Diabetic Retinopathy and Ayurvedic Palliative Therapies: A Comprehensive Review
Keywords:
Diabetes Mellitus, Prameha, Neuropathy, Retinopathy, Ayurveda, Rasayana, Palliative TherapiesAbstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of preventable blindness globally. Despite advancements in modern ophthalmology, current treatment options are often invasive and expensive, leading to an increased interest in complementary and alternative therapies, especially Ayurveda. This review explores the pathophysiology, progression, and classification of diabetic retinopathy and evaluates the potential of Ayurvedic palliative therapies and interventions. We review classical Ayurvedic texts, recent clinical studies, and experimental data to understand the efficacy of herbs, Panchakarma, and Rasayana therapy in DR management. This integrated approach may offer a holistic and cost-effective solution, improving the quality of life for diabetic patients.References
nternational Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas. 10th ed. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2021.
Yau JWY, Rogers SL, Kawasaki R, Lamoureux EL, Kowalski JW, Bek T, et al. Global prevalence and major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care. 2012;35(3):556–564.
Brownlee M. Biochemistry and molecular cell biology of diabetic complications. Nature. 2001;414(6865):813–820.
Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network. Randomized trial evaluating ranibizumab plus prompt or deferred laser in diabetic macular edema. Ophthalmology. 2015;122(2):375–381.
Sharma PV. Sushruta Samhita. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Vishvabharati; 2010.
Rege NN, Thatte UM, Dahanukar SA. Immunotherapeutic modulation of intraperitoneal adhesion formation by Tinospora cordifolia. Indian J Pharmacol. 1999;31:167–172.
Krishna KL, Paridhavi M, Patel JA. A review on nutritional, medicinal and pharmacological properties of Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn). Int J Pharm Sci Res. 2009;1(1):10–20.
Srivastava RM, Singh S, Dubey SK, Misra K, Khar A. Curcumin inhibits microvascular proliferation in diabetic retinopathy. Phytother Res. 2011;25(5):728–733.
Batiha GE, Beshbishy AM, El-Mleeh A, Abdel-Daim MM, Devkota HP. Glycyrrhiza glabra: chemical composition and biological activities. Plants (Basel). 2020;9(4):431.
Dwivedi A, Nishteswar K. Clinical study on the efficacy of Netra basti in Timira. AYU. 2006;27(3):24–27.
Gupta SK, Kalaiselvan V, Srivastava S, Saxena R. Efficacy of Triphala in chronic inflammatory diseases. Int J Ayurveda Res. 2018;9(1):30–35.
Patel N, Desai M, Shah R. Evaluation of Triphala eye drops in the management of diabetic retinopathy. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014;5(1):24–30.
Joshi D, Goyal S, Shukla S. Effects of Haridra and Amalaki on oxidative stress in diabetes. Phytomedicine. 2012;19(1):2–6.
Nadkarni KM. Indian Materia Medica. Mumbai: Bombay Popular Prakashan; 2009.
Vidyasagar A, Panda BB. Integrative medicine in diabetic retinopathy: scope and challenges. J Integr Med. 2020;18(2):139–145.
Charaka Samhita. Acharya YT, editor. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Sanskrit Sansthan; 2014.
Ashtanga Hridaya. Murthy KRS, translator. Varanasi: Krishnadas Academy; 2000.
Sethi A, Sharma R, Gupta P. Clinical approaches to diabetic retinopathy in Ayurveda: an overview. J Res Ayur Sci. 2017;1(1):15–21.
Kumar V, Sharma S, Gupta R. Ayurvedic management of diabetic retinopathy: a case study. AYU. 2019;40(3):188–192.
Shinde RV, Rana AP, Rajurkar H, Kaple MN. Prameha and diabetes mellitus. Int J Curr Res Rev. 2020;12(14)
