My
desire for sweets is a weakness that I’ve fought
almost constantly from the time I realized I had teeth. My
mother’s skills at baking the most delicious Austrian
desserts, cakes, and pastries – as well as our daily
coffee klatch or chat where my mother, my sister, the neighbors,
and the neighbors’ children gathered to enjoy coffee,
tea, and sweets in the afternoon - have blessed me with a
sweet tooth that is extremely difficult to overcome. As a
teenager I began to seriously study nutrition and became macrobiotic.
I cooked bland grayish grains and seasoned them with miso
or soy sauce. This phase did not last very long because my
mother was continuously tempting me with her delicious treats.
My sweet tooth is now somewhat under control after studying
nutritional theories from various traditions (Chinese Medicine,
Ayurveda, and the latest Western research). However, it definitely
flares up during the holiday season when I am compelled to
bake cookies from my mother’s Austrian cookbooks. After
the holidays, I feel like I need to lose a few pounds and
plan to start the new year with plenty of exercise and a healthy
diet.
A
cleanse is the best way to jumpstart a healthier regime. I
prefer the Ayurvedic panchakarma cleanse, a gentle yet powerful
Ayurvedic approach to rejuvenation and detoxification. The
cleanse begins at home with a diet consisting of cooked, easy-to-digest
foods such as rice, vegetables, lentils, stewed fruit (for
my sweet tooth!), herbal decoctions, and clarified butter.
The delicious treatments start after five days of this preparation
phase: Each day consists of hours of warm oil massages, herbal
steam treatments, and body scrubs with Ayurvedic herbs, as
well as treatments that nourish body and soul and simultaneously
eliminate toxins in a gentle way.
I
believe that gentleness is the key to detoxing. I am not convinced
that any of the so-called drastic detox diets recommending
a strict regimen of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup,
etc are beneficial. My many years of medical education have
taught me that the body does not like being off balance too
much and for too long. Our bodies try to maintain homeostasis,
a balanced state in which everything functions properly. Both
fasting and these drastic detox regimens alter this homeostasis,
often in a harmful way. Liver glycogen stores are depleted,
alterations occur in the mineral and electrolyte balance in
the blood, muscle and bone tissue start breaking down, changes
occur in the acid-alkaline balance, alterations occur in the
fatty acid composition of cells, and immune function may be
impaired. The adrenals are overtaxed, which means that the
body will hold on to each calorie we ingest after the fast
and store it as fat - especially around the middle - due to
the cortisol-insulin reaction. The Master Cleanse with lemon
juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper can cause candida or
diabetes. In Ayurvedic terms, an extreme fast creates high
pitta/low agni, which means too much fire and a weak digestion.
This imbalance is very hard to treat.
All types of detoxification require great care. Any procedure
that can loosen toxins from the fatty tissue must also be
able to safely eliminate these chemicals from the bloodstream
and the body. It is possible to harm the body if detoxification
is not done properly. For example, some people fast for extended
periods to reduce their toxicity levels. However, as they
reduce their adipose tissue through fasting, they also push
the fat-soluble toxins into the blood stream, which can cause
damage to various organs. Panchakarma uses specific steps
that take care to properly remove the toxicants from the blood
stream without harming the body in process.
During panchakarma, the doshas are brought into balance. By
eliminating irritating foods and drinks and focusing on nourishing
simple foods, we create new healthy eating habits. When we
are in balance we crave what brings us into balance, and when
we are out of balance we crave what brings us out of balance.
The balancing effects of panchakarma can be felt for a long
time after the cleanse.
Using
high-tech laboratory techniques, Robert Herron, PhD, and John
Fagan, Ph.D., conducted a two-month longitudinal study on
subjects receiving five days of panchakarma with significant
results. Compared to tests taken prior to treatment, blood
levels of the highly toxic PCBs and Beta-HCH were reduced
by 46 and 48 percent respectively. Without this detoxification
program, the natural expected drop in PCB and Beta-HCH over
a two-month period is only a fraction of one percent. No other
method has been scientifically verified to reduce fat-soluble
toxins in the human body without causing negative side effects.
Normally these fat-soluble substances remain in the body for
many years, but panchakarma allows us a healthy alternative
for coping with a toxic world.
Another
study researched the effects of a three-to-five-day panchakarma
cleanse with the following results: three months later, the
total cholesterol had dropped acutely, HDL (the good cholesterol)
rose 7.5 %, free radical damage fell significantly, blood
pressure dropped, and problems with anxiety improved. Vasoactive
intestinal peptide, which is a coronary vasodilator, increased
substantially. These findings confirm the efficacy of panchakarma
for cardiovascular health.
The
Concept of Ama
In
Ayurveda, toxins that accumulate in the body are called ama.
Symptoms of ama accumulation are lethargy, low energy, generalized
aches and pains, lack of mental clarity, heaviness in the
body, digestive problems (such as constipation, gas, bloating,
or heartburn), weakened immune system, frequent colds and
sinus infections, coated tongue, body odor, etc.
With
the tremendous growth of industry over the past 100 years,
thousands of toxic chemicals have been introduced into our
food, air, drinking water, and almost every manufactured product.
As a result, we are exposed to a potentially huge toxic overload
during our lifetime. Regular panchakarma cleanses (one to
four times a year) help the body eliminate ama or toxins and
rejuvenate, strengthen, and balance it.
Who
Can Benefit from Panchakarma?
Panchakarma is beneficial for healthy individuals who want
to stay healthy or the following conditions: arthritis, generalized
body pain, fibromyalgia, sciatica, menstrual disorders and
menopausal symptoms, emotional and psychological disorders
(such as depression and anxiety), chronic fatigue, hypertension,
dizziness, migraines and headaches, allergies, frequent colds,
flu, sinus problems, asthma, gastrointestinal conditions,
endocrine disorders, autoimmune disorders, insomnia, stress,
etc. Panchakarma can be performed as a post-treatment for
cancer to remove toxic residues of malignancies.
All
authentic panchakarma therapies and individual Ayurvedic body
treatments are available at our Prana Center in Santa Barbara.
Email me at Claudia@beyondacupuncture.us
if you would like to have more information.
About
the Author
Claudia
Brachtl, L.Ac.
is cofounder of The Prana Center, Santa Barbara's
exclusive healing center for Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine,
offering authentic Ayurvedic bodywork, marma therapy, consultations,
nutrition, acupuncture and Pancha Karma cleanses. She is a
Licensed Acupuncturist, Diplomate of Acupuncture, Diplomate
of Chinese Herbology and an Ayurvedic practitioner.
