Original Ayurveda Treatment "Panchakarma"
“Panchakarma” is the term for a special detoxifying Ayurveda cure (“five-fold purification”), which rids the body of harmful deposits and restores balance of the Doshas. An original Ayurveda cure based on Panchakarma can be suitable for the following conditions: rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases, chronic headaches, anxiety and insomnia, stress, burnout, chronic infection of the bronchial tubes and sinuses, metabolic disorders, elevated blood lipids, adult-onset diabetes, allergies, post-treatment of severe operations and chemotherapy, tinnitus, and high blood pressure.
In order to achieve the ideal outcome from your treatments, we recommend taking at least two, preferably three weeks for Panchakarma therapy.
Diagnosis
After your arrival at the hotel or resort, an intensive examination from an ayurvedic doctor will take place using different procedures, for example pulse diagnosis. An ayurvedic doctor can use your pulse to determine exactly what state your Doshas are in and where there is an imbalance. Through a conversation with you and by assessing your physical characteristics such as skin, hair, nails and eyes, they will be able to inform you of your constitution type and create an entirely individual treatment plan for you. Their task is to select the correct treatments for you from the abundance of Panchakarma treatments available and to monitor and adapt your treatments throughout your cure.
Treatments
Panchakarma therapy is divided into three main phases:
• Purvakarma - Preparatory Measures
• Panchakarma - The Five Main Treatments
• Paschatkarma - Post-Treatment
Purvakarma - Preparatory Measures
In the first, preparatory phase the Doshas and their associated metabolic waste products (Ama) in the bodily tissues are activated. This is done with the help of ayurvedic herbs and spices (Agni Diepana-Pachana). Additionally, oily substances administered both internally and externally. For the internal applications, you will take a purified, medicinal butter called ghee every morning. The ghee penetrates into the cells where it liberates the imbalanced doshas. The external applications take place in the form of a therapeutic oil massage, which causes toxins stored in the tissue to be excreted.
Amongst the most important massages are the full body synchronous massage (Abhyanga), the full body peeling massage with a mixture of barley and chickpea flour (Udvartana) and the dry full body synchronous massage with raw silk gloves (Garshana). In addition to these forms of massage, other preparatory measures include a number of oil treatments such as the Shirodhara oil forehead treatment (Snehana). At the end of the first phase, the toxins dissolved by the oil treatments are flushed out of the bodily tissue and transported into the gastro-intestinal tract (Swedana) using procedures designed to make you sweat, such as herbal steam treatments.
Panchakarma - Five Times Cleansing
With the help of the highly effective purifying techniques of Panchakarma all excessive Doshas liberated from the tissue cells are released from the body as toxins. Five different methods are used in order to do this:
1. Vamana - therapeutically induced vomiting
2. Virechana - laxative therapy
4. Nasya - nasal and sinuses treatment
5. Raktamokshana - blood purification therapy
Please note that elements such as therapeutically induced vomiting or blood purification therapy are no longer (or very rarely) used, particularly with western patients. In most cases the purification takes place through laxative therapy (Virechana) or colon therapy (Vasti).
The effects of Panchakarma are mainly felt during the final, regenerative phase. After the intense treatment, the body and soul are strengthened through Paschatkarma methods using recipes based on certain plants, light oil massages and a structured diet tailored to suit the constitution type. Rasayana, a therapeutic treatment which is part of a rejuvenating ayurvedic cure, plays an important role in the after treatment, as do yoga and meditation.
Nutrition
Diet is an extremely important part of balancing the Doshas in Ayurveda therapy. Ayurveda attributes great therapeutic significance to the digestive tract (Agni), viewing it as the “Flame of Life” which transforms food into energy and structural components for the body. “Angi” means far more than just a means of digesting food. Above all, it should be balanced and correspond with the individual constitution type. Balanced in the ayurvedic sense means that all flavours (sweet, sour, salty, hot, bitter, tart/astringent) are included. In the context of an original Ayurvedic treatment, your therapist will create a food plan specially tailored to suit your body type.