An Introduction to Panchakarma by Vasant Lad, B.A.M&.S., M.A.Sc., Ayurvedic Physician Ayurveda Emphasizes Preventative and Healing External Environment
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An Introduction to Panchakarma by Vasant Lad, B.A.M&.S., M.A.Sc., Ayurvedic Physician Ayurveda emphasizes preventative and healing external environment. The wrong diet, habits, lifestyle, therapies along with various methods of purification incompatible food combinations (e.g., milk and fish, and rejuvenation. Ayurveda is more than a mere melons and grain, yogurt and meat or eating cooked healing system; it is a science and an art of appropriate honey, etc.), seasonal changes, repressed emotions living that helps to achieve longevity. It can guide every and stress factors can all act either together or individual in the proper choice of diet, living habits separately to change the balance of vata, pitta and and exercise to restore balance in the body, mind and kapha. According to the nature of the cause, vata, pitta consciousness, thus preventing disease from gaining a or kapha undergo aggravation or derangement, which foothold in the system. affects the agni (gastric fire) and produces ama (toxins). According to Ayurveda, every human being is a unique This ama enters the blood stream and is circulated phenomenon of cosmic consciousness, manifested throughout the body, clogging the channels. Retention through the five basic elements—Ether, Air, Fire, of toxins in the blood results in toxemia. This Water and Earth. Vata—a combination of ether and air, accumulated toxicity, once well established, will slowly pitta—a combination of fire and water, and kapha—a affect prana (vital life energy), ojas (immunity), and combination of water and earth, are called the tridosha. tejas (cellular metabolic energy), resulting in disease. These are the three humors or the three organizations This can be nature’s effort to eliminate toxicity from the of the body, which are also derived from consciousness. body. Every so-called disease is a crisis of ama toxicity. Each individual constitution or psycho-somatic Ama is the basic internal cause of all disease, due to temperament is determined by the relative proportions the aggravated doshas. of these three doshas at the time of fertilization. When Herein lies the key to the prevention of disease: help the the embryo is formed, the constitution is determined. body eliminate the toxins. To stop the further production There are seven basic constitutions with one or more of ama, Ayurvedic literature suggests putting the person doshas predominant according to Ayurveda. They are: on a proper diet with appropriate lifestyle, habits and vata, pitta or kapha predominant, vata-pitta, pitta- exercise, and administering a proper cleansing program kapha or kapha-vata predominant and vata-pitta-kapha such as panchakarma. (Although panchakarma is often in equal balance, a rare occurrence. thought of as the entire procedure, it really is only one Every individual constitution has its own unique balance part of a group of therapies belonging to a class of of vata, pitta and kapha (VPK) according to its own cleansing procedures called shodana. There is also a nature. This balance of VPK is the natural order. When group of milder techniques called shamana for those this doshic balance is disturbed, it creates imbalance, not strong enough for shodana.) which is disorder. Health is order; disease is disorder. Within the body there is a constant interaction between Purvakarma: Pre-purification Measures order and disorder, thus once one understands the Before the actual operation of purification begins, nature and structure of disorder, one can re-establish there is a need to prepare the body with prescribed order. Ayurveda believes that order lies within disorder. methods to encourage it to let go of the toxins. These Order is the state of health, as defined by Ayurveda. two procedures are snehan and svedana. Snehan is This exists when the digestive fire (agni) is in a the oil massage. Oil is applied to the entire body with a balanced condition; the bodily humors (vata, pitta and particular type of massage that helps the toxins to move kapha) are in equilibrium, the three waste products towards the gastrointestinal tract. Oil massage also (urine, feces and sweat) are produced and eliminated makes the superficial and deep tissues soft and supple, normally, the seven bodily tissues (rasa, rakta, mamsa, thus helping to remove stress and nourish the nervous meda, asthi, majja and shukra/artava) are functioning system. Snehan is given daily for three to seven days, normally, and the mind, senses and consciousness as indicated. Svedana is sudation or sweating and is are working harmoniously together. When the balance given every day immediately following the snehan. of these systems is disturbed, the disease (disorder) An herbal concoction may be added to the steam to process begins. further loosen the toxins from the individual. Svedana liquefies the toxins and increases the movement of The internal environment is governed by vata, pitta toxins into the gastrointestinal tract. After three to and kapha, which are constantly reacting to the Page - 1 - © 1994, 2002. All Rights Reserved. Adapted from “An Introduction to Panchakarma”, by Dr. Vasant Lad, Ayurveda Today, Volume VII, Number 1, Summer 1994. Published by The Ayurvedic Institute. seven days of snehan and svedana, the doshas become pitta. When purgatives are well “ripened.” A particular panchakarma method is used, the patient should not then given according to the individual’s constitution eat foods that will aggravate the and disorder, prakruti and vikruti, respectively. predominant humor or cause the three humors to become Five Basic Shodanas: Cleansing Methods unbalanced. Vamana: therapeutic vomiting or emesis Virechan: purgation Basti: Enema Therapy Basti: enema Vata’s predominant site is the Nasya: elimination of toxins through the nose colon. Ayurvedic basti (enema) Rakta Moksha: detoxification of the blood involves the introduction into the rectum of herbal concoctions Vamana: Emesis Therapy of sesame oil and certain herbal preparations in a liquid medium. Basti is the most effective treatment When there is congestion in for vata disorders, although many enemas over a the lungs causing repeated prescribed period of time are usually required. It attacks of bronchitis, relieves constipation, distention, chronic fever, cold, colds, cough or asthma, sexual disorders, kidney stones, heart pain, backache, the Ayurvedic treatment sciatica and other pains in the joints. Many other vata is therapeutic vomiting, disorders such as arthritis, rheumatism, gout, muscle vamana, to eliminate the spasms and headaches may also be treated with basti. kapha causing the excess Vata is a very active principle in pathogenesis (disease). mucus. Often times this also If we can control vata through the use of basti, we have releases repressed emotions gone a long way in going to the root cause of the vast that have been held in the majority of diseases. Vata is the main etiological (causal) kapha areas of the lungs factor in the manifestation of diseases. It is the motive and stomach along with the force behind the elimination and retention of feces, accumulated dosha. Once urine, bile and other excreta. Vata is mainly located the mucus is released, the patient will feel instantly in the large intestine, but bone tissue (asthi dhatu) is relieved. It is likely that congestion, wheezing and also a site for vata. Hence the medication administered breathlessness will disappear and that the sinuses will rectally effects asthi dhatu. The become clear. Therapeutic vomiting is also indicated mucus membrane of the colon is in chronic asthma, diabetes, chronic cold, lymphatic related to the outer covering of congestion, chronic indigestion and edema. the bones (periosteum), which After vamana, resting, fasting, smoking certain herbal nourishes the bones. Therefore, cigarettes, and not suppressing natural urges (i.e., any medication given rectally urination, defecation, gas, sneezing, coughing) is goes into the deeper tissues, recommended. If vamana is administered properly, like bones, and corrects vata the person should feel relaxation in the lungs, will be disorders. able to breathe freely, will have lightness in the chest, clear thinking, a clear voice, a good appetite, and all Nasya: Nasal Administration symptoms of congestion disappear. The nose is the doorway to the brain and it is also the Virechan: Purgation Therapy doorway to consciousness. The nasal administration of medication is called nasya. An excess of bodily humors When excess bile, pitta, is secreted and accumulated accumulated in the sinus, throat, nose or head areas is in the gall bladder, liver and small intestine, it tends eliminated by means of the nearest possible opening, to result in rashes, skin inflammation, acne, chronic the nose. attacks of fever, biliary vomiting, nausea and jaundice. Prana, life force as nerve energy, enters the body through Ayurvedic literature suggests in these conditions the breath taken in through the nose. Prana is in the the administration of therapeutic purgation or a brain and maintains sensory and motor functions. Prana therapeutic laxative. Purgatives help relieve the excess also governs mental activities, memory, concentration pitta causing the bile disturbance in the body. In fact, and intellectual activities. Deranged prana creates purgatives can completely cure the problem of excess Page - 2 - © 1994, 2002. All Rights Reserved. Adapted from “An Introduction to Panchakarma”, by Dr. Vasant Lad, Ayurveda Today, Volume VII, Number 1, Summer 1994. Published by The Ayurvedic Institute. defective functioning of all these Certain substances such as sugar, salt, yogurt, sour- activities and produces headaches, tasting foods and alcohol are toxic to the blood. In convulsions, loss of memory and certain blood disorders these substances should be reduced sensory perception. Thus avoided to keep the blood pure. For rakta moksha nasal administration, nasya, is treatment other than bloodletting, there are blood- indicated for prana disorders, sinus purifying practices involving herbs, gem therapy or congestion, migraine headaches, color water therapy. For any rakta moksha treatment or convulsions and certain eye and ear related alternative treatment, it is beneficial to refrain problems.