Seasonal Purification in Monsoon! - online Ayurvedic products

CONTENTS

-- Seasonal Purification Practices in Monsoon!

-- What therapies does Ayurveda suggest during this Season?

Health scientists say that diseases might be prevented or managed at four levels - primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary. 

• Primary level aims at the prevention of a disease when there are risk factors in a community (e.g. vaccination)
• Secondary prevention includes early diagnosis and treatment of a specific disease or illness
• Tertiary prevention aims at disability limitations and rehabilitation
• Primordial prevention - Interestingly, the first and the basic level of prevention has not been given much importance by scientists until the last quarter of the 20th century. Primordial prevention aims at the prevention of all types of diseases even if there are no risk factors in a community. In other words, it is ‘the prevention of the emergence or development of risk factors in population groups in which they have not yet appeared’. The proliferation of lifestyle disorders (obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, etc) compelled health activists to think of the importance of the primordial level of prevention

Proudly, we may say that Ayurveda is the only health science that has overseen the necessity of primordial prevention, that too centuries ago. So daily regimen (dinacharya) and seasonal regimen (ritu-charya) are the basic tools to achieve primordial prevention in the true sense. 

Seasonal Purification Practices in Monsoon!

Rationale

The toxins or ama that accumulate in the channels (srotas) in the course of time may lead to a number of diseases which are long-standing (cirakaari) and complex (tiryak-gata). These might be incurable by medicines (bheshajadveshi roga). The toxins, in turn, may cause the coating of channels, obstruction, reduction of bio-fire, etc and eventually turn fatal. The alarming prevalence of lifestyle diseases may also be studied in this context. Seasonal purification practices (sodhana) done as per scientific guidelines may help individuals to attain equipoise (dhaatusaamya) periodically. 

Karkataka (Mid July - Mid August) is marked with heavy downpour day and night which restricts people to stay at home. Mother Nature is blessed with the sprouting of all types of vegetative life during this time. Fresh and tender sprouts appear as signals of regeneration in all vegetations.

The Monsoons in Kerala do not pour for weeks and weeks together. It rains heavily for some time at regular intervals. Occasionally, the rains might stretch on for a few days, but the respite of sunshine is never far away. Naturally, physicians of Kerala have inferred that same regenerative physiological changes may also occur in human beings.

So, both the seasons and situation are favorable to observe palliative treatment for healthcare (deha raksha). Also, in the rainy season, the general stamina of individuals becomes lesser. This also happens during Summer. So rejuvenation procedures may be resorted to. 

What therapies does Ayurveda suggest during this Season?

Some of the common Panchakarma therapies that can be practiced during this season include the following:

• Abhyanga - Massaging medicated oils to increase blood circulation in the body and help to relax, nourish and rejuvenate the body cells
• Shirodhara - Pouring warm oil, milk or medicated buttermilk on the forehead for a specified period. This reduces headaches, minimizes stress, improves memory and eliminates disturbances during sleep
• Swedanam - The patient is made to sweat by using steam from boiling herbs
• Pizhichil - This is a post-massage procedure, wherein the oil is poured over the body. It helps keep your skin away from dryness, reduce fatigue and fight neurological disorders
• Virechana - Helps cleanse the toxins from the body or balance Pitta dosha

Principles

• In Winter, Kapha is accumulated due to the cold of the season. This gets aggravated during spring. Hence, it is to be eliminated from the body at the beginning of spring (Chaitram - Mid March to Mid April)
• Vata accumulated in Summer is to be eliminated at the beginning of Monsoon (Sraavanam - Mid July to Mid August)
• Pitta accumulated in the rainy season is to be eliminated at the beginning of Autumn (Kaartikam - Mid October to Mid November)

Months of heavy rain, cold and heat are not suitable for purification therapy. So in a year, we have to do Seasonal Purification practices thrice. Incidentally, the month of Karkataka is thus the time for the elimination of Vata. For this, the ideal purification procedure is enema (vasti). After purification therapy, the treatment that stabilizes and strengthens the body such as rejuvenation therapy may be carried out. This is the treatment protocol advocated in Ayurveda as a part of Seasonal Purification.

Application

Any purification procedure is to be preceded by a pre-purification procedure (poorvakarma) and followed by post purification procedures (paschat karma). So, after assessing the condition of the individual, the person has to undergo internal function and sudation before performing an enema. Since the bio-fire is weak in the rainy season, attempts for augmenting it should be executed. Diet should be light but strengthening. In a way, as all the three humors or doshas are deranged in Monsoons, enema is the ideal purification therapy as it will expel all the three vitiated humors.

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