Apasmara Which means And Understanding

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S
Apasmara is without doubt one of the illnesses included underneath Ayurveda psychiatry. It’s thought-about as one of many psychological problems. Grasp Charaka has defined the chapter pertaining to prognosis and remedy of Apasmara instantly after the chapter pertaining to prognosis and remedy of Unmada.

Unmada is a broad-spectrum psychological dysfunction which incorporates many psychological situations underneath its wing. It has usually been in comparison with psychoses, lunacy and plenty of different psychological problems. Grasp Charaka has additionally specified that the remedy of unmada and apasmara are alike and shall be dealt with via comparable interventions. Apasmara is in comparison with epilepsy in Ayurveda medical observe. However apasmara is greater than that. The time period Apasmara has embedded in it the phrase ‘smriti’ which suggests reminiscence. Apasmara positively is a situation whereby derangement of reminiscence can be evident. So, is apasmara ‘epilepsy’ or ‘reminiscence problems’? Allow us to see what the classics have to inform about it.
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Which means of Apasmara, the right way to perceive

Smrteh apagamanam – ‘Destruction of reminiscence’ is taken into account as apasmara by specialists.
So lack of reminiscence is the predominant attribute function and diagnostic level for apasmara. However all instances of ‘reminiscence associated problems’ usually are not thought-about as apasmara. The affiliation of different signs talked about under makes the definition of apasmara full and complete. Apasmara is a situation predominantly marked by lack of reminiscence related to –

• tamah pravesha i.e. feeling as if enveloped by darkness (blackout) and
• bhibhatsa cheshta i.e. scary actions (scary for individuals who are seeing). It additionally means disgustful actions

Each tamah pravesha and bibhatsa cheshta are brought about on account of dhee-sattva samplava.
Learn – Easy Ideas To Enhance Reminiscence And Combat Reminiscence Loss

Tamah Pravesha
Tamah – darkness, Pravesha – getting into
Tamah pravesha means feeling like getting into a zone of darkness. Getting into into the darkness is a time period used to clarify ‘lack of knowledge or intelligence (momentary)’ which the particular person experiences throughout an assault of the illness. Similar to we don’t perceive something whereas enveloped by pitch darkness, we can not perceive or entry something when attacked by (surrounded) the illness. 

Bibhatsa cheshta
Bhibhatsa – scary; Cheshta – actions
The particular person does scary or hideous actions on account of absence of information / destruction of intelligence and thought course of on getting into into the zone of darkness. Hideous actions embrace irregular jerky actions of the limbs and deviation of eyes, froth showing from the mouth and so on.

What causes ‘doing hideous actions’ and ‘destruction of reminiscence’ within the affected person of apasmara?

Dhee-sattva samplava is alleged to be the trigger for doing hideous actions and destruction of reminiscence within the affected person of apasmara. Hideous actions usually are not executed deliberately. They seem with out the data of the affected person on getting into the darkish zone, dropping data / mind and judgment and being blacked out. Dhee means mind. Sattva means thoughts. Samplava means deviation or destruction. So destruction of mind and thoughts is the primary explanation for destruction of reminiscence and hideous actions in apasmaara.
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Chain of occasions resulting in apasmara

• Dhee Sattva Samplava (destruction / deviation of mind and thoughts)
• Smriti apagamana (lack of reminiscence)
• Tamah Pravesha (lack of consciousness)
• Bhibhatsa Chesta (hideous actions)
• Apasmara

Notice – these occasions could not observe the chronology and will occur on the identical time.

In response to Madhava Nidana

Madhava Nidana treatise defines apasmara and its hallmark options together with the outline of the pathogenesis of the illness. The sequence of the illness is as defined under –

• Publicity to etiological components which disturb and trigger imbalance of thoughts and attributes of the thoughts like worries, grief and so on
• The doshas get aggravated
• And transfer in direction of the hrt-srotas i.e. mind and thoughts channels and get lodged therein
• Causes smriti apadhwamsa i.e. destruction of reminiscence
• Resulting from destruction of reminiscence and buddhi i.e. mind by aggravated doshas
• Tamah pravesha –blackout
• Samrambha – hideous actions like deformities and obliqueness of the attention / eyes, violent and jerking actions of fingers and legs (higher and decrease limbs)
• The mixed results of those occasions results in manifestation of a illness known as apasmara, which is of 4 varieties

The reason is nearly much like that of Grasp Charaka. Madhava Nidana has defined the causes and the occasions following to the causation of apasmara. However Madhavakara has used the time period ‘samrambha’ as a substitute of ‘bhibhatsa chesta (Charaka)’.

Is there solely reminiscence loss in apasmara?
Although the primary attribute function of apasmara is lack of reminiscence together with hideous actions and lack of consciousness, smriti is a time period mentioned to be consultant of a grosser injury within the illness. Smriti apagamana additionally consists of lack of mind, knowledge, thought course of, greater mental features and data together with reminiscence.
Learn – What Is Thoughts, Sense Organs? Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana eighth Chapter

In response to Grasp Sushruta

The phrase Apasmara is made up of two phrases, apa and smara. Apa is used within the which means of ‘killing, destroying or giving up’. Smara is used to clarify smrti i.e. reminiscence. Smrti can be to recollect and recollect the previous experiences and data of issues. When mixed collectively – apa + smara = destruction of reminiscence.

Antakrt – Sushruta tells that this illness would have a tendency to finish the lifetime of the affected person if not handled correctly. Resulting from destruction of reminiscence, mind and knowledge, the particular person would enter water or hearth and finish life since they can not keep in mind the implications in the course of the assault. Smrti must be understood broadly and may embrace mind, knowledge and reminiscence. It’s because throughout apasmaara one tends to neglect the recollections and experiences gained not solely from the previous but in addition these of the current time.

Grasp Dalhana, commentator of Sushruta Samhita additionally opines that destruction of reminiscence known as as apasmara. One other reference from Grasp Charaka clarifies the identical –
Resulting from destruction of reminiscence, mind and thoughts, the particular person does many scary actions together with look of froth from the mouth, cramps and irregular actions of the limbs and physique components, irregular actions of eyes, grinding of tooth, throwing of limbs and so on whereas enveloped by darkness and causes lack of consciousness instantly and repeatedly. This situation known as apasmara.
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Sanskrit Verses

Learn – Epilepsy – Ayurvedic Understanding And Its Therapy

Apasmara is ‘epilepsy’ or ‘reminiscence problems’?

Apasmara has been in comparison with epilepsy. Even in epilepsy we are able to see that the particular person can have irregular actions of the physique components (convulsions, shaking, tremors), froth happens within the mouth, the particular person faints and loses consciousness for a short while and when he comes out of the episode of epilepsy he wouldn’t keep in mind something (lack of reminiscence). When the assaults are repeated or are frequent, one’s data, knowledge and analytical expertise are additionally misplaced. Therapy of apasmara works in offering reduction, prolonging the assaults or curing apasmara. Subsequently in a manner it’s right to check apasmara with epilepsy.

Apasmara can be a psychological dysfunction. When the thoughts, reminiscence and mind are broken and when the signs repeatedly happen and illness turns into power, the reminiscence of the particular person will probably be severely affected or destroyed. Since lack of reminiscence is the predominant function of apasmara, it may be thought-about as ‘reminiscence dysfunction’ additionally.
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