Our body is subjected to air, water, soil, and noise pollution every day. These causes a toll on our health. Even stress causes undue pressure on our body. If our mind is not calm and stable our body also has adverse effects of it.
Ideally, one must eat when hungry and eat the right kind of food as per ones’ s body constitution to stay healthy.
If this is not followed it leads to harmful effects on the body and we become sick. Our digestive system is the first to be affected which becomes weak causing indigestion leading to the following health problems-
1. Constipation,
2. lethargy,
3. headache,
4. giddiness,
5. stiffness over upper and lower back,
6. yawning,
7. pain in the body,
8. excessive thirst,
9. fever,
10. nausea,
11. loss of appetite and
12. Excessive salivation as well.
The various channels (arteries, veins and lymphatic system) which distribute nutrients throughout the body get blocked & proper nutrition is not received by the various parts of the body to function well.
To prevent this, we must clean our body internally. Ayurveda has answers to this problem. The 5 internal body cleansing therapies have originated from Ayurveda and has been recommended by Ayurved Acharyas and practiced since years to keep body fit, prevent diseases & stay young. Also, it has therapeutic benefits for the diseases as it repairs the damage caused by the root cause of the disease. This kind of approach does not produce side-effects. This is what Ayurveda believes in.
• Over the years our body accumulates a lot of toxins due to improper diet and lifestyle adopted in various seasons, less or no exercise & stress, etc.
• The toxins get accumulated in various channels in our body like the food canal, respiratory system, urinary tract, reproductive system, sense organs, lymphatic system, etc. which reflects on our skin.
• This affects our mind and soul as well. We get anxious and depressed due to the physical ailments which we have.
• For instance, adolescents who suffer from acne get very anxious about their looks so it very important for it to be treated.
One can do it by undergoing Detoxification which is called as Panchkarma under the supervision of a registered Ayurveda practitioner/ Vaidya.
“Panchkarma” is a Sanskrit word.
“Panch” means 5.
“Karma” means therapies to cleanse the body of human beings internally.
So, it means 5 therapies which are done to cleanse the body of human beings internally.
So let us see the 5 therapies according to Acharya Charak-
1) Therapeutic Emesis (Vamana)
2) Therapeutic purgation (Virechan)
3) Medicated oil enema (Anuvasan Vasti)
4) Medicated decoction enema (Niruh Vasti)
5) Nasal insufflation (Nasya)
However, Acharya Sushruta has considered blood tissue as the fourth dosha and established the treatment of Bloodletting using non –poisonous leech & nowadays with the use of syringe or scalp vein set to correct any blood-related diseases.
Before Panchkarma, 2 preparatory therapies are given namely-
1) Snehan (Herbal oil massage on body followed by Swedan)
2) Swedan (Steam bath or hot fomentation using herbal poultice)
All the therapies are done on proper physical examination and when diagnosis is established, under the supervision of registered Ayurveda practitioner/ Vaidya.
Detoxification treatments/ Panchkarma in Ayurveda-
1. Therapeutic Emesis (Vamana)-
It is the first Panchakarma procedure in which vomiting is induced preceding which few treatment procedures are done. Vamana is best for option for pacifying the aggravated Kapha dosha under the supervision of registered Ayurveda practitioner/ Vaidya. Vamana is indicated in following diseases in Bronchitis, Bronchial asthma, Dyspnea, Indigestion, etc.
2. Therapeutic Purgation (Virechana)- In this treatment procedure the excess Pitta dosha is removed out from the body. The patient is prescribed medicated clarified butter (ghee) for consumption in a specified dose and for specified period of time. During this period of time the toxins in the body are channelized towards the food canal where they get accumulated. Finally, the toxins are excreted out by inducing purgation by purgatives prescribed by the Vaidya. The patient passes loose motions depending upon the amount of toxins accumulated in the food canal.
It is employed for diseases caused by vitiation of Pitta doshas like skin diseases which includes Psoriasis, Eczema, Hyperacidity, etc.
3. Medicated Oil Enema (Anuvasan Vasti)- Enema is said to serve as the most important function to pacify the Vata dosha.
Anuvasan Vasti is a special type of enema in which a specific variety of medicated oil enema as per the disease condition of the patient is administered as advised by the treating Ayurveda practitioner/ Vaidya. This enema has to be retained for a period of time. It is employed for diseases caused by vitiation of Vata dosha like Osteoarthritis, Low back pain, Sciatica, Gout, etc.
4. Medicated decoction enema (Niruh Vasti) – In this process, instead of medicated oil, herbal decoction is administered through the anus or urinary-tract depending upon the disease as advised by the treating Ayurveda practitioner/ Vaidya.
It is best option for pacifying the aggravated all the three Vata, Pitta & Kapha doshas. It has anti-ageing effect.
5. Nasal insufflation (Nasya)- It is used for treatment of diseases which affect the parts above the neck region like Allergic-Rhinitis, Migraine, Frontal-Sinusitis, Epilepsy, etc. as recommended by the treating registered Ayurveda practitioner/Vaidya. In this treatment Herbal oil is administered into the nostrils.
6. Blood-letting (Rakta mokshan)- This treatment procedure is utilized in curing diseases caused by vitiation of blood tissue. Blood is a significant connective tissue of the human body. Rakta mokshana is highly efficacious procedure done using non-poisonous leeches & syringe or scalp vein set to correct any blood-related diseases like Eczema, Indigestion, Gout, Discoloration on skin, piles, etc.
This sums up the entire Detoxification/Panchkarma procedure. Therefore, one must consult a registered Ayurveda practitioner/Vaidya for routine check-up if healthy and also if suffering from any long-standing diseases like Diabetes mellitus, High blood pressure, Obesity, High Cholesterol levels, indigestion, Skin Diseases, Primary Infertility (couples who are not able to reproduce after two years of marriage), Secondary infertility (couples who are not able to reproduce after the birth of their second child), Perimenopause health problems, Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) and other health problems.
Use of “Panchkarma” (5 internal body cleansing therapies)-
1) To keep balance among the three life forces Vata, Pitta and Kapha and maintain health- It prevents one to suffer any disease such as the lifestyle diseases common today like Diabetes mellitus, High cholesterol levels, Obesity, Constipation, Indigestion, Hyperacidity, Gases, Stress, etc. If these health issues are not taken seriously they may become very complicated.
2) To restore balance of the three life forces/Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) -Doshas get imbalanced to a large extent in sickness and in diseases which are long-standing and serious in nature such as in Osteoarthritis, High Cholesterol levels, Hypertension, Kidney stone, Asthma, Heart diseases, etc.
3) To keep the mind calm. Learn to manage stress. Stress causes a lot of reversible and irreversible damage to body and mind. It causes anxiety and depression, other personality disorders and stress also affects physical health.
4) To boost immunity- It has been observed that seasonal changes causes cold, cough and fever often. So, to avoid them one must enhance the immunity power and undergo Panchakarma in which rejuvenation therapy is the utmost important therapy which will boost ones’ immunity power.
5) To welcome a healthy baby – Panchakarma is also recommended to couples who are planning a baby. Both husband and wife must undergo Panchakarma therapies so that the quality of eggs in the female partner and quality of sperms in the male partner are good so that the progeny is born healthy and prevent genetic abnormalities.
6) To prevent unwanted attack on the immune cells- It causes a lot of auto immune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc. that are quite common today.
7) To keep our 5 sense organs, hale and hearty- Eyes, nose, ears, skin, and tongue are the 5 sense organs. To protect them from the harmful effects of the toxins and age one must undergo oil massage to rejuvenate skin so that it functions well throughout life. To maintain a good vision which may get affected due to excess use of gadgets like mobiles, TV, I pad etc. one must undergo therapy on eyes. Similarly, to keep the nose and ensure proper breathing, detecting various smells and prevent sinusitis one must drain the sinuses of the nose by undergoing Nasya treatment. Likewise, therapies are given to keep our ears and tongue to remain healthy.