Panchakarma - Dhanvantari Institute Of Panchakarma and Massage

Panchakarma is a form of treatment in ayurveda where instead of oral medication, treatment is done by using various procedures like massage, steam, medicated enemas etc. This treatment constitutes of five basic forms of treatment each of which is called as a karma, hence the name pancha-karma where pancha indicates five. This five basic procedures are :-

1) Vaman - emesis - induced vomiting.
   2) Virechan - purgation - induced laxation.
   3) Basti - medicated enemas of decoctions or oils.
   4) Nasya - nasal medication.
   5) Rakta-mokshan - Blood letting.

Ayurveda states that diseases are formed as a result of accumulation of harmful bodily substances which may present themselves in various forms (for ex. liquid form, solid form etc) and in different parts of the body. Panchakarma is a process in which these accumulated substances are removed from the body by direct intervention. The benefits of this process are explained as follows :-

Harmful bodily substances removed by oral treatment may recur
but if removed by panchakarma they do not recur again.

The process which occurs in panchakarma can be explained in short as follows :-

1) Due to improper food habits like excessive eating, eating too much cold foods, hard to digest foods, remaining in a cold environment for a long time without proper precaution etc leads to accumulation of excessive phlegm in the body. This is called as kapha in ayurveda. The process by which this excessive phlegm is removed is called as vaman.

2) Due to eating of excessive sour or bitter foods, too much hot foods, traveling in the sun or remaining in the sun for a longer period of time leads to accumulation of pitta (acidic substance). The process by which this excessive pitta is removed is called as virechan.

3) Due to excessive traveling, excessive physical work, eating foods which are dry or non-nutritious leads to accumulation of vata (gases) in the body. The process by which this excessive vata is removed is called as basti.

4) When either of these substances get accumulated in the head region it is easier to remove them via the nasal cavity. The process which is used for this purpose is called as nasya.

5) When either of these substances get accumulated in the blood or get mixed with blood, the process which is used to remove them and purify the blood is called as rakta-mokshan.

Besides these there are many smaller procedures which are done as a part of pre-operative procedures (for ex. massage and steam) or which are used for specific purpose (for ex. shiro-dhara, which helps relieve mental stress). The most commonly done procedures are as follows:-

1) General and special massage :- General massage is the primary massage which is done prior to all panchakarmas. As per the requirement this can be a full body massage or massage over a single part. The oils used in this massage differ from person to person depending upon various factors such as climate, constitution, type of disease etc.

Special massage is the massage done as treatment itself. This is used in various diseases like paralysis, spondylysis, slip-disc, cramps, sciatica, parkinson's disease, asthma, mental stress etc.

2) Shiro-dhara :- In this procedure a thin stream of oil or medicated concoction is poured over the forehead from a certain height. This is beneficial in diseases of the head like migraine, sleeplessness, mental disorders, mental stress etc.

3) Shiro-basti :- This is a procedure in which a belt is fastened around the head covering the portion of the forehead so a well like formation takes place over the head. This well is then filled with oil and kept for some time. This is also beneficial in diseases of the head especially in difficulties arising due to injuries to the head.
4) Katibasti :- The same procedure as explained above is done over the waist. Only instead of a belt, a metal ring is used to form the well. This is very effective in backaches, slip-disc, sciatica and other similar disorders.
5) Awgah:- In this process, body parts especially the limbs are immersed in medicated decoctions kept in tub. This is beneficial in relieving pain and stress in the affected body part. It is used in cases of cramps, paralysis etc.
6) Parishek :- In this procedure a spray or sprinkling of medicated decoctions or oils is done over the whole body or over the affected part. It is helpful in relieving strains accumulated in the affected body parts.
7) Sarwangdhara :- In this procedure a stream of oil or decoction is held over the whole body. The procedure is similar to shiro-dhara except that it is performed over the whole body. This also helps relieve stress, strain and pain from the affected parts.

Dhanvantari Panchakarma Institute offers all of the above and many other procedures as per patients requirement.

For more details e-mail at panchakarma@ashwinikumar.com