Management of West syndrome through Ayurveda treatment modalities: A case report

West Syndrome (WS) is a rare form of severe epilepsy, usually begins in infancy and early childhood, characterized by spasms, abnormal brain wave patterns, and intellectual disability. The condition presents with clustered seizures that majorly appear after sleep awakening, along with abnormal interictal Electroencephalogram (EEG) called hypsarrhythmia, and neuropsychomotor delay. A two-and-a-half years old male child, diagnosed with WS, showing cardinal features of seizures, difficulty in neck holding, impaired gross motor milestones, specifically independent sitting-standing, and speech delay, along with hypsarrhythmia as reported in the EEG presented to the Ayurveda hospital. The patient was treated with a combination of Shamana chikitsa (~palliative therapy) consisting of patented formulation containing Swarna, Chitrakadi vati, Saraswata ghrita, Ashwagandharista, Kalyanaka leha , and Panchakarma (~five internal bio-cleansing therapies) including Udwartana (~therapeutic powder massage) with Kolakulatthadi churna, Sarvanga abhyanga (~therapeutic whole-body massage) with Balashwagandhadi taila, Sarvanga swedana (~whole body sudation therapy) with Dashamoola kwatha , and Hapushadi yapana basti (~therapeutic enema which prolongs the life span). The evaluation was done before and after treatment using the Modified Ashworth Scale for muscle tone, Gross Motor Function Measures Scale for gross motor function, and EEG. The Ayurvedic interventions helped the patient in attaining neck control and sitting ability, by reducing stiffness, and positive changes in EEG. Thus, it can be inferred that Ayurvedic treatment protocol may serve as a promising management strategy, where very few satisfactory management options exist for patients with WS and other neurological deficits.