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How Does Vijaya Affect The Brain Among Cerebral Palsy Patients?

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Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common movement disorder and one of the most pervasive childhood disorders in the world. Each year, over 1200-1500 school-aged children are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and around 10,000 babies are born with it. Read ahead to learn more about this condition and discover how Vijaya can help relieve it holistically.

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders affecting a person’s movement, posture, bodily balance, and ability to control their muscles. ‘Cerebral’ is to do with the brain, while ‘Palsy’ refers to issues with using the muscles. 

All people suffering from Cerebral Palsy have mild issues with their posture and movement. But when this condition gets severe, the person suffering from it might either need special equipment to walk or might not be capable of walking at all. They might also need lifelong support and care. Some patients also exhibit symptoms like

  • vision, hearing, or speech problems
  • seizures
  • intellectual disability
  • joint problems
  • changes in the spine

Types of Cerebral Palsy

CP is classified according to the brain areas and the main type of movement that it affects. Depending on that, one or more of the following disorders can occur among people:

  • Spastic CP

Being the most common type of this disorder, Spastic CP affects over 80% of CP patients. In this condition, the muscles become stiff, leading to awkward bodily movements. 

It can occur in the legs (spastic diplegia/diparesis), on one side of the body (spastic hemiplegia/hemiparesis), or in all four limbs, trunk, and the face (spastic quadriplegia/quadriparesis). The latter is the most severe form of Spastic CP.

  • Dyskinetic CP (also includes dystonic, athetoid, and choreoathetoid CPs)

People with Dyskinetic CP have issues controlling the movements of their legs, feet, arms, and hands. This makes it difficult for them to walk and sit. Their movements are uncontrollable and can be rapid, jerky, writhing, or slow. Sometimes, it affects their face and tongue as well, making it difficult for them to talk, swallow, or suck.

  • Ataxic CP

Patients suffering from this condition mainly have affected motor control, balance, and coordination. They find it difficult to conduct quick movements or movements that need much control, like writing. They are also unsteady while walking.

  • Hypotonic CP

It is a rare type of CP, characterized by excess flexibility, poor mobility, and floppy muscles.

  • Mixed CP

Some patients show symptoms of more than one type of condition caused by damage to multiple areas of the brain. Spastic-dyskinetic CP tends to be the most common type of mixed CP.

Causes

CP is caused when the brain is not developed properly or when it gets damaged in its immature and developing stage. This happens mostly before birth, but it can also occur at birth or in early infancy. Some causative factors include:

  • fetal stroke that disrupts the blood supply to the developing brain
  • bleeding into the brain in the womb (intracranial hemorrhaging)
  • maternal infections affecting the developing fetus
  • gene mutations leading to brain development issues or genetic disorders
  • a traumatic head injury to an infant
  • lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia)
  • infant infections causing inflammation in or around the brain

Furthermore, mothers consuming raw/undercooked meat or fish, alcohol, and/or drugs during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of CP for the child. Besides that, CP can also be caused by birth injuries that happen due to inadequate care and negligence from medical professionals during the childbirth process.

Can Vijaya Help Patients With This Condition?

Here is what some of the medical studies say about the efficacy of Vijaya and cannabis-based medicines in alleviating CP:

  • As per a study conducted by the University of Manitoba, over 90% of the patients found relief from their muscle spasms, one of the most common symptoms among people with CP, after consuming Vijaya. 
  • A few years back, CNN aired a special about how CBD oil (one of the most prominent chemical compounds in Vijaya) helped bring down a young girl’s convulsive seizures from over 50 in a day to nearly two-three times per month! She regained her ability to walk, talk, eat, and conduct her day-to-day activities easily.
  • The herb helps reduce speech disorders (repetition and stuttering) along with severe muscle pain and stiffness. 
  • In a 2021 study in Switzerland, caregivers reported significant improvements in the symptoms of over 66% of CP patients, including pain, spasticity, and frequency of seizures, after consuming Vijaya.  
  • The results of a study conducted in Israel indicate that Vijaya can significantly reduce CP symptoms among kids, especially pain. It statistically enhances their motor skills, general mood, sleep quality, and bowel movements.
  • Harvard study found that Vijaya can increase one’s cognitive function. Since chronic pain is one of the major factors that can impair cognitive performance, Vijaya’s incredible pain-relieving potential aids its efficacy in improving cognition, concentration, and overall mental health and function.

Vijaya and the Endocannabinoid System 

The reason behind cannabis-based medicines’ incredible efficacy in alleviating CP symptoms is their interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS contains numerous cannabinoid receptors, most of which are concentrated in the central nervous system (CNS), i.e., the brain and the spinal cord. 

When the patients consume Vijaya, its chemical compounds called cannabinoids travel straight through the bloodstream to the ECS receptors in the brain areas responsible for regulating vital bodily processes, including movement, posture, coordination, stability, balance, mental function, etc. By activating these receptors, the herb helps alleviate CP symptoms among patients and improve their overall brain function.

One of the most effective ways to leverage this herb is in the form of prescription Ayurvedic medicines like the Trailokya Vijaya Vati. This effective Ayurvedic formulation helps combine Vijaya’s medicinal properties with another valuable Ayurvedic herb, Vansh Lochan, known to increase muscle tone and improve brain power with its tonic properties. 

Moreover, the natural ingredients used in the formulation make it incredibly safe for consumption and do not show any harmful side effects on health. This makes Trailokya Vijaya Vati more efficacious and a much safer alternative to conventional medication. 

Discover more about how you can improve your cerebral health and function with this herb by getting the right consultation from the best Ayurvedic doctors at Hempstreet.

 

References

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html#:~:text=Cerebral%20palsy%20(CP)%20is%20a,problems%20with%20using%20the%20muscles.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20353999

https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/cerebral-palsy/

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/marijuana-addiction/how-does-marijuana-work/

Hempstreet is India's first and largest research to retail player in the medicinal cannabis space with a network of 60,000 ayurvedic practitioners across the country.

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