SERVICE YOUR BODY..........

                                           

Restore your health and rejuvenate your body with Ayurvedic Panchakarma – a time-tested method for health and longevity

These days, it’s virtually impossible to avoid the toxins, stress, radiation, smoke and synthetic chemicals that damage our bodies and minds, and reduce vitality.  We may think that these stressors have recently come into existence, but they have probably been around in one form or another since the very beginning of man-kind.  Many methods have been discovered to neutralize these toxins, or purify the body, but perhaps the oldest of these has received very little attention recently.

Ayurveda’s "Panchakarma" literally means five therapies.  They include Vamana (therapeutic emesis or vomiting), Virechana (therapeutic purgations), Basti (enema), Nasya (nasal drops) and Rakta Mokshana (blood-letting).  They are generally followed by a course of Rasayana, or rejuvenation, to arrest the ageing process and promote radiant vitality.

Each one of these has very specific indications, in both management and prevention of disease.  Depending on the dosha (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha), the condition, and the strength of the patient, any one of them may be used as an emergency line of treatment or as part of long-term management.  As a preventative measure, each one is indicated in a certain season to rid the body of toxins which naturally accumulate due to diet and external factors.  In either case, an individual course may last 7-14 days or more.

Each treatment is composed of a methodical sequence of internal medicines and external procedures (like massage and steam bath), performed in three distinct stages - a preparatory phase (Purva karma), actual purification (Pradhana karma), and follow-up phase (Paschat karma).  Undergoing at least one treatment per year provides significant improvement in overall health along with a greatly strengthened immune system.

One of the most intriguing steps in the sequence occurs during the preparatory phases of Vamana and Virechana.  Over several days, increasing amounts of medicated ghee (clarified butter) are required to be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach.  This fat permeates throughout the body and helps to safely free toxins which have been stored deep inside the tissues.

Then, a series of oil massages and steam baths are done to mobilize these toxins towards the gastrointestinal canal, in order to be excreted.  On the day of the actual therapy, a medicated paste or decoction may be given to induce the expulsion of these toxins.  Afterwards, a very specific meal plan is formulated for 3-7 days to rid the body of any residual toxins and optimize digestion and metabolism.

Studies are now being done to calculate and quantify the results of these purification methods in conventional terms.  In 2002, a pilot study confirmed the effectiveness of one purification method far beyond scientists` expectations.  Lipophilic industrial toxins like DDT and PCBs, which were thought to be impossible to remove from the body, reduced by an astonishing 50% after a single treatment.

Basti, Nasya and Rakta Mokshana all vary in their implementation and are comparatively easier as they do not involve oral consumption of any fats.  Classically, when all 5 are performed in sequence and followed by Rasayana (rejuvenation) in a very restricted setting, it is called “Kaya Kalpa.”  This is a technique which is just beginning to become popular again in India.

When performed methodically and according to the classical guidelines, the benefits of Panchakarma are profound, multi-systemic and long lasting.  All tissues of the body are purified and reinforced, promoting a radiance of the body and brilliance of the mind.