Natural Disabilities …….Can nature help??

Does nature differentiate between the abled and differently abled? Don’t all of us derive happiness from food when hungry, enjoy the cool breeze in summer, love the lapping waves washing our feet, love the smell of first rains?

If that’s the case then how come we see so little awareness about the natural methods of treatment and support for the differently abled whether its physical or mental.

When we talk about inclusion for all, why aren’t we talking about inclusion of all therapeutic support methodologies for disabled ?

I meet parents everyday who take their kids to several therapy sessions in a week from OT, PT, CT to all the alphabets upto Z. They are driving themselves crazy running around, spending money and the primary caretakers especially mothers are loosing their health in return. Recently met someone with a kidney failure, other one diagnosed with MS , both in their 30s.

When I talk about Ayurveda treatments to achieve a better state of life for physical or mental diverse kids , it is often met with disbelief or outrightly rejected. Our lives and consciousness have been so ingrained with chemically synthesized treatments that we will happily go to an antibiotic peddling pediatrician when a child sneezes just once instead of taking any logical action on our part.

Here are some simple typical examples of the afflictions of various specific conditions and how it can be helped through Ayurveda. In cerebral palsy, the digestive system is always impacted irrespective of the disability. This can be supported by an ayurveda nutrition plan which allows easy digestion yet fulfills nutritional deficiencies . This will take into account the cultural aspect and location of the family unlike a blanket approach of carbohydrates, proteins fats and fibers. For a down syndrome kid , their lungs/stomach might always be the site of infections. Ayurveda prescribes medicated oils to use for their immunity in the form of body massage (Abhyangam) and nostril drops (Nasyam). For kids with speech disabilities, there are various herbs which have both physiological and neurological benefits which can improve the efficacy of the OT session. For kids /adults who have acquired any disability due to external trauma , Ayurveda offers excellent restorative therapies in the form of herbal intake, external practices like Abhyangam , Nvavrakizhi and Pizhichil.

For neuro diverse kids like ADHD, Autism spectrum, in addition to external and internal medication natural therapies like mud and water play is advocated. Parents are encouraged to engage in sensorial and textural experiences for e.g. giving oil body massage to kids. Panchkarma is an umbrella term used for various therapies which are given in succession in a particular chronology as per the condition to be treated. With the intensive regime of Panchkarma often the results are akin to miraculous in some cases.

 In Autism cases I have often seen doctors and therapists offering a blanket advise on Gluten, dairy and sugar free diet. These bans aren’t based on individual bodies rather on the success rate of majority cases which on terms of rationale sounds alright. But Ayurveda treats every individual differently because as much as the fingerprint pattern is different so is the remedy pattern.

Older down syndrome kids and Autism spectrum kids often have sleep troubles. Predictable natural rhythm of the day which includes no day nap is often the most consistent way of achieving it but overexerted mothers often can’t keep up the gruel of the day. This leads to the question of inclusion of other family members for supporting the mother and the child. With our urban nuclear setups, there is often no family member apart from parents. Mothers feel hesitant to seek support in their social circles for their kids. There are grandparents too who shy away from taking care of the special kids.

When it comes to improving the quality of life what could be easier to acquire and maintain than the natural methods based on the principal of rhythm of nature and products made of natural extracts. Herbal extracts are easier to assimilate by the body as compared to chemical compositions. Its healthier for a kid to take a walk in the garden then just exercising on a bouncy ball. It’s effective for a kid to play in mud and sand and smear it all over his body than sitting quietly with a tab watching images just for the sake of therapy.

I am not condemning all the existing treatment patterns . They are effective and crucial and I am just urging parents or differently abled adults to explore the natural methods too whether it be Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Acupuncture , Reflexology so on and so forth. The more we understand our connection with nature , easier it becomes to follow its rhythm, resulting into better quality of life whether it’s abled or differently abled .

This post is a part of “International Day of Disabled Persons” blog hop hosted by Sakshi Varma – Tripleamommy in collaboration with Bookosmia. #IDPD2022Bloghop. Access all posts of this bloghop at https://tripleamommy.com/2022/12/02/idpd2022-lets-make-this-world-a-more-inclusive-space/