Panchakarma

12 Jul 2007

Panchakarma therapy So, last week or so, I enrolled in the Panchakarma therapist program at the Kasturba Medical Hospital. This is a one year program that trains one to work with an Ayurvedic doctor to treat patients. In other words, the doc diagnoses etc and the therapist is the hands on..... The first week has been for observing. We are in the room watching while a trained therapist performs/works on the patients. So far, it has been very interesting. I have observed simple full body massages, head massages, shirodhara -which is a process where oil or buttermilk is dripped onto the patients fore head for an hour (this is actually incredibly relaxing), rakta mokshana- where leeches are used to suck out impure blood from a patient, svedana - where steam is used to induce sweating either locally or full body, netra tarpana - where medicated ghee is held in place over the eyes while the patient opens and closes the eyes ( to improve eyesight or to just relax the eyes)and last but not the least the grand champ of panchakarma - basti - where medicated oil or teas are induced in through the anus ( a glorified enema). Well, believe it or not apparently 50% of ayurvedic treatments are based on basti, or rather it is said that 50% of diseases can be cured with basti. There is a different basti for different patients... anyways. Well, so much for whats stored in one's guts. Got to get the crap out, out , out.