Dr. Vijay Kumar Aware Patil

Neurological disorders may creep in due to many reasons. It may be due to degenerative diseases, accidents, other health conditions, birth defects or genetics. The most common form of disorder occurs due to non-functional brain cells in some parts, and loss of myelin sheath in neurons, which protects the nerve signals in their complete transfer from origin to destination. These losses are irreparable, but further degeneration can be avoided with Ayurveda. Panchakarma, the branch of Ayurveda, which deals with detoxification of the body and mind, specially helps. Over a period of time, it can bring back the lost sensation in nerves. Yoga, pranayama and Ayurvedic treatments lead to recovery and relief to a huge extent.

Important facts about Panchakarma
There are 3 important steps in Panchakarma, which are followed one after another to get the result. The main objective of Panchakarma is to detoxify the body. Virechanam, vamanam, sneha vasti, nasyam and kashaya vasti are the 5 folds in Panchakarma.

• Poorvakarma or preparing the body, followed by Abhyangam or massage, followed by Elakizhi or herbal paste massage, and finally podikizhi, or steam bathing makes the body ready for receiving further treatments.
• Njavara Kizhi is the special treatment done in Panchakarma where the body is given a rice bolus massage to improve the joint and neuro functions.

What is Njavara Kizhi?
Njavara is a variety of rice, which is specially used for Ayurvedic treatment and massages. In this treatment the rice is made into a pudding by boiling it with milk. This pudding is then made into boluses. The boluses are filled in muslin cloth, and then using these muslin bolus dabs, the whole body of the patient is massaged. This full-body massage has excellent effects on neurological and joint functions. The deep tissues within the body are rejuvenated. The treatment is carried on for 45 minutes to 60 minutes by therapists or experts. Another form of the treatment requires the rice to be made into a paste, and then the paste is applied all over the body. But this is more preferred for beautification.

Other effective therapies
Siro Vasti, Kati Vasti, Ela Kizhi and Nasyam are all different forms of Panchakarma treatment, which detoxify the body and mind and rejuvenate the body and nerve functions. But these treatments cannot be conducted on the body on your own. You need a masseur who must be a specialist in Ayurveda to do this for you. Hence contacting Ayurvedic clinics, doctors or experts would be the best to start the treatment.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Aromatherapy is an ancient practice that dates back to ancient times across many cultures. This is a practice where concentrated oils are used to treat many imbalances and disorders within the body. The oils emit a fragrance or aroma, through which many important molecules enter your blood stream which have a healing effect. The oils can be applied on the skin and the aroma is then absorbed directly into the body through it. They can also be used as an aromatic agent where you need to sniff them in order for the molecules to get inside the body and then be absorbed into your blood.

What kind of oils are generally used in aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy uses essential oils similar to the ones used for massage in many other forms of alternative medicine such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. These oils have the organic compounds within the plants or respective sources concentrated into a small dose so it can pass on the benefits of those compounds to you, healing your body. Some of the types of oils used in aromatherapy are –
1. Peppermint oil
2. Tee tree oil
3. Lavender oil
4. Frankincense oil
5. Lemon oils among many others

How are essential oils made?
Essential oils are made from natural ingredients such as herbs and resins of different plants. These can be extracted from the following sources of a plant, tree or herb:
1. Flowers
2. Seeds
3. Fruits
4. Leaves
5. Bark
6. Roots
7. Stems etc.

Aromatic oils tend to be powerful as a lot of ingredients go into the making of a small quantity of oil. It is estimated that it takes multiple kilos of an ingredient to make only a few milliliters of an essential oil. Due to the immense concentration of the powerful organic compounds created by this, organic oils are very effective and thus potent in curing ailments. The compounds are separated through a distillation process that separates the oils from the other components.

How and where are essential oils in aromatherapy effective?
Aromatherapy is very effective in dealing with lesser ailments and also as a supplementary form of treatment for other larger problems such as recovery form surgery and pain relief. Some of the more common areas where aromatherapy is very helpful are:
1. Relieving and reducing stress
2. Relief from joint pain
3. Resisting Cold and flu like infections
4. Building the immunity of the body
5. Improving the appearance and health of your skin by fighting wrinkles, skin infections and inflammation
6. Reduce pain from inflammation and other disorders
7. Corrects and properly regulates hormone production within the body
8. Helps with gastrointestinal problems as well as improving digestion among many other such benefits

Certain specific types of essential oils and their benefits in aromatherapy
1. Lavender oil: Helps heal burns and cuts quicker, relaxes your body and improves your mood
2. Peppermint oil: Helps with digestion, builds up immunity, and helps with the ability to focus among others
3. Rosemary oil: Helps build hair strength, improves memory and brain function in general
4. Sandalwood oil: Improves skin quality, fights inflammation and wrinkles and also acts a as a libido booster
5. Rose oil: Extremely effective for combatting skin problems as well as for natural glow of the skin
6. Tea tree oil: An excellent immunity booster, Tea tree oil also has antifungal and antimicrobial properties which can fight off infections and cure the ailments much quicker.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!