The Hindu : Kerala News : It is therapy time in Karkkidakom

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

It is therapy time in Karkkidakom

STRESS BUSTER: Shirodhara, relaxation therapy.

Come Karkkidakom, it will be raining cats and dogs across the length and breadth of Kerala.

This last month in the Malayalam calendar has long been regarded as the month of scarcity and the Malayalis aptly call it `panjamaasom.'

But it is also the time when people undergo ayurveda treatment, regarding it as the most suitable time for therapy.

Ayurveda centres in the State do brisk business during the period. Of late, tourism promoters in the State have floated the concept of monsoon tourism, apart from health tourism that has been attracting a good number of tourists from within the country and abroad.

Talking to The Hindu , A.C. Rajeevkumar, former member of the Senate and Faculty of Indian Systems of Medicines of Mahatma Gandhi University, emphasised the need to streamline the ayurveda massage centres in different parts of the State in order to check the degeneration of the age-old healthcare system.

"The mushrooming massage centres in different parts of the State have created an impression among many foreign tourists that ayurveda means `whole body massage' and this is an alarming situation leading to mushrooming of quacks in the medical field of ayurveda," Dr. Rajeevkumar said. He alleged that the principles of massage and `panchakarma' treatment were often found sidelined at various massage centres.

He said massage decreased the level of toxins and was effective in relieving stress and strain, if done properly by trained people. It had a direct relation with the vascular system, nervous system, and lymphatic system.

It stimulated the flow of lymph and the toxins were carried away in the flow of lymph, acting as a defence against illness, Dr. Rajeevkumar said.

"Stress and strain-related headaches are common in modern times and we can feel the muscles of the neck, shoulder and upper back directly responding to stress. The muscles of scapula also tighten, causing compression of the vertibrae of the neck. Gentle massage with medicated oil stretches the neck muscles, nerves become free of compression, and the state of tension or stress is relieved within a few minutes," he added.

He said `panchakarma' therapy had been proved effective for lower back pain, while therapies such as `vasthy,' `kadeevasthy,' `elakkizhi,' `kashayakkizhi' and `pizhichil' were useful for backache.

Massage with medicated oils such as `dhanwantharom,' `kottamchukkadi' and `sahacharadi' relieved pain.

Gentle massage increased blood circulation and improved flexibility of the body, besides providing more oxygen to the muscular tissues, leading to a healthy youthful life, Dr. Rajeevkumar said.

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala