A Review on Concept of Pain with Its Management: An Ayurvedic Approach

Each individual learns the meaning of pain through experiences related to injury or suffering in early life. It is estimated that one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain and one in three are unable or less able to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their it. Pain has multiple, serious, sequelae including depression, inability to work, disrupted social relationships and often suicidal thoughts. In a world where everyone is looking for means and medicines to minimize and kill pain Ayurveda can be a ray of hope to understand its actual concept and provide new direction for its management. Ayurveda describes pain as the premonitory sign as well as symptoms of many diseases under different terminologies viz. Vedana, shool, ruja. Diagnosing the disease at the initial level on the basis of cause ,location and pathogenesis of pain a physician can prevent disease to be at its full fledge form and thus breaking the samprapti before disease progression and then plan its management accordingly. In the context of analgesics Vedanasthapana mahakashaya, Shool prashmana, Vatahara drugs etc. have been mentioned which when used in today's practice can provide an appropriate substitution for modern analgesics.