CLINICAL STUDIES ON SEASONAL INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES ON ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND EFFECT OF AN AYURVEDIC COMPOUND DRUG ON IT

ABSTRACT

Hypertension is a disease of gradual, insidious onset with no specific features to start with, so its detection was not easy before the discovery of Stethoscope and Sphygmomanometer. Seasonal variation in arterial blood pressure has been reported in studies with hypertensive and normotensive subjects. A high blood pressure may vary by season, study shows higher doses of medication may be needed in winter; by Charlene Laino , Web MD Medical News, Nov. 5, 2007 (Orlando, Fla.). The findings suggest that people with high blood pressure may need higher doses of medication or even different drugs in the winter months, says researcher Ross D. Fletcher, MD, chief of staff at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. As far as Ayurveda is concerned, it is supposed to be the oldest medical literature available in the world; but no any disease in the classics can exactly correlate with hypertension. The authors hold the view that the disorders which are tends to persist round the year must have some seasonal influence over there causation and severity; like wise hypertension is a disorder of pressure homeostasis, that can be easily influenced by atmospheric pressure and temperature changes. A clinical study has been performed to assess the effect of an Ayurvedic compound drug on it with an aim to evaluate the effect of season on its severity.

Key words- Hypertension, seasonal variation, Ayurveda, Vata vyadhi