ROLE OF SHIRODHARA IN MANAGEMENT OF STRESS

Dr.Sreeja.A 1 and * Dr.Ch.Sadanandam 2 . 1. PG Scholar ,PG Panchakarma Department , Dr.BRKR Govt Ayurvedic College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. 2. HOD PG Panchakarma department. Dr.BRKR Govt Ayurvedic College, Hyderabad, Telangana. ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History

Today, stress and fatigue are like household commodities.Practically everyone has to face stress to some degree.Everyone needs to cope with the spectre of a scarily frenetic lifestyle, which includes punishing work schedules, incessant travel, collapsing relationships, breakneck competition, a battle against age and illness, and the desire to remain ever-youthful and glamorous.Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium.In other words, it's an omnipresent part of life.A stressful event can trigger the "fight-orflight" response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.A little bit of stress, known as "acute stress," can be exciting it keeps us active and alert.But long-term, or "chronic stress," can have detrimental effects on health.Shirodhara therapy is extensively used for the allevation of psychic ailments.Though clinical efficacy of shirodhara is proved, the nature of its action is complex.The body mind and spirit are intimately connected, Shirodhara helps in calming stressful mind, relaxes the entire body.Imbalance of Prana, Udana and Vyana vayu, Sadhaka Pitta and Tarpaka kapha can produce stress .Shirodhara re-establishes integrity between these sub types of doshas, thus helps in management of stress.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….... Introduction:-
According to Ayurveda, there are three sub-doshas that govern the mind.Prana vata is the sub-dosha of vata that governs the brain, sensory perception and the mind.Tarpaka kapha is the sub-dosha of kapha that governs the cerebro-spinal fluid.Sadhaka pitta (the sub-dosha of pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart) is also involved.There are three states or operational qualities of mind.These are satva, rajas and tamas.When the mind is dominated by rajas and/or tamas, the sub-doshas go out of balance.Sadhaka pitta begins to create a burning effect and Prana vata creates a drying effect.Then Tarpaka kapha generates extra cerebro-spinal fluid to counteract this effect and protect the brain.But when our mental capacities are repeatedly overused (due to excess of tamas and rajas), the lubricating value of Tarpaka kapha becomes excessive, and begins to diminish the metabolizing or digestive fire or Agni.This is similar to the effect of too much moisture in the digestion -it can put out the digestive fire or agni.When this happens, ama (toxins) start to be created.Ama accumulates in the gaps and channels of the brain, and mixes with the fluids created Corresponding Author:-Dr.Ch.Sadanandam Address:-HOD, PG Panchakarma Department, Dr.BRKR Govt Ayurvedic College Erragadda ESI 500038,Hyderabad,Telangana 1368 by Tarpaka kapha, creating a harmful type of cortisol, the indicator of stress.Cortisol in itself is not harmful in fact, it is created by the body to protect the brain.But when Tarpaka kapha becomes excessive and there is ama in the physiology, it does more harm than good.That's when anxiety attacks and other signs of stress take over. [1]ress is basic element of various human diseases and mental illness .Stress is a term that refers to the Sum of the physical, mental, and emotional strains or tensions on a person.Stress is the -wear and tear our Mind and body experiences as we attempt to cope with our continually changing environment.Stress is also called as anxiety, tension etc. Psychosocial stressor is defined as "any life event or life change that may be associated temporally (and perhaps causally) with the onset, occurrence, or exacerbation [worsening] of a mental disorder.[2] Feelings of stress in humans result from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being.The element of perception indicates that human stress responses reflect differences in personality as well as differences in Physical strength or health.
Stressor: A stressor is defined as a stimulus or event that provokes a stress response in an organism.Stressors can be categorized as acute or chronic, and as external or internal to the organism. [3]uses of Stress:-One significant source of stress in modern life is the cumulative effect of various toxic waste products in the environment.Our personality, behavior, and lifestyle all have important influences on our stress level.Much stress occurs through emotions such as aggression, impatience, anger, anxiety, and fear, all of which kindle the body"s stress responses.Eating an unhealthy diet, smoking, drinking, and taking drugs can also contribute further to physical strain.Stress may be generated through work, at home, within relationships, as a result of internal emotional conflict, through environment, diet, ill-health, and financial insecurity as well as through major life events such as marriage death, divorce etc. Man facing number problems in the modern society, these problems thrown the man in to mental stress.Mental stress causes the number of psychosomatic disorder like hypertension, migraine and severe headache etc.

Effects of stress:-
The initial stage of arousal remains the same whether we are faced with a major or minor.But under extreme, prolonged, or persistent pressure the body continues to manufacture extra quantities of stress chemicals, triggering further processes to maintain energy.If arousal continues, the adrenal glands manufacture anti-inflammatory chemicals that simultaneously speed tissue repair while depressing the body"s immune defense system. [4,5]if all these changes continue, the body goes on trying to adapt under increasing strain and pressure.Eventually it breaks down.Exhaustion, variety of illnesses and even death may be the outcome of uninterrupted, excessive stress.

Stress & Mental Illness:-
Primary psychological conditions caused purely by mental disorders are kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobh (greed), moha (delusion), irshya (jealousy), mana (pride), mada (euphoria), shoka (sorrow, grief), chinta (anxiety), udvega (neurosis), bhaya (fear), harsha (happiness).The psychiatric conditions caused by a combination of physical and mental (psycho-physical) disorders are unmada (psychosis), apasmara (convulsive disorder), apatantraka (hysteria), atattvabhinvesha (obsession), bhrama (illusion, vertigo), tandra (drowsiness), klama (neurasthenia), mada-murchhasanyasa (loss of sensory perception leading to coma), madatyaya (alcoholism), gadodvega (hypochondriasis). [6]urvedic Psychology Charaka in his treatise Charaka Samhita, describes eight essential psychological factors that are negatively affected in various ways in all psychiatric disorders.The psychopathological condition is a function of these factors, which are manas (mind), buddhi, smriti (memory), sajna jnana (orientation and responsiveness), bhakti (devotion), shila (habits), cheshta (psychomotor activity) and achara (conduct).Compared to other major ayurvedic texts like Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hrdayam, Charaka Samhita gives more emphasis to the view of life as a self-aware field of pure consciousness and natural intelligence where the knower and the known are one.Ayurveda is very effective for stress management and to encourage body and soul to achieve composure of the mind. [7]hirodhara in managing stress: [8] Shirodhara is one of the special types of treatment procedure.it is the process in which medicated oils,milk,kwatha or buttermilk, is poured in a continuous stream on the fore head ,for the particular fixed time. It  effective procedure indicated in psychic disorders.Miraculous healing occurs when this procedure is performed with perfection.Stimulates the 3rd eye and crown chakras, and awakens intuition and inner wisdom, Relieves stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia through natural serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin release.Helps mental focus and concentration.Deeply relaxes mind and body.Improves sleep patterns, Pacifies vata reducing anxiety, restlessness, irritability, nervousness, fear & excessive thinking, improves mental focus and concentration.
Probable mode of action of shirodhara in managing stress: [figure -1] Continuous pouring of taila on fore head for a specific period has tranquillizing effect and induces sleep.According to modern science applications as ointment may pass through stratum corneum in to blood vessel and produce desirable effect by reaching target organs.The continuous pouring of oil in relaxed and comfortable position has an additional effect which can compare to cradling of mother to a child.This acts as sedative and soothing effect for brain and produces sleep.Medicated oil poured on fore head may be absorbed, producing tranquilizing effect by reaching the brain cortex.The chemical constituent of medicated oil may act as a neurotransmitter as deficiency of certain neurotransmitter checked hypothetically if oil percolate in to Brain cortex as explained by Johnson while treating patients of Angina by Nitro-glycerine.

Effect on Marmas:-
Sthapani Marma: just below this area inside the skull lies the venous reservoir of brain the superior saggital and Cavernous Venous Sinuses.
Shankha Marma: It corresponds to temporal bone of the skull underneath which lies the temporal lobe of cortex arterial branches and at the base is also some of the important structures of the brain.
Utkshepa Marma: Intracranial cavity and venous sinuses the wall of which is made of coverings of the brain lie in this region.
Adhipati Marma: This location is well known as the anterior fontanelle on the vertical groove of the frontal bone.Underneath this point, there is saggital sinus of the brain and also the sulcus between two hemispheres of the cortex.Shirodhara stimulates these marmas and improves circulation , as oil used for shirodhara is always warm which causes vasodilatation of all the channels and thereby improving their circulation which in turn improves blood circulation of the brain.This improves the higher intellectual functions also.So an improvement in psychic symptoms is achieved.Improvement in circulation to hypothalamus also improves the function of Autonomic Nervous System as its stimulation during stress causes many physiological disturbances.
Effect on chakras: Shirodhara stimulates Agnya Chakra thereby improving the functions of mind which is vitiated in stress as it is the place of subtle mind.Structures like Pituitary gland, pineal body, sub cortical structures of mid brain are related with mental functions like anger, grief, fear, memory and other higher intellectual functions.Shirodhara acts at this level correcting their functions.
Effect on Autonomic Nervous System: Shirodhara may also have Alpha Adrenergic blocking effects and can thus block certain actions of adrenaline and nor adrenaline .Shirodhara may also act on the adrenergic neuron probably produce their effects by modifying the synthesis, storage and uptake mechanisms of noradrenalin.

Effect on Endocrine system:
The effect of Shirodhara on hormone secretion can also be postulated considering the effect on hypothalamus as hypothalamus is the mail controller of endocrine secretions.The hypothalamic Neurons which secrete the regulatory hormones are themselves under the control of specialized Monoaminergic, neurotransmitter neurons which arise in the mid brain.These latter releases Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Serotonin.In turn, these mid brain nuclei are under the control of visceral brain and are responsive to stress and emotional disturbances.

Regulationof emotional and behavioural patterns:
Together with the limbic system with the hypothalamus regulates the feeling of rage, aggression, pain and pleasure and behavioural patterns of sexual arousal .Ultimately it 1370 can be postulated that Shirodhara may be having some effect on hypothalamus resting in decrease of most of the psychic and somatic disorders.