- Dr.Savitha
Suri 29/ 4 /08
According to
ayurvedic texts our body is
crisscrossed by srotas or channels or tube like structures. This
net work contains both microscopic and macroscopic channels. (
Digestive system, nervous system , circulatory system etc are few
examples of these channels). Innumerable physiological process
like breathing, blood circulation, secretions of enzymes, hormones
etc , flow of signals, supply of nutrients, filtration of toxins ,
excretion of waste etc are aided by these tubular structures.
Diseases occur when toxins get
accumulated in body and clog these channels. Unhealthy diet,
lifestyle, stress, changes in environment etc lead to accumulation
of toxins in body. These accumulated toxins have to be expelled
out in order to keep our body healthy. Through panchakarma therapy
these toxic clogs are removed to normalize the physiological
process. Hence panchakarma therapy is called as detoxification
therapy. Panchakarma therapy can be administered to a normal
person to prevent diseases and keep his body healthy. The ideal
season to expel toxins through this therapy, is rainy season.
Panchakarma therapy is also
used as a purifactory therapy to cleanse the body before starting
a treatment. A diseased body can be compared to a soiled cloth
which can not be colored as we desire. Hence to attain the maximum
benefits , the body has to be purified or cleaned before starting
the treatment. The cleared channels help medicines to penetrate
the deeper tissues.
The detoxification process contains three steps
1. Purvakarma - Preparations which have to be done before the
detoxification
2. Pradhanakarma – The main detoxifying process
3. Pashchat karma – Rehabilitating the diet and lifestyle after
the detoxification process.
Purvakarma : These steps are
adopted to soften the channels and toxins, so that the toxins can
get detached and eliminated easily during main detoxifying
process. The hard toxic clogs are made to get loosened by
increasing body fire or agni. Medicines are administered
internally for this purpose. This process is called as “deepana
and pachana” in ayurveda. (
the duration of this process is 3-5 days depending on the
conditions and diseases)
Later whole body is oleated internally and externally with
medicated oil or ghee. This process is called as “Snehana” .
Internal oleation is done by administering small quantities
of medicated oil or ghee internally. The duration of internal
oleation , quantity and type of medicated oil or ghee is
determined by the physician after analyzing the body constitution
of the patient. The patient has to eat liquid food or light food
on the day prior to internal oleation. After consuming the
medicated oil or ghee the patient is encouraged to sip warm water
frequently. When medicated oil or ghee is completely digested, the
patient is advised to consume light food.
External oleation is done after the completion of internal
oleation.. The whole body or body part is
massaged with medicated oil. Few
types of external oleation are used as treatment methods. They are
-
Abhyanga ; Massaging whole
body
-
Lepa – Smearing medicated oil
and herbs
-
Mardana – Kneading the body
parts with fingers and fists.
-
Padaghata – Tampling the body
with foot.
-
Gandusha - The mouth is filled
with oil and is retained for a longer period of time.
-
Parisheka (Pizhichil ) - The
warm medicated oil is poured continuously over the entire body for
an extended period of time.
Soon after oil massage the
body or body part is exposed to heat through steam bath or other
heating methods according to the physician’s choice. This process
of exposing body to heat is called as swedana or sweating.
Both snehana and swedana help to soften the channels and toxin
clogs. Elimination of toxins becomes easy when channels are soft
and toxins are loose.
Pradhana Karma : This is the
main detoxifying process. The softened and loosened toxins are
expelled from body by five methods. Considering these five major
detoxifying methods the whole process is named as “Panchakarma” (Pancha
= 5, Karma = process ) .
-
Vamana (through Emesis),
-
Virechana (Purgation),
-
Niruha basthi Basthi (enema
with herbal concoctions ),
-
Anuvasana basthi (enema with
medicated oil)
-
Nasya (nasal drops) and
Raktamokshana (Blood letting).
(These processes will be explained in detail in next issue ).
Physician can chose any of these detoxifying methods according to
disease and prevalence of doshas.
Paschat Karma: A strict diet and lifestyle procedure
has to be followed through out Panchakarma treatment. The
rehabilitative procedures to bring back the diet and lifestyle to
normal are considered as “paschat Karma”. In this stage the
digestion power is brought back to normalcy. Medicines are
administered to rejuvenate the body or to treat the disease.
During panchakarma treatment
the following rules have to be strictly followed.
-
One has to use only warm water
to drink, bathe and for other activities.
-
Person who is undergoing
panchakarma therapy can not indulge in sex.
-
Sleeping in daytime is
contraindicated.
-
Natural urges should not be
controlled.
-
Exposures to extreme
temperatures or weather conditions have to be avoided.
-
Keeping awake at night is not
advisable
-
Foods which cause indigestion
can not be consumed.
-
Exercise and mental stress
have to be avoided.
The Panchakarma therapy is not
advisable for persons in whom the following conditions exist.
The benefits of Panchakarma
are as follows
-
Toxins are eliminated from
body .
-
Doshas get Balanced.
-
Stress is reduced and body
gets relaxed.
-
Slows ageing process and
increases the lifespan.
-
Increases
glow and
luster of skin.
-
Boosts body immunity and body
energy level.
-
Enhances
strength,
energy, vitality and mental clarity
-
Reduces dependence on alcohol,
tobacco and drugs.
-
Help to implement healthy diet
and lifestyle.
This article is copy righted. The
author Dr.SavithaSuri is an Ayurvedic Physician and web master
of http://www.ayurhelp.com
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