Nasya-Centered Ayurvedic Outpatient Care for Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Shalakya Tantra Practice Framework

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis are common outpatient complaints that often move between self-medication, antihistamines, nasal sprays, and traditional care. Within Ayurveda, Pratishyaya, Pinasa, and related disorders are frequently approached through Shalakya Tantra assessment, Nasya, diet correction, steam exposure, and avoidance of irritant triggers. This conceptual mixed-methods paper develops a clinic framework for Nasya centered Ayurvedic care that remains compatible with modern safety screening. Literature from classical Ayurveda, recent systematic reviews, and contemporary rhinosinusitis guidelines was synthesized with a synthetic outpatient audit of 72 adults. The model separates wellness-oriented nasal routines from disease treatment, emphasizes referral flags, and defines measurable outcomes such as congestion score, sleep interference, smell perception, and medication-seeking behavior. Findings indicate that documentation quality, individualized preparation, and post-Nasya routine are more important for safe adoption than procedure frequency alone. The paper concludes that Nasya can be studied responsibly when framed as supervised adjunctive care, not as a replacement for urgent or specialist management.

KEYWORDS: Nasya; Pratishyaya; chronic rhinosinusitis; allergic rhinitis; Shalakya Tantra; Ayurvedic ENT