Panchakarma for the Elderly
Panchakarma is
an integral part of treatment in ayurveda. Whenever the doshas
accumulated in the body are too large in number to be subdued by
oral medication, Panchakarma treatment is opted for. This treatment
consists mainly of the following five procedures (hence the name
pancha meaning five and karma meaning
procedure):-
1.
Vaman (inducing
vomiting)
2.
Virechan
(inducing laxation)
3.
Basti (medicated
enemas)
4.
Nasya (nasal
medication)
5.
Rakta-Mokshan
(blood letting)
Besides this
there are 2 important preparatory procedures also known as
purva-karma which need to be done before doing any of the above
procedures. They are:-
1.
Snehan
(application or introduction of unctuous substance in the
body)
2.
Svedan
(application of heat in order to induce sweating)
Normally the
very elderly persons are not considered fit for Panchakarma
procedures as these are very taxing to the body. However under
proper medical supervision, one or many of these procedures can be
performed on the elderly person and they almost always show very
good results. We shall now see these procedures in brief and how
they can benefit the elderly persons.
v
Snehan - Procedure of introducing unctuous
substances like oil or ghee in the body. The most common method is
application of oil over the body. Graded oral intake of medicated
oil or ghee is another method used. This procedure is meant to
loosen up the doshas so that they can then travel through the
various channels in the body and be brought to an area from where
they can be eliminated from the body. On its own this procedure is
especially beneficial to the elderly who are troubled with pain in
the joints, muscular pains, sleeplessness, improper bowel movements,
rough or dry skin.
v
Svedan Methods of applying heat to the
body. There are two basic types of heats applied first is dry
heat, the other is steam. Dry heat includes methods like applying
cloth heated over a pan or preparing a bundle of heated sand to
apply over the desired part. Steam method includes applying steam
via rubber pipe or making a sauna type of arrangement. This
procedure is generally not done singularly, and is preceded by
snehan. The basic aim is to induce sweating so that the channels in
the body get opened up. This allows the doshas to flow and get
accumulated in a certain region from where they can be then removed
by using one or more of the Panchakarma procedures. Snehan followed
by svedan helps to loosen up stiff joints, relives muscular strains
or sprains, and induces a feeling of
freshness.
v
Vaman Procedure by which the doshas are
brought in the upper part of abdomen by snehan svedan and then
vomiting is induced to throw out the doshas. This is chiefly done
for kapha dosha and is very good for people suffering from asthma
& skin diseases among many other conditions. This procedure is
very taxing and generally not preferred in elderly
persons.
v
Virechan Procedure in which the doshas are
brought in the lower part of the abdomen and then thrown out of the
body by inducing laxation. This is chiefly done for pitta dosha and
is good for conditions like acidity, indigestion and skin diseases.
This procedure also is very taxing and generally not recommended for
the elderly.
v
Basti Basti means medicated enema. These
are of two types. The one in which medicated oil is used for the
enema is called as anuvasan basti. The one in which medicated
decoction is used for the enema is called as niruha basti. This
procedure is very good for controlling vata which is responsible for
a number of diseases especially in the elderly. As old age is
governed by vata, the elderly are chiefly prone to vata induced
diseases like pain in the joints, arthritis, constipation,
paralysis, loss of sleep, prostate problems in case of males etc.
Very good relief is obtained in such cases when conventional oral
medication is unable to provide relief due to the large quantity of
vata involved. Niruha basti is a bit taxing but anuvasan basti can
be safely given in the very elderly persons
also.
v
Nasya This term is used to describe the
procedure of introducing medicines via the nasal cavity. Generally
medicated oil is used for the purpose but other substances like
ghee, powder etc. can also be used. Ayurveda considers the nose to
be door for the head region. Hence nasya is a good medium for
treatment of all diseases which occur in the region above the neck.
Poor eyesight, lessened sense of hearing, smell and taste, other
diseases of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and head can be effectively
treated using this method. If oil is used it is generally safe for
the elderly.
v
Rakta-mokshan This term describes the
procedure of blood-letting. It is used to treat diseases occurring
due to impurities of the blood. Besides being taxing since this
procedure is similar to a surgical procedure it is generally not
recommended for the elderly.
Besides these
main procedures some other procedures have also got the nomination
of Panchakarma though they are not strictly Panchakarma. We will see
a few which are beneficial to the
elderly.
ุ
Shirodhara This is the face of Panchakarma.
The photograph shown while depicting Panchakarma is generally of
this procedure. It involves holding a steady flow (dhara) of oil or
medicated decoction over the forehead (shira). This is very relaxing
and is very good for relieving mental stress and tension. It has
shown good results in sleeplessness, Alzheimers disease, dementia,
tremors of the limbs or head, sinusitis and many other diseases of
the elderly.
ุ
Taildhara This is the same procedure as
mentioned above, only it is done over the entire body. Very good for
total body relaxation, paralysis, tremors of the limbs, muscular
pains and also in maintaining general good health especially in the
elderly.
ุ
Kati-basti In this procedure the surface of
the lower back is kept immersed in warm oil using a special
arrangement. Very good in relieving lower back pain induced by
various causes.
ุ
Janu-basti Same procedure as above at the
region of knee joints. Very good in relieving pain of the knee
joints.
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