Panchakarma

Panchakarm are unique detoxification therapies, very scientifically designed with detailed SOPs. Toxins are unwanted and harmful substances which get collected inside cells because of faulty lifestyle, wrong food habits etc. These toxins are the cause for obstruction in the nourishment of body and decrease in immunity.

Panchakarma treatment aims to release toxins from your body through five classical procedures. These are age old cleansing and detoxifying rituals for body, mind & soul. Panchakarma treatments are advised by Ayurveda doctors of Tapasya after thorough examination of patient. They are Vaman(Induced therapeutic emesis), Virechana (Induced therapeutic purgation), Basti(Induced therapeutic medicated enema), Nasya( Therapeutic nasal instillation), Raktamokshan(Therapeutic bloodletting). These treatment procedures brings out toxins from cellular level & expelled out of the body through natural orifices.

Vaman is primarily helpful in eradicating aggravated “Kapha” from its root i.e stomach. Hence this procedure is very much recommended in diseases like recurrent cold, cough, and sinusitis, Asthma, GERD, Nausea, Heartburn, Diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, psoriasis and allergic rhinitis, indigestion, anemia, hyperacidity, psychological disturbances etc.

In this procedure a medicated ghee is administered orally for three to six days as per patients body constitution followed by two days of resting period. During this period Abhyang (medicated oil massage),swedan (steam bath/fomentation),shirodhara (oil pouring on forehead) etc external therapies are performed & Kapha aggravating diet is given like cured rice, sweets, milk, milk products, leafy vegetables etc.

After Abhyang and swedan early in the morning on the day of Vaman, patient is made to drink milk, medicated decoction and medicine which induces vomiting is given to drink. This induces vomiting for 4 to 5 times. Person is given medicated smoke to inhale and advised to take complete rest once vomiting is stopped. Dietary regime to be followed is instructed and made to follow strictly. Drinking hot water and taking maximum physical rest is an important requisite of procedure.

Virechana is primarily helpful in cleansing and detoxifying organs like liver, spleen and especially Rakta dhatu i.e. Blood. It removes excess bile salts accumulated and detoxifies liver. Ultimately it improves entire digestive system. Hence this procedure is very much recommended in liver disorders, skin disorders, digestive disorders and all kinds of inflammatory disorders like joint pain, arthritis, rheumatism, obesity, type 2 diabetes, psychological disorders.

Procedure starts with ‘Snehapan’ i.e. administration of medicated ghee orally from three to six days as per patients body constitution. After snehapan there is 2 to 3 days of resting period i.e. during this period Pitta aggravating diet is given like masala rice, spicy curry, sour soup etc. Abhyang(medicated oil massage), Swedan(steam bath/fomentation), Shirodhara( oil pouring on forehead)etc. external therapies are performed during resting period for external oleation of patient.

After abhyang & swedan in the morning on the day of Virechana (Approximately i.e. on 8th day) a person is administered the medicine for inducing purgation, which causes 10 to 15 times smooth defecation and expel out toxins in the form of ‘Pitta’. Once urge of motion stops and patient gets hungry, person will be given peya to drink. Dietary regime to be followed is instructed and made to follow strictly. Drinking hot water and taking maximum physical and mental rest is an important requisite of procedure.

Basti is administration of medicated enema through anorectal route. Basti is known as half of the treatment in entire Panchakarm and helps in regulating Vata imbalance and ultimately nervous system, hormonal system, bone,joint,bone marrow related disorders and most importantly reproductive system. It is the most pleasant method of detoxification practically. Hence Basti is performed extensively in joint and spine care, Nervous system disorders like paralysis, muscular dystrophy, pain and aches, headache, degeneration, nourishment of reproductive system and in improving fertility.

In this procedure Abhyang (medicated oil massage), Swedan(steam bath/fomentation) is done as preparatory procedure. Anuvasan Basti is taila (oil) or Ghrita (ghee) enema in which medicated oil or ghee is administered after meals. Niruha Basti is medicated decoction enema, to be given after preparatory procedure on an empty stomach. Anuvasan Basti is expected to retain in the body for longer time whereas Niruha Basti flushes toxins out of body immediately. Anuvasan Basti is followed by Niruha and again by Anuvasan this completes one cycle of Basti, which requires at least 2 days. Likewise there are set of 8, 15, 21 & 30 Basti, as per severity of the disease, patient’s physical condition and amount of toxins required to be expelled out.

Nasya means instillation of medicated oil or ghee drops via nostrils. In this procedure Abhyang (medicated oil massage), Swedan(steam bath/fomentation) is done as preparatory procedure. This therapy is meant to expel out toxins accumulated not only in the sinuses but also from entire head and neck. Apart from detoxification Nasya nourishes organs situated in the head and neck like brain, eyes, ears, oral cavity, nose, vertebrae of neck, facial skin and shoulder joints. Nasya is an effective treatment in diseases like sinusitis, asthma, cough, migraine, facial paralysis, Parkinson, Shrinking of brain cells, cervical spondylitis(Neck pain), shoulder pain etc.

A process of bloodletting is known as Raktamokshan. There are multiple ways of bloodletting. Siravedhan is a process in which bloodletting is done almost like blood donation method, certain amount of blood taken out and instead of donating and it is discarded as it is considered as a vitiated blood.

Leech is a small organism of the size of a little finger. It is found in damp area of forest. It has a medicinal value and an independent chemical known as “Hirudin” in its saliva. Leech sucks blood wherever there is a vitiation of blood on local body parts. It is applied on the affected body part. Leech sucks average 25 to 30 ml of blood very slowly. It takes almost one to three hours to suck such a small quantity of blood.

Leech therapy is useful in various inflammatory joint disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout, reactive arthritis etc. skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis, acne, abscess etc.