Human body is a very intricate machine. It has channels, pathways and gears to make it function. It uses food as fuel to generate energy, and water and air for movement and continuous flow in its various subsystems. Its digestive system processes raw food and makes essential building blocks for the body such as blood, tissue, bones, and muscles. It extracts nutrients from foods to keep all parts moving smoothly and functioning properly. Its circulatory system keeps all parts well lubricated with essential fluids and respiratory system brings in fresh air and takes bad air out.
Our bodies require not just fuel but regular maintenance and tune up to keep it healthy and working optimally. If we don’t do that, its parts begin to malfunction and its channels get clogged. These malfunctions are called diseases.
Ayurveda is the oldest healthcare system in the world. It originated in India over 5,000 years ago and is a precursor to all other systems that came after. The key difference between Ayurveda and modern medicines and allopathic system is that Ayurveda focuses on treating root causes of the diseases, whereas modern medicines treat specific diseases. Ayurveda treats specific diseases as well but even within those treatments the focus is to get to the root cause to prevent the same problem from recurring again. It still may, due to various reasons including not adhering to proper maintenance but the approach and philosophy still holds.
Yoga is also an integral part of Ayurveda but is often viewed separately. Most people view yoga as a physical exercise routine and Ayurveda as medicinal. One final aspect to include is diet and sleep. Taken all together, Yoga, Ayurveda, eating right, and good sleep offer an ideal practice to prevent illnesses and staying in good health.
One of the key health maintenance protocol in Ayurveda is Panchakarma. It is a therapeutic routine to cleanse body from inside in five different ways. Panch=5, and Karma=Ways or Methods.
Our body accumulates impurities every day. The food we consume gets processed and nutrients gets extracted to be used. The residual, or bodily waste, gets eliminated in three ways via urine, feces and sweat. But, all of it does not get out. Some toxins still remain in the body. In addition, the air pollution contains harmful particles that impact lungs like cigarettes smoke. Water may also contain contaminants that get into the body. The amount of toxins in bodies varies from person to person due to many factors. These toxins impact body’s ability to function properly and create many different diseases. Ayurveda approach to fix this problem is through body cleansing via Panchakarma. Once body is cleansed, it functions more efficiently, absorbs nutrients better, and keeps us healthy. Over time, toxins will again build up and another cleansing will be needed. Therefore, it is a cycle and we need to keep up with our periodic body cleansing to stay in optimum health and prevent from getting sick.
Unfortunately, most people do not pay attention to body maintenance necessity. They are not even aware of it. People live unhealthy and unbalanced lives. They do not eat proper foods that are appropriate for their constitution. And even when they get sick, their focus is on getting quick relief for the current problem through medications, rather than getting to the root cause and fixing it. It is not difficult but requires discipline, which is hard. Often, really hard!
My Ayurveda Journey
I am 71 years old and have been suffering from stubborn cough for many years. It gets really bad in winter. Mucus accumulates in my chest and throat at night. As soon as I get up in the morning, I start coughing to get the phlegm out. It takes me over an hour every morning to get comfortable. My chest always feels cold. I have GERD problem for decades. I have diabetes too.
I was born and raised in India. As a child, yoga and Ayurveda was all around us. I have fairly good knowledge of Ayurvedic principles. I am also quite careful about what I eat. Yet, I still have these issues. As per Ayurveda, it is my Prakruti. Regardless of what I do, my Prakruti, which I refer to as my Ayurvedic DNA, dictates many things in my body. It seems my Kapha is out of balance. I am told that chest is the seat of Kapha. When it is out of balance, it impacts Vata as well. To explain another way, our bodies sit on a three-legged stool. These three legs are Tridoshas – Kapha, Pita, and Vata. If they are not balanced, the body sitting on them gets wobbly. Therefore, I need to undertake Ayurvedic treatments to balance my Tridoshas.
Poonthottam Ayurvedasram
I had discovered Poonthottam in 2007. At the time, I was living in California and suffering from lower back pain. I was looking for a place to get some good massages to loosen my back. I came across a place called Yoga Mandala in Berkeley, California. I went there and met a person who called himself Dharmanidhi. He was about 6 1/2 feet tall Caucasian guy. Dharmanidhi was not his real name. He had studied Ayurveda in India for many years in both North and South, in Bihar and Kerala. The Ayurveda traditions and approaches are different in these two areas. He studied both. In his reverence to Ayurveda and Indian spirituality, he adopted an Indian name as well and began to call himself Dharmanidhi. I started going to his Yoga Mandala regularly and we got to know each other fairly well. One day he told me that it is alright to come to his place, but to get real Ayurveda treatment I need to go to Poonthottam Ayurvedasram in Kerala. That’s where he had studied with Dr. Ravi and he is one of the most authentic traditional Ayurveda practitioners he knows. So, I reached out to Dr. Ravi and came here a couple of months later.
Poonthottam Ayurvedasram is situated in a rural setting in Kerala, about three hours drive from Kochi. It is set up in the midst of beautiful green fields, a lily pond, surrounded by coconut trees, a variety of fruit trees, vegetables and paddy fields. They grow many herbs here that are used in Ayurvedic therapies and treatments. They even maintain cows that are grass fed and roam freely. One gets up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping happily and gentle breeze brings in fresh air. Even some peacocks roam occasionally.
Poonthottam has 20 rooms and cottages in its lower campus. They are usually occupied by foreigners, mostly from European countries. A few like me come from USA as well occasionally, and a few from India too. This creates an eclectic atmosphere of a global village. I have visited here more than 10 times in the past 17 years and made many friends from a wide diaspora. There is another upper campus where they accommodate mostly Indian patients in many rooms and dormitories. They also maintain an outpatient clinic for the local community.
Treating Persistent Cough
I live in Wisconsin in the United States. The winters get very cold there. They arrive sometimes as early as November and linger through the end of March. As soon as temperatures start dropping below 50f (10c), my chest begins to get cold. I get continuous post nasal drip, phlegm accumulates in my throat, and have miserable coughing fit for over an hour every morning. It feels as though my body is trying to scrape and dislodge the gooey substance from the bronchi tree in chest. It is exhausting! This problem has been worsening over the years. I have consulted pulmonologists, allergists, and ENT specialists but they haven’t been able to figure out the cause or cure. So, I decided to turn to Ayurveda, and Poonthottam.
I arrived here on January 8, 2025 and had a long consultation with Dr. Ravi, whom I have now known for 17 years since 2007. He explained to me that this is a severe Kapha imbalance problem, made worse due to my diabetes. Chest is ‘Kaphasthanam’, the place where Kapha resides in the body. Kapha is the gooey substance. It has an essential role in the body. It provides lubricants to the joints and other moving parts. But the excess of it creates problem such as cough. Therefore, the solution is to remove the excess and maintain the balance. Notice that the goal is not to eliminate it but balance it.
My Prakruti
- Prakruti – I am Pita dominant, then Kapha, Vata.
- Vikruti – Vikruti is Tridoshas imbalance which manifests in the form of various malfunctions or diseases. I have been suffering from post nasal drip, chronic cough, and congestion in the chest for a long time. My chest is also very sensitive to colds. I have been told that this is due to Kapha imbalance that permeates in to Vata as well. This is my Vikruti condition which will return back to normal Prakruti after the doshas are balanced. Then, my cough and sinus condition should also alleviate. Vikruti is not permanent. It happens when tridosha imbalance occurs. It is improved or gone once the body and tridoshas return to normal.
Treatment Focus
A treatment plan was devised to address following issues:
- Cough and Congestion – Provide relief from cough and congestion by balancing Kapha and removing excess.
- Nocturia – Reduce night time urination frequency by reducing glucose levels
- Foot Injury- Stimulate foot muscles to heal recent hallux tendon injury in the right foot
- Body Cleansing – Body detox through vasti, enema therapy
- Body Rejuvenation – Improve body functions with Ayurvedic massages with custom formulated oils to open up energy channels for more efficient flow.
Treatment Methodology
- Abhyanga – massage with warm oil daily to improve circulation of fluids in the body and improve metabolism
- Tailadhara – continuous warm oil pour over whole body
- Navaradhra – medicated milk and rice powder liquid pour over body
- Zirobhayang – oil massage on the scalp for calming the mind
- Svedanam – steam bath sweat therapy to extricate toxins from the body
- Vasti – Enema with medicated oils therapy for colon cleansing
- Medicines – various herbal medicines
Diet
- Ayurvedic diet for all meals including breakfast, lunch, evening snack, and dinner. All meals are customized for my body type, condition, and health issues such as diabetes.
My Care Team
- Dr. Ravi, Chief Physician and Founder
- Dr. Mridul, Senior Physician
- Dr. Rohan, Daily Attending Physician
- Subhash, Massage and Therapist
- Achita, Nurse
- Preethi, Dietician
- Nithu, PRO, Patient Relations Officer
- Geetha, Kitchen Attendant
- Kitchen Staff
Dincharya (Daily Routine)
- 6:00 am – Wake-up. Wash face. Rub eyes. Come to the balcony. Look in the distance for at least 20 seconds. Rotate eyes. Do simple stretches. Chaalan kriyas (loosening exercises). Sit down calmly. Slowly drink two cups of warm herbal water provided. Do bathroom nature business.
- 7:00 am – Morning walk, yoga, stretches, meditation
- —— Walk – Go over by the lily pond. Walk 10 rounds around the pond. Each round is about 1/10th of a mile. Listen to the birds. Breathe in fresh air. Try to not think of anything. Enjoy the peace and calm. This is your morning meditation. It will refresh mind.
- —— Yoga – Yoga Chalan Kriyas. Loosening stretch exercises. Do one set as described in International Yoga Day video.
- —— Dr. Oz exercise – Do one set of 25 reps each of four ways hands stretching. Palms up/down, hands out stretched up/down, hands out stretched left/right, hands out stretched front/back clapping.
- —— Rest – After exercise, rest and meditate for a while.
- 8:30 am – Breakfast. Walk over to the common eating area outside kitchen. An Ayurvedic breakfast, custom prepared for each patient is served. Enjoy the breakfast and companionship of fellow residents.
- 10:00 am – Treatment – Time may vary from person to person. Mine includes various massage therapies for about 90 minutes, followed by assisted bath by therapist and helper.
- 11:30 am – Rest after the treatment.
- 12:30 pm – Lunch in the common dining area. Customized Ayurvedic meal is served. This is precious time. We usually get to know other residents here. Enjoy meal and have conversations with others. I have made many wonderful friends here over the years during these shared times.
- 1:30 pm – Doctor’s daily visit to check progress. Discuss any issues. Take blood pressure and record it.
- 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm – Open time. Rest. Read. Go for a walk by the pond. Do whatever you like.
- 3:30 pm – Afternoon snack is served. A small bowl of fruits is served with herbal tea. One can have it brought to the room or walk over to the dining area.
- 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm – Open time.
- 5:00 pm – Yoga practice in the upper campus. All are welcome to join.
- 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – Dinner time. Enjoy dinner with other fellow residents. You may go for an after dinner walk by the pond. Ayurveda suggests to walk at least one hundred steps after meal, if your health and body allows it.
- 7:00 pm – Event such as a cooking class, cultural activity or a presentation may be scheduled. If some event is planned, you are invited to participate.
- 7:30 pm – After dinner, it is open time until next morning schedule begins. Relax and have a restful night.
Progress
I had arranged for a 21- day treatment program. It started on January 9th and will complete on the 29th. I have received treatments for 11 days as of today.
I have noticed significant improvement in my morning cough. I am not waking up every morning with a lot of phlegm accumulation in my throat and chest. It is looking very promising that by the end of the program in another 10 days, this issue will be taken care of for long term.
My diabetes and B/P numbers are improving as well. This may be an effect of strictly controlled low carb and sugar free diet as well, in addition to therapies and medicines.
Body cleansing and rejuvenation treatments are making me feel lighter and less lethargic. There is likely better energy flow in the body.
Overall, I am pleased with the progress so far and it is looking even more promising going forward.
Treatment Notes
Discussion with Subhash, my therapist. He provided some very valuable information for future reference:
- Best time for treatment – Rainy season and the month of August is the best time for Ayurveda treatment.
- Marma or pressure points treatment. Four days before my treatment was to end, he started working on the pressure points, also called ‘Marma Points’ on the soles of my feet. There are points below the toes and other parts of sole that are directly connected to body parts like Nose, Sinus, Liver. By applying pressure on these points, it reinvigorates them. They are also helpful for neuropathy and nerve regeneration.
- Dry eyes. Ayurveda offers dry eyes treatment. It is a one week regimen. Discuss when planning treatment on next visit.
Poonthottam Ayurvedasram Gallery
Please provide your valuable feedback. I will appreciate it. Happy healing!
Thanks!
