Panchakarma

Panchakarma is an Ayurvedic detoxification therapy that aims to restore the body’s balance and remove toxins through five therapeutic procedures. It includes massages, herbal steam baths, enemas, nasal drops, and bloodletting. Our Ayurveda hospital offers Panchakarma programs customized to individual needs, under the guidance of experienced practitioners to promote overall wellness.

Ayurveda came up with healing principles that turned out to be literally eternal. Remnants of many Ayurveda principles are found in other traditional healing systems such as Greek, Tibetan, Arabian and Chinese. Although the Chinese took these principles and created unique therapies such as Moxibustion, Acupressure, Acupuncture and so on, Panchakarma was not embraced. Panchakarma is a set of five deeply cleansing therapies, extremely valuable for almost any chronic and deeply seated condition.

While principles of cleansing became universal, Panchakarma remained an Indian thing. It’s absolutely interesting that most of these principles have been reinvented by modern researchers recently in their own way – and are used by both Western medical and Western natural practitioners.

Ayurveda has an OPD (Out Patient Department) and an IPD (In Patient Department) for handling illnesses of different depths. While OPD works on not-so-deep diseases with lifestyle, nutrition and mild cleanses, IPD deals with deeper toxins and chronic diseases with safe and powerful cleanses.

Panchakarma and Shodhana are two overlapping but different groups of diseases that we need to explore first. The word ‘panchakarma’ stands for 5 prominent therapies; Nasyam, Vamana, Virechana, Kashayavasti and Snehavasti. The first four of these are cleansing in nature and the last one is preparatory nourishment therapy for the fourth one.  ‘Shodhanam’ or ‘cleansing’, are five cleanses; Vamana, Virechana, Vasti, Nasyam and Raktamokshm. Shodhanam has discarded Snehavasti as it is not an actual cleansing and added Raktamoksham.

Most diseases can be successfully addressed with simple LHC (lifestyle management, some herbs and a mild weekly cleansing) at an OPD. When it’s chronic and toxins are deep-seated, Panchakarma is the only way. But, it is unlikely all 5 karmas would be performed on any patient one after another. After an assessment, based on the toxicity location, just one appropriate karma is chosen, which can take anywhere from 14 to 41 days. To qualify for Panchakarma, you must have a chronic condition that doesn’t sufficiently respond to at least 6 months of strict and holistic outpatient treatment.

Unlike a massage session, where you just walk into the clinic, after a 5-minute chat you are at the table, an hour later you are on the other end of the therapy and you are back in your car driving home – major therapies require weeks of mental and physical preparation. They need to be on preparatory lifestyle and nutrition programs. The duration, quantity and quality of herbs included and a strict routine, make them ‘major’ in nature. In short, you don’t walk into a hospital asking for a month of Panchakarma, but, if necessary, your doctor will prescribe it. Panchakarma is effective, but not pleasant mostly – it’s not a spa therapy program.

The first group of patients, tried the OPD program for sufficient time, with insufficient positive results. They will most definitely benefit from Panchakarma. The second group is the one who doesn’t want to do any OPD and wants to outsource their healing to doctors and hospitals. They may not get the imagined results. Suddenly, the monthly cost of treatment jumps from Rs 3000/month to Rs 1+ Lakshs/month. Waste of resources. Of course, you are receiving a different type of service and lifestyle!

The disease we talk about is the body’s attempt to go back to its original glory. Let’s look into the common groups of diseases.

• Jwara or Inflammation is the body’s attempt to dispel toxins safely and repair the damages as best as possible.
• Leena-dosham or Auto-immune conditions are seen as the body’s attack on toxins that are immersed deep into the cells.
• Abhishanga or Infection is the act of outsourcing detoxification or cleaning up when we have low energy.
• OjoNashtajaRogas or Degenerative conditions are when super-strong toxicity ceases regeneration. And,
• KshayaJanyaRogas or Deficiency conditions occur when the absorption of the nutrients is low.

The first four conditions are always toxin related. While toxin formation is the actual disease, the body’s attempt to dispel it through inflammation is natural healing. This is where we remember the statement “Give me a fever (inflammation), I can cure any disease” by Hippocrates. When we help our body in breaking down toxins located in the tissues, and move them into the GIT for further cleansing, the healing becomes easier, faster and more complete to heal. This is the Ayurvedic principle of ‘Pure Healing’. That’s what Ayurveda does contrary to Western medicine.

Western medicine defines inflammation (Jwaram) the same way as Ayurveda does. When Ayurveda works on dispelling toxins as part of ‘pure healing’, Western medicine stops the body’s attack on toxins by shutting down the inflammatory process using substances called anti-inflammatories. Western medicine is taking a suppression approach. Ayurveda sees toxin formation as the disease process and inflammation as the healing process.