Ayurvedic Treatment Of Tourette Syndrome

About Tourette Syndrome

Tourette's syndrome is a complex neurological disorder that causes affected person to make sudden repetitive movements or undesirable sounds, called tics that can't be controlled. Begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts throughout life. It has also been found that Tourette's syndrome is more common in boys than in girls by a ratio of five to one.

It is not degenerative and people with TS can expect to live a normal life span.

Persons with Tourette syndrome do not have much control over the unusual movements or sounds ('tics') that they make. They consist of abrupt recurrent twitches of a group of muscles. Characterized by blinking, sniffing, grimacing, shoulder movements and head movements. The exact cause of this disorder is unknown.

Causes Of Tourette Syndrome

The causes of Tourette is exactly not known. It is likely to be caused by a combination of inherited (genetic) and environmental factors.

•   Tourette has been linked to an abnormality that may exist in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain that helps to control motor movements. Chemicals in the brain, dopamine and serotonin and norepinephrine that transmit nerve impulses (neurotransmitters) could be responsible.
•   Genetics seem like to play a part in some cases of Tourette's syndrome, with it appearing to run in families. People belonging to family members with Tourette's are more predisposed to get it themselves. But people in the same family may have different symptoms.
•   Environmental factors possibly play a role in the development of TS (for example, stress or infection), but these causes are not well defined.
•   Emotional and mental stress and distress may also worsen the tics.

Ayurveda View Of Tourette Syndrome

According to Ayurveda Tourette syndrome is due to the aggravation Vata Dosha. A sub type of vata- prana vata is mainly responsible for this syndrome.

Symptoms And Signs Of Tourette Syndrome

Symptoms of TS can vary from one individual to another. The hallmark symptom of TS is tics. For tics to be defined as Tourette's syndrome, that must be present for at least a year and comprises of at least one vocal tic.

Tics are involuntary and usually sudden, rapid and repetitive muscle movements and vocal sounds that some people make, without being aware of it. People with Tourette syndrome do not characterize same symptoms.

Tics worsen with stress, anxiety, excitement, anger or fatigue and can get better during absorbing activities or sleep. The more severe ones can be embarrassing and can affect your social life or work.

TYPES OF TICS:

1. TICS CAN BE:

• Vocal (Sounds)- Like Grunting, Coughing Or Shouting Out Words
• Physical (Movements)- Like jerking of the head or jumping up and down

2. TICS CAN ALSO BE:

• Simple- These sudden, brief and repetitive tics include a limited number of muscle groups.
• Complex- These distinct, coordinated patterns of movements involve several muscle groups.

Simple motor tics include:

•   Eyes Blinking
•   Shoulder rotation or elevation,
•   Head and arm jerking,
•   Lip contractions
•   Closing of the eyes,
•   Eyes rolling in the orbits.
•   Turning the neck to one side (torticollis)
•   Opening And Closing Of The Mouth,
•   Contractions of abdomen
•   Stretching of arms and legs.

Complex motor tics include:

•   Jumping
•   Kicking
•   Touching Objects
•   Retching
•   Bending Or Rotation Trunk,
•   Burping
•   Socially Inappropriate Movements,
•   Obscene Gestures

Simple phonic tics include:-

•   Grunting,
•   Clearing Throat,
•   Coughing
•   Meaningless Sounds or Utterances.

Complex phonic tics include:-

•   Complex and Loud Sounds,
•   Phrases Out of Context,
•   Phrases With Obscenities,
•   Cursing,
•   Repetition of Other Person's Phrases.

Associated conditions have been reported in half of the children with Tourette's syndrome. The most common are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)