Panchakarma

Ayurveda emphasizes periodic cleansing, generally at every change of season, as a way to restore balance to mind and body. Although the body has an effective system for filtration of impurities, toxins can sometimes build up too rapidly for the body to cope. Plus, after the age of forty, the body's ability to purify itself becomes weaker.

The ayurvedic royal path to purity is called Panchakarma or Rejuvenation Therapy. Literally "five actions," Panchakarma refers to a range of cleansing therapies that includes special massages, steam baths, and mild herbal enemas.This series of five therapies help remove deep rooted stress and illness causing toxins from the body while balancing the doshas (energies that govern all biological functions).

What is Panch Karma?
Panch Karma includes five types of treatment which are as follows:
Vamana - Use of Emetics
Virecana - Use of laxatives
Basti - Medicated Enema
Nasya - Nasal administration
Rakta Mokshana - Blood letting

Steps of Panchkarma:
1.Purvakarma:

• Snehan: It is the olation therapy. It is of two kinds: 1)Internal Snehan : In this treatment medicated oils and ghee (clarified butter) etc. are given for internal use. They have a tendency of pushing or mobilising the impurities from there so that their elimination becomes easy.2)External Snehan : This comprises of different kinds of massage. Medicated oils are applied on the body and different methods are used for that. These massage techniques are many times used in the treatment of muscular fatigue, loss of motor functions, arithritis, paralysis, migraine, spondylitis and bodyache. They also induce sound sleep by relaxing the nervous system, increase immunity of the body and are beneficial to increase skin's lustre.
• Swaedan : It is the second purva karma. It means fomentation or heating therapy. Different types of fomentations like steam bath and poultices are used on specific parts of the body. Many kinds of warm medicated oils, water, milk and herbal decoctions are also used. These types of fomentation treatments are very beneficial in diseases like pains in the joints, neck, lumbago, hemiplegia, urinary disorders, renal diseases, muscular dystrophy, common cold. Swedana or fomentation liquifies or digests the doshas and opens the mouth of blocked channels and pores of cell membrane. This makes the elimination of wastes easy when the actual Panch Karma are performed.
  

2.Pradhankarma: So after doing these purva karma or preparatory treatments the main karmas (panch karma) are done.

3.Paschat Karma :After doing the Panch Karma, it is normally followed by:

• Samsarjan Karma : After the Panch Karma treatments are done the patient feels light and the digestive power becomes weak. A special diet and life style are prescribed for about some days. Thus in this therapy the digestive power and strength of the person is restored by starting a light diet and gradually going towards a heavy diet. The patient need not be admitted for this karma.
• Rasayana : This means rejuvenating therapy. The best results of rejuvenation can be achieved if it is taken after doing the Panch Karma If rejuvenation therapy or Rasayana are taken without cleaning the body we may not get best results because the effect of the Rasayana is reduced due to the presence of toxins or wastes in the body. Panch Karma treatment is very effective in diseases like hemiplegia, polio, rheumatoid arithritis, skin diseases, epilepsy, insomnia, hypertension, cardiac problems, intestinal diseases, peptic and duodenal ulcers, ulcerative colitis and asthma. Besides this, it produces immunity and increases youthfulness of our body.

Other miscellaneous therapies of Panchakarma:

  Udvartana       Nasya         Padabhyanga                       

• Shirodhara: It is recommended in anxiety, depression, hypertension, insomnia etc.
• Kati Basti: Useful in different backaches.
• Janu Basti: Useful in arthritis of the knee joint.
• Nadi Sweda: Useful in pain disorders of different sites.
• Pinda Sweda: Useful in neurological ailments and in the management of different pains.
• Shashti-Shali Pindasweda: Useful in neurological ailments.
• Tarpanam: Useful in the ailments of the eyes.
• Shirobasti: Useful in hair loss and the falling hair and other diseases of skull.
• Uttara Basti: Useful in genitourinary diseases and infertility of female.
• Udvartana: It is a medicated Ubtan to be applied over the skin for fair and glowing skin.