General points regarding Ayurveda & Panchakarma

 Panchakarma

Panchakarma presents a unique approach of Ayurveda with specially designed five procedures of internal purification of the body through the nearest possible route.

Therapy

In medical field, therapy means treatment or to help in cures a mental or physical illness, with or without drugs.

Panchakarma procedures:-

It is divided in three parts. Purvakarma, Pradhana Karma and Paschata Karma.

PANCHAKARMA
PURVA KARMA	PRADHANA KARMA		PASCHATA KARMA
	According to Maharishi Atreya	According to Maharishi Dhanvantari
Deepana	Vaman	Vaman	Samsarjana karma
Pachana	Virechana	Virechana	Rasyaanyadi karma
Snehana	Niruha  Basti	Basti	Samana
Swedana	Anuvasana Basti	Nasya
	Nasya	Raktamokshana

 How many panchakarma therapies are there?

Pancha means five and Karma means procedures or therapies. So basically there are only five panchakarma procedures. Accoding to the types and subtypes of these panchakarma, there are numbers of panchakrma procedures.

According to the Shadvidha Upkarma

Shadvidha Upkarma                                     Panchakarma

1.                                   Langhana                       Vaman, Virechana, Lekhana Basti etc.

2.                                   Brimhana                       Brihmana Basti, Brihmana nasya etc

3.                                   Rukshana                       Ruksha sweda, Rukshana Basti etc

4.                                   Stambhana                    Grahi basti, Stambhana Basti etc

5.                                  Snehana                         Snehana, Anuvasana Basti, Snehana Nasya etc.

6.                                  Swedana                         Svedana

   

Benefits of Panchakarma Therapy:-

Panchakarma plays vital role in the preservative, maintenance and conservation of health & promotion of longevity.

a)     Charak told the benefits of shodhana therapy as:-

एवं विशुद्धकोष्ठस्य कायाग्निरभिवर्धते|
व्याधयश्चोपशाम्यन्ति प्रकृतिश्चानुवर्तते||१७||
इन्द्रियाणि मनोबुद्धिर्वर्णश्चास्य प्रसीदति|
बलं पुष्टिरपत्यं च वृषता चास्य जायते||१८||
जरां कृच्छ्रेण लभते चिरं जीवत्यनामयः|
तस्मात् संशोधनं काले युक्तियुक्तं पिबेन्नरः||१९||

Doshas are eliminated, power of digestion and metabolism is enhanced, diseases are cured, normal health is restored, sense organ, mind, intelligence and complexion become clear; gain of strength, plumpness, offspring and virility occurs; person is not affected by old age and lives without any disease.

 The unique feature of the panchakama therapy is to destroy the diseas from the root level, which is quoted by Charak as follows:-

दोषाणां च द्रुमाणां च मूलेऽनुपहते सति|
रोगाणां प्रसवानां च गतानामागतिर्ध्रुवा||२१||

c)     Weak digestive power is the cause for all disease. For the correction of digestive fire (agni), Panchakarma is the best treatment.

d)    A chronic disease can not be managed without the combined and judicious use of Panchakarma therapy and rejuvenation therapy.

 Oils used for panchakarma and its importance:-

Different kinds of oils and there indications

S.no.	Conditions	Oils used
1.	Vatavyadhi having predominance of Sula	Panchaguna oil, Prasarni oil, Nirgundi oil, vishgarbha oil, mahavishgarbha oil, sahacharadi oil
2.	Karma  Kshya Pradhana Vyadhi	Mahamasha Oil, A.B.L oil, Bala Ashwagandhadi oil, dhanvanatram oil, K.B oil, Karpasa Asthayadi oil
3.	Vata vyadhi having predominance of sankocha	Masha saindhavadi oil, saindhavadi oil
4.	Vata vyadhi having predominance of sosha	Mahamasha oil, A.B.L oil, Mahalakshadi oil
5.	Amavata	Masha saindhavadi oil, saindhavadi oil
6.	Daha	Chandanadi oil
7.	Stoulya, medoroga	Triphaladi oil, haridradi oil

 

Precautions during panchakarma procedures:-

a.     Bath with warm water 

b.     Do not bath immediately following a treatment or after eating a meal

c.      Do not sleep during day time (unless feeling weak or unable to sleep at night)

d.      Do not control natural urges like sneezing, coughing, urination or bowel movement

e.      Do not talk loudly

f.       Do not use a very high pillow for sleeping

g.     Avoid emotional upsets like anger, frustration, irritation, etc.

h.     Keep calm and avoid mental stress

i.       Avoid physical exertion and sexual activity

j.       Try to meditate

k.     Avoid arrogance, impatience or mental agitation

l.       Avoid over rationalizing, or overindulging in intellectual activity

m.  Maintain peace of mind and calmly govern the senses

      How to avoid incident during procedures:-

Always follow general guidelines and standard operating procedure (SOP) of that particular procedure.

 Do’s and don’ts during procedures:-

-     Usage of warm water is indicated for all purposes of bathing and washing.

-     Follow bramhacharya and meditation.

-     One should sleep only during nights.

-     Avoid sleep during day time

-     One should not suppress the natural urges for urine, sneezing thirst, hunger etc.

-     Avoid dynamic exercises

-     One should resort to speaking in a very low tone

-     Smoking is prohibited.

-     One should not indulge in worry, anger, tension and depression.

-     One should not expose to extremes of cold and hot weather and very cool breeze and dust.

-     Avoid curds, banana and incompatible foods.

-     One should always rest on bed at the time of panchakarma and obey the physician and follow all the above rules to obtain good results.

Maintaining hygiene at panchakarma table and around the room:-

-         Always clean the table before and after the treatment.

-         Use sodium hypochloride solution for cleaning.

-         Disposable sheets should be used and discarded after each patient.

-         Any waste material which is generated in Panchakarma room should be disposed as per BMW policy.

-         Ask the patient to wash or sanitize hand before entering the panchakarma room.

-         All the materials related to therapy and clothes of the patient should be properly arranged in the room.

 

Ayurveda & Panchakarma