ISSN Online:2229-3566
ISSN Print: 2277-4343
Article: BREAST MILK AFFECTS CHILD MORBIDITY STATUS: AN UNEXPLORED EVIDENCE FROM AYURVEDA
Article Category: Review articles
DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.120117
Pages: 75-78
Author: Vinay Sharma *, Nisha Ojha
Abstract: Breast milk is the main diet of infants as it provides all the nutrients for normal growth and development of a baby from the time of birth to the first 6 months of life. This dynamic fluid provides a diverse array of bioactive substances to the developing infant during critical periods of brain, immune system and gut development. In Ayurveda though breast milk is vital for children and infants but it may be vitiated with Dosha (regulatory functional factors of the body) due to the faulty lifestyle of the Dhatri (wet-nurse or mother) which may lead to various type of morbidities in child according to predominance of Dosha. Ancient Ayurveda scholars have also mentioned effect of breast milk according to taste and texture along with management of morbidities caused by these predominance’s of Dosha. Ayurveda have stressed very much on this aspect and have given a detailed account of abnormalities of breast milk and their consequences. Knowledge of this fact is of key significance for the proper growth and development of a child. Therefore, evidences from Ayurveda have been compiled in this article to understand the effect of breast milk on child morbidity status.
Keyword: Stanya, Dhatri, Morbidity, Breast milk