PROPHYLACTIC CARE IN GERIATRIC HEALTH WITH RESPECT TO AYURVEDA

*Dr. Suman Verma, Dr. Deena Nath Singh and Dr. Ramesh Kant Dubey

ABSTRACT

The life is time bound phenomena. The man is born, grows to adulthood, passes to senility and ultimately dies. Ayurveda has got the potential for prevention of disease by health promotion and management of diseases occurring in old age. The ideal time for treating the geriatric problems is during adulthood. Adherence to discipline in the growing stage and by adopting healthier lifestyle, keeps the geriatric related problems away in youth. We discuss lifestyle recommendations such as smoking cessation, yoga, exercise, dinacharya, ritucharya, sadvritt palan, aachar rasayan, rasayana therapy and good nutrition. In Ashtang Ayurveda “Jara” is incorporated at seventh number among its branches, Rasayana is a unique branch of medicine in Ayurveda, exclusive devotes to “Jara Janya Vyadhi”. The methodology is to delay ageing and to minimize the intensity of problems occurring this degenerative phase of one‟s life. Ageing is a complex multifactorial and inevitable process, which begins before birth and continues throughout the entire life span. Specific causes of morbidity among the elderly are degenerative arthritis, Osteoporosis, Alzheimer‟s disease, Depression, Parkinsonism, Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Benign prostate hypertrophy, Cataract, Macular degeneration etc. With rise in the elderly population world over, it is now felt necessary to develop newer strategies for geriatric health care. Geriatric care has to address two - fold problem, firstly the basic anti- aging care to retard the rate of physiological ageing and secondly the medical management of diseases occurring in old age.

Keywords: Geriatric, Swasthvritt palan, Rasayan, Geriatric care in ayurveda.