Current Trends in the Management of Hypertension Among Ayurvedic Physicians in Kerala

Hypertension is a major public health problem causing 10.8% of all deaths in India according to a 2014 report. In Ayurveda, hypertension is not a specifically named disease, and there is a lack of consensus among the experts on the Ayurvedic perspective of hypertension, which may reflect in the management approach as well. The present study was done to get insights on the general approach of Ayurvedic physicians working in Government hospitals in Kerala adopted for the management of hypertension, and to ascertain the presence of any uniform trend or tangible differences in its treatment and prognostic approaches among them. A survey was done among 20 physicians working in Govt. hospitals in Kerala, with a pre-set questionnaire. Grade of hypertension managed were reported as up to grade 1 by 45%, up to grade 2 by 30% and up to grade 3 by 25% of the physicians. The pathogenic components (samprapti ghataka) assigned to hypertension included vata dushti, kapha dushti, Vata-Pitta dushti, Vata-Kapha dushti, Kapha- Pitta dusthi, Raktha dushti and Avarana. 60% of physicians advised stopping the medications when ideal blood pressure attained. A variety of medicines selected according to the stage of pathology (avastha) are being used for management of hypertension by the physicians. There are variations in treatment prospects of hypertension among practicing physicians of Govt. Ayurveda hospitals in Kerala. Thalam (application of suitable medicine over the scalp) and lifestyle modification were the individual treatment modalities adopted commonly by all the physicians interviewed, indicating their usefulness in hypertension management.