Panchakarma in modern lifestyle

Contributors

Section/Chapter/topic	Concepts and Contemporary Practices -Nidana Chikitsa / Panchakarma / Panchakarma in modern lifestyle
Author	Prof. Thakar A. B. 1
Reviewer	Basisht G.2
Editors	Deole Y.S.3, Aneesh E.G.2
Affiliations	1 Director, I.T.R.A Jamnagar, Gujarat, India 2Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.& R.A., Jamnagar, Gujarat, India 3 Executive Editor and Professor in Kayachikitsa, G.J.Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India
Correspondence emails	carakasamhita@gmail.com
Date of first publication:	February 01, 2022
DOI	Under process

This article is based on a lecture delivered by Prof. Dr. Anup Thakar, Director I.T.R.A Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. in Prof. M. S. Baghel Memorial Lecture Series on January 09, 2022.

Modern lifestyle & diseases

It is estimated that approximately 70-80% of present-day population indulges in harmful lifestyle factors like alcohol, smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity etc. Among these factors, the most hazardous factor is mental stress with a higher impact on health as compared to others. These result in the development of chronic and non-communicable diseases like heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy etc. According to United Nations, by 2030, the proportion of total global deaths due to chronic diseases is expected to increase by 70 percent and the global burden of disease to 56 percent. If these diseases can be managed just by modifying lifestyle and following Panchakarma, it will create a huge impact on the society. Proper life style, good diet and Panchakarma can change the scenario leading to healthy world with minimum global burden of diseases.

Health and health determinants

Holistic approach encompasses all elements required for healthy living. Holistic approach doesn’t essentially mean following herbal and traditional systems of medicine. The ‘individual’ undergoing the therapy is more important and most suitable ‘therapy’ to a person’s health should be provided. The integrative approach should be adopted and implemented with such individualistic focus. The health promotion, specific protection by restoration and rehabilitation through panchakarma and healthy lifestyle is need of the hour.

Blueprint for preservation of health

Following the seasonal and daily regimes as mentioned in Ayurveda is the blueprint of health preservation.

Daily regimes (dinacharya): This includes waking up early in the morning; passing urge of urination and defecation; brushing teeth; application of collyrium in the eye; nasal instillation of oil (nasya); oil pulling in the mouth (gandusha); inhalation of herbal smoke (dhumapana); chewing of oral fresheners with betel leaf (tambula); oil application and body massage (abhyanga); physical exercise (vyayama); massage with powdered drugs; bath, and indulge in professional activities by observing good social conduct.

Seasonal regimes (ritucharya): This includes specific treatments as per season, viz. therapeutic emesis (vamana) in spring (vasanta); therapeutic purgation (virechana) during autumn (sharad) and therapeutic enema (basti) during monsoon season (varsha). Suitable diet and lifestyle changes are advised according to changes in seasonal conditions.

During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, nasal instillation of oil (nasya) and oil pulling (gandusha) showed a greater role in protection of health. When the nasal pathway is smeared with oil, there forms an oil coating in nasal mucosa which traps the foreign body including bacteria and viruses and thus prevents its entry into vital structures. Oil pulling therapy also works in the same way. Oil application in nostrils can be done for fifteen times in a day. [A. Hr. Sutra Sthana 20/28-29]

Chewing betel leaves (tambula) especially after food intake shows many health benefits. Betel leaf also has anti-cancerous effect. One who follows the daily and seasonal regimens properly will have a lesser chance of getting disease.

Pathogenesis of lifestyle disorders & utility of panchakarma – Ayurvedic view

If a person continuously indulges in high calorie food, irregular or improper diet, lack of physical activity, disturbed sleep and stress, it results in accumulation of dosha. This also alters the status of related body tissues like blood (rakta), body fluids (rasa), fat (meda dhatu) etc. High calorie food has a natural affinity towards fat tissue (meda dhatu). So continuous intake of high calorie food alters the status of fat tissue (meda dhatu).

If the person undergoes seasonal purification procedures like therapeutic emesis etc., the therapy breaks the chain of pathogenesis of disease. This cleanses the body by expelling out increased dosha and brings back normalcy of tissues.

Panchakarma is a unique treatment modality of Ayurveda with five major therapeutic procedures for internal purification of body with allied procedures. Purification procedures of panchakarma allow the biological system to return to homeostasis and rejuvenate rapidly.

Panchakarma

‘Panchakarma’ comprises of five therapeutic procedures as follows:

1. Therapeutic emesis (vamana): to eliminate aggravated kapha dosha through mouth.
2. Therapeutic purgation (virechana): to eliminate aggravated pitta dosha through anal route.
3. Therapeutic enema (basti): to eliminate aggravated vata dosha by administering herbal decoction or oil/medicated ghee through anal route.
4. Therapeutic nasal administration (nasya): to eliminate doshas above clavicle region (urdhwajatru) by administering medication through nose.
5. Therapeutic bloodletting (raktamokshana): to eliminate aggravated blood (rakta) based morbidities.

The other allied panchakarma therapies are oil massage (abhyanga), sweat inducing therapies or fomentation (swedana), liquid dripping therapy over forehead (shirodhara), powder massage therapy (udwartana), oil pulling therapy (gandoosha) etc.

Global prospects of panchakarma in public health

Panchakarma procedures are highly effective natural bio cleansing procedures. It can lead to a paradigm shift of health care from curative to preventive and promotive therapies.

Benefits of bio cleansing (shodhana)

• Increases metabolic fire (agni): Proper bio cleansing (shodhana) followed by proper diet plan (samsarjana) improves the digestive and metabolic processes (agni) or correct the metabolism. When metabolism is intact, the natural immunity will be at its optimum.
• Improves intelligence and strengthens sense organs
• Attain stability of body tissues: Biocleansing clears the accumulated dosha and thus prevents further aggravation of disease.
• Increases longevity: By acquiring the above said benefits the life expectancy will also increase. Purification therapies followed by rejuvenating therapy contribute antioxidant action and free radical scavenging activity. This minimizes free radical induced damage which is a key cause of aging.

Role of Panchakarma

• Preventive: Prevents non communicable diseases/life style diseases through seasonal bio cleansing.
• Curative: Curative approach in major non communicable diseases and communicable diseases.
• Restorative: Restoration of health is achieved through rejuvenating (rasayana) therapy. The benefits of rasayana therapy can be achieved only after proper bio cleansing through Panchakarma.