Preventive and curative in nature, ayurveda advocates a wholesome approach to overall wellness.
DATUK Dr Prabha Singh was in pain, and there was nothing much that could be done about it. Four years ago, she was diagnosed with Lumbar Spondylosis Stenosis, a degenerative osteoarthritis of the joints between the spinal chords usually caused by aging.
Surgery for someone her age, 76, was dangerous. And there was no guarantee of relief, much like her experiences with chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy.
“My spine pressed against the nerves, and I was in constant pain. I couldn’t really stand, let alone walk. My daily activities were hindered and I couldn’t sleep because there was only one position I could lie in,” said the retired medical educationist.
Exasperated, she turned to Samkkya, an Ayurvedic centre in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, where she was immediately prescribed a course of massages over 10 days. She experienced a dramatic improvement in her mobility and is now able to move around easily, she added.
Kizhi, a hot poultice comprising 10 different herbs, is pressed all over the body to give relief to fatigued muscles.
These days she enjoys a weekly session of ayurvedic massage. In addition, with the help of daily stem cell pills, “90% of the discomfort is gone”.
Dr Prabha is among many grateful patients who have experienced the healing benefits of ayurveda, available at the 16-room Samkya.
Ayurveda is regarded as the oldest healthcare system in the world, with the earliest references to it traced to ancient Hindu scriptures, says Dr S.K. Vats, the centre’s in-house ayurvedic physician.
I met him and managing director Jeythevan Partiban one sunny morning. Both were keen on having my dosha read.
“Through this reading, we’ll be able to explain good practices for your biological system, like what food works best on your body. Then, we can enlighten you on lifestyle changes that can enhance your health,” Jeythevan said.
Through dosha reading, many heart and diabetic patients were able to address their health problems with the help of an Ayurvedic physician, whose aim is to get the body to heal itself, he added.
Dr S.K. Vats explaining the benefits of the ayurvedic oil he is holding. He had obtained his degree in ayurvedic medicine at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India, a decade ago.
In Ayurvedic-speak, dosha is one of three fundamental elements that make up one’s constitution. This concept explains the balance between three fundamental bodily characteristics or dosha – that is, vata (wind), pitta (fire) and kapha (water).
“Vart food do you like? Savoury or sweet?” Dr Vats asked in his full-bodied native Indian accent, watching me intently.
“Savoury.”
“Are you easily irritable?”
“Yes.”
Another tick in the same column in his one-page questionnaire.
“Do you prefer heat or the cold?”
Jeythevan Partiban (artist’s impression) manages Samkkya, which was started by his father seven years ago.
“Hot.”
He put his pen down. “Is the air-con okay for you?” he asked, noticing that I was seated directly beneath the chilly blast from the ventillator.
After some three dozen questions concerning my lifestyle, a check of my pulse and a quick tabulation of my “marks”, the verdict was Pitta Vata. Apparently, I’m a bright, forceful human being with a tendency towards a fast-paced lifestyle, by virtue of the “fire and wind elements within”. The downside is I can be emotional, easily agitated and overly stressed.
Kapha is descriptive of a more docile, easygoing, low-energy personality type. “Like him,” the doctor said, pointing at Star photographer Raymond Ooi, a quiet, friendly giant of a man who was watching us quietly.
To balance me up, Dr Vats prescribed a diet plan of small, frequent meals comprising salads before meals, three servings of fresh fruits a day, non-fried cooked meats and low GI (glycemic index) foods, in general.
I was to limit myself from a long list of pleasures, such as chocolates, curries and durian because these foods would “aggravate my prescribed torrid self”.
“Everything ayurveda teaches is common sense,” Dr Vats said matter-of-factly. The problem is the world has become so “manufactured” that what we eat today ends up doing us more harm than good.
“And that is why we are simply going back to the basics. You’d be surprised how food affects our temperament.”
I returned the next day for a session of abhyanga, kizhi and shirodhara, a herbal oil therapy treatment to iron out the tension in my shoulders and mind.
A massage isn’t just an option for aches; it’s an important element in overall healthcare because it helps with blood circulation, he explained.
At the spa, I was introduced to an “intuitive therapist” from Kerala, India. Ranjeet is a likeable and polite man in his late 20s. Over the next two hours, his deft hands exerted a calming yet firm pressure over my back, working diligently to “undo the braids” that had formed.
The kizhi, a hot poultice comprising 10 different herbs was run over my fatigued back, was especially enjoyable. It smelled of a happy symphony of grain, husk and a number of herbs I couldn’t identify.
I enjoyed the aroma of the treatment, which was organic and tranquilising.
Unlike deep-tissue massages (eg Balinese or Chinese), this was gentler, to bring about a sense of calm rather than aggressively free tangled muscles and tendons with sharp jabs of the thumbs – which, I’d admit, is often my preferred treatment.
I was left alone for a minute and could hear Ranjeet scuttling about in the scented-room, collecting a special Brahmin oil for the final treatment. With the help of another therapist, he poured warm oil slowly over my forehead, then a cool one, followed by a warm one, repeatedly.
According to Hindu belief, the Shirodhara treatment is to sooth the third eye so the mind can relax. I would have been lulled to sleep had I been less concerned about how long it would take me to wash theoils off my shoulder-length hair.
Like all good things, my 90-minute session came to an end. After washing up, I was served a warm cup of herbal tea as I sat back, soaking in the quiet of the evening. “Remember, no spicy foods. Keep to the diet we’ve advised you,“ Dr Vats reminded me with a smile as I left. Although I went against his advice that weekend itself, the treatment was a wonderful way to end the week.
For more information, visit samkkya.com.my or call 03-2287 2111.
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Article source: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/5/19/lifefocus/9809932&sec=lifefocus