CHENNAI: What comes to your mind when you think of ayurveda? Multiple voices echoed in the hall — treating the body with natural elements, detoxing, communicating with the body, and more. The word ayur means life, and veda means science. In a workshop conducted by Avacado Care and Mommy Mojo, Dr Raichal Rabecca Philip, a practitioner in this field for the past seven years, addressed the audience about various aspects of health and a basic understanding of our body.
Raichal has a Master’s degree in Maulika Siddhantha (basic principles of ayurveda), and is the only one to specialise in this field from Tamil Nadu. She talks to us about the misconceptions of this field, less awareness among people, and the basics of panchakarma treatment methodology.
Tell us about your course?
I completed a five-and-a-half-year course on medical science from Dharma Ayurveda College and Hospital. After that, I went on to specialise in Maulika Siddantha at Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Hospital in Hubli. My course had a rare combination of psychology and philosophy, which helps in giving a holistic treatment for an illness.
What’s special about panchakarma?
Panchakarma therapies are mainly aimed at cleansing, detoxing, purifying, strengthening, and restoring the peace of mind and body. It’s known for reversing the degenerative process in the body.
What are the stages in panchakarma and how does it work?
There are five main therapies — vamana, nasya, virechan, raktamokshana, and vasti. Firstly, a few medicinal extracts and ghee that is made in-house are given to the patient to vomit the toxic substances. Then essential oils are injected through nasal tracks in intervals. Post that, a diet pattern is recommended. In the end, leeches are used to remove thickened blood. The course of treatment depends on the individual. Each stage may take five, seven or eight days.
What are the misconceptions about ayurveda?
Not just ayurveda, be it any form of medication, people need to understand the signals sent by the body. Instead, we blindly follow the instructions given by doctors and take the medicines. Ayurveda is a slow process. However, not many people are aware of the treatment procedure. Every practitioner follows a particular way of doing things. There’s no uniform process as such. People will question anything that is not conventional. We need to explain, and they need to believe in the medication. Patience is of utmost importance. Anything when executed properly yields good results in strengthening, cleansing and treating.
Why did you choose digestion as the topic?
Three foundational concepts of ayurveda are vata, pitta, and kapha. For instance, I took the topic of digestion for the workshop. The root cause for several problems is indigestion. The body sends alarm signals in the form of thirst and hunger. Hunger is followed by three signs — burp, evacuation, and hunger pangs. We all keep eating food at regular intervals using science as an excuse. There’s no one rule that applies to all especially when it comes to the interval of meals. Each person is different. Inculcate good habits in children.
What do you think is the main takeaway from this workshop?
People will start listening to their body and not force things upon themselves in the name of education. Listening to basic cues from your body like hunger, thirst and bowel movements can save you from many problems. Prevention is better than cure — don’t wait for a condition to worsen to check with your doctor. I offer psychological and ayurvedic therapies based on appointment. I believe in full treatment and unless the person is confident about completing it, there’s no point in starting treatment in the first place.
Dr Raichal Rabecca Philip visits Avacado Care once a week. For details, call: 9080558006