Abstract

Dr. Shaifali Sharma*, Dr. Harvendra Devpal, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Sharma, Dr. Purushottam Das Sharma, Dr. Dinesh Kumar Sharma and Dr. Deepa

ABSTRACT

The earliest classical Sanskrit works on Ayurveda describe medicine as being divided into eight components. "The medicine that has eight components" is first found in the Sanskrit epic, the Mah?bh?rata, Kaumarabhrtya or Pediatrics (Discussions about prenatal and postnatal care of baby and mother, methods of conception, choosing the child's sex, intelligence and constitution, childhood diseases and midwifery)“Kaumarabhrtya” the branch which deals with Balachikitsa (Pediatric health care), has been given the foremost position among Ashtangas of Ayurveda by all the Brihatrayi Acharyas including Acharya Kashyapa. Kaumarabhrtya deals with healthy upbringing of infants, purification of mother's milk and also cure for diseases of infants caused by intake of vitiated breast milk or Balagraha (evil demons). Early childhood is a critical period in development, as rapid gain in physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional domains constitutes the “building blocks” of children's later growth. Pediatric health care can be brought under the broad concept of Kaumarabhrtya. Since a child's health is dependent on the mother's health, Kaumarbhrtya also focuses on special aspects of the mother's health as well. Immunity, nutrition, digestion and metabolism are the key concerns in child health. Prevention being the primary tool for health maintenance, the role of immunology in literature is really important. Ayurvedic medicines especially Rasayanas enhance the body's overall natural resistance to the disease causing agent rather than directly neutralizing the agent itself. The preventive measures like Swarnprashan mentioned specially in Kashyapa Samhita can be studied as an Ayurvedic approach of way of immunization, this plays a key role in the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. This paper provides a bird's eye view of the literary contributions and ancient traditional medical practices in the field of Balachikitsa for the healthy growth of a child.