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Panchakarma

Panchakarma, the ancient Ayurvedic cleanse
The Ayurvedic system of healing is a holistic approach, treating an individual with the whole being in mind: body, mind and spirit. A balanced Ayurvedic lifestyle and routine is surely enhances your health and vitality, but a Panchakarma cleanse is the best way to jump start a healthier regime. Panchakarma is a gentle yet powerful Ayurvedic approach to rejuvenation and detoxification.
The cleanse begins at home with a diet consisting of cooked, easy-to-digest foods such as rice, vegetables, lentils, stewed fruit, herbal decoctions, and clarified butter. The delicious treatments in our office start after five days of this preparation phase. Each treatment day consists of hours of luxurious therapies. If you ever have done any kind of cleanse before, you know about the benefits that follow. During Panchakarma, the body is brought into balance. By eliminating irritating foods and drinks and focusing on nourishing simple foods, we create new healthy eating habits. When we are in balance we crave what brings us into balance, and when we are out of balance we crave what brings us out of balance. The balancing effects of Panchakarma can be felt for a long time after the cleanse.
All Cleanses can be an opportunity to create lasting change and transformation. Due to its nourishing quality, Panchakarma is widely considered to be the most effective cleanse, while it is also a deeply restorative one. The body constantly renews itself, but a body that underwent Panchakarma can renew itself on a cellular level. All organs and tissues are purified for optimum function through a wide variety of gentle treatments.
Panchakarma is an experience nourishing to all the 5 senses. Daily treatments often include a footbath, specialized teas and fresh flowers to greet you in the treatment room, while herbalized oil is being warmed for your massage or Shirodhara. Treatments can vary and are custom designed for your individual needs. Usually, we begin with a massage, offered by either one or two practitioners, in tandem. After warmed oil or herbalized pastes are gently massaged into the skin, hot towels are applied to open and purify the skin. A steam bath often follows, filled with aromatic herbs. Other sessions include treatments for the eyes, ear and nose, cleansing and nourishing skin treatments, scalp and head treatments, localized massage treatments, gentle cleansing procedures with herbs, oils and much more.
Panchakarma and modern research
We believe that gentleness is the key to detoxing. Many years of medical education have taught us that the body does not like being off balance too much and for too long. Our bodies try to maintain homeostasis, a balanced state in which everything functions properly. Both fasting and drastic detox regimens alter this homeostasis, often in a harmful way. Liver glycogen stores are depleted, alterations occur in the mineral and electrolyte balance in the blood, muscle and bone tissue start breaking down, changes occur in the acid-alkaline balance, alterations occur in the fatty acid composition of cells, and immune function may be impaired. The adrenals are overtaxed, which means that the body ages and will hold on to each calorie we ingest after the fast and store it as fat - especially around the middle - due to the cortisol-insulin reaction. All types of detoxification require great care. Any procedure that can loosen toxins from the fatty tissue must also be able to safely eliminate these chemicals from the bloodstream and the body. Panchakarma has been practiced for thousands of years, and is a safe and time-tested method of cleansing. All panchakarma cleanses are carefully planned and orchestrated. It is possible to harm the body if detoxification is not done properly. For example, some people fast for extended periods to reduce their toxicity levels. However, as they reduce their adipose tissue through fasting, they also push the fat-soluble toxins into the blood stream, which can cause damage to various organs. Panchakarma uses specific steps that take care to properly remove the toxicants from the blood stream without harming the body in process.
The Concept of Ama
In Ayurveda, toxins that accumulate in the body are called ama. Symptoms of ama accumulation are lethargy, low energy, generalized aches and pains, lack of mental clarity, heaviness in the body, digestive problems (such as constipation, gas, bloating, or heartburn), weakened immune system, frequent colds and sinus infections, coated tongue and body odor. With the tremendous growth of industry over the past 100 years, thousands of toxic chemicals have been introduced into our food, air, drinking water, and almost every manufactured product. As a result, we are exposed to a potentially huge toxic overload during our lifetime. Regular Panchakarma cleanses (one to four times a year) help the body eliminate ama or toxins and rejuvenate, strengthen, and balance it.
Who Can Benefit from Panchakarma?
Panchakarma is beneficial for individuals who want to stay healthy or suffer from any of the following conditions: Low energy, weight gain, arthritis, generalized body pain, fibromyalgia, sciatica, menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms, aging, emotional and psychological disorders (such as depression and anxiety), chronic fatigue, hypertension, dizziness, migraines and headaches, allergies, frequent colds, flu, sinus problems, asthma, gastrointestinal conditions, endocrine disorders, autoimmune disorders, insomnia, stress, etc. Panchakarma can also be performed as a post-treatment for cancer to remove toxic residues of malignancies.
It is recommended to do a Panchakarma cleanse at seasonal change, times of transition and preferably several times a year for optimum effect. All programs are individually in type and design it to fit your lifestyle and personal needs. Therefore, all Panchakarma cleanses start with a consultation and initial discussion.