube in the ear surgically. The mother was persuaded to put the eardrops and the baby was back to normal within 6-8 hours. I had to keep telling the mother that she should put in the oil for another couple of days to ensure that the condition righted itself and the baby was free of all ear pain.
The mother was very happy to see that her son, who was dull and restless, quickly regained his usual cheerfulness after the ear pain issue was addressed.
In Ayurveda, ear pain is generally caused by vitiation of vayu. Taking the baby in a stroller in an area with strong cold winds without covering the baby’s ears, giving him cold drinks, and fruits could cause the pain.
So parents and caregivers should watch toddlers and neonates carefully to see what they are trying to tell us. When a baby has a problem with his throat, he may salivate excessively, have fever, have loss of appetite and moan softly. Watching the baby carefully and starting treatment at home will avoid unnecessary visits to the paediatrician, who, if allopathic, will often end up prescribing antibiotics. Rajanayadi Churanam and Arvind Asavam remain the mainstay of paediatric health. These may be kept in the home after consulting an ayurvedic vaidyar regarding your ward’s prakriti.
Along with the concept of Kriya Kala (the details regarding progression of disease) and Vedhanadyayam (knowing symptoms of a disease), it is possible to catch a disease at its initial stage. And as I keep repeating, do ask the elders in your house for their favourite health tips. Your family’s health traditions may be lost if we don’t consciously rescue them for posterity. The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at sheelarani. arogyamantra@gmail. com/arogyamantra.blogspot.com