Accommodation
Ethnically decorated and well-furnished cottages of Bird’s Lagoon seem to
attract the visitors seeking solace in the village resort. Modern amenities blended
with traditional Kerala architecture provide that cultural yet elegant feel. A
widely spacious area of the resort premises gives one ample of free space to enjoy
the beauty of nature.
Facilities
The
various facilities at Birds Lagoon are inclusive of ‘Erumadom’ also
known as the tree house, fully- furnished authentically styled cottages, provision
for ‘marma chikilsa’ (massage and oil therapy) as well as facilities
for boat rides. The multi-cuisine restaurant, Ayurvedic rejuvenation center, Utility
shop, spacious car park, the barbecue and also the Conference hall help in drawing
more tourists to the resort.
Ayurveda
Thattekkad’s climate
is best suited for ayurvedic treatments according to the primitive scripts. It
lies on the ayurvedic theory of living on the norms of nature and thereby being
gifted by it. The entire design of the place is done based on the conservation
of nature. The tribal hut or ‘Adhivasikudil’ is used for oil therapy
and massages with special focus on ‘marma chikilsa’. Ancient ponds or
‘Ambalakulam’ is associated with temples. Separate balconies render
the feel of the rural areas. For organizing conferences and parties there is the
provision for a basement with special ventilation.
Panchakarma Therapies
Ayurveda consists of two theories of disease management namely Shamana and Shodhana.
Five different Ayurvedic techniques directed at eradicating the main cause of
the illness or 'Shodhana' are termed as the Panchakarma. Karma denoting action
while Pancha meaning five defines Panchakarma. Apart from the eradication of disease-causing
toxins, Panchakarma is also used to refill the tissues with nourishment. Thus
it is often referred to Rejuvenation therapy.
The
five actions of Panchakarma according to the Charaka school include:
* Nirooha Vasti (enema with herbal decoction)
* Vamana (emesis therapy)
* Anuvasana Vasti (therapeutic enema with medicated oil)
* Virechana (purgation
therapy)
* Nasya (errhine therapy)
Keeping in mind that the vitiated
blood could lead to certain diseases, the two prime categories of Vasti as a result
of which were combined into one category and Raktamokshana or eliminating the
vitiated blood was added up as the fifth division of Panchakarma.The procedures
required to undertake the Panchakarma therapies, is called the Purvakarma. The
post-treatment care that includes the dos and don'ts and diet charts is called
the Paschatkarma. Purvakarma is widely divided into three procedures:-
Swedana, Pachana and Snehana. The patients are given Pachana or digestion drugs
to help for digesting the indigested food material.
Snehana or oiling
is executed in two ways. In Bahya Snehana or external oilation, oils prepared
from herbs are massaged all over the body. These saturate the body and help liquefy
amam present in the srotas or body channels. The main types are Abhyanga Snana
(rubbing medicated oil over the entire body and taking bath after a while), Pichu
(folded piece of cloth soaked in oil used to cover the crown) and Shiro abhyanga
(is the simple process of applying oil on the head before taking a bath). In Abhyanthara
Snehana (Internal oilation) medicated ghee (ghruta) is ingested to liquefy the
amam in the various srotas (body channels) of the system. This is also called
Snehapana.
Swedana (Induction of Sweating / Sudation) helps to dilate
the body's srotas or channels for the removal of toxins, which are transported
to the bowels. From there, the Panchakarmas can effectively eliminate them.The
various Swedana (sweating) methods in vogue include:
1. Ooshmasweda
/ Bashpasweda : using steam from water, sitting inside a steam box, with only
the head outside.
2. Pindasweda / Navarakizhi : hot applications using
kizhi, a special type a bundle of linen filled with a bolus of shastika or navara
rice that has been cooked with milk and herbal decoction is used for fomentation.
3. Upanahasweda : the poultice of herbal paste tied on parts of the body.
4. Nalisweda : applying steam of boiling herbal decoction through a tube.
5. Avagahasweda : immersing body parts in oils or herbal decoctions.
6. Podikizhi / Churnasweda - hot applications using a special type a bundle
of linen filled with a bolus of powders cooked with herbal oils.
7. Patrasweda
: hot applications using a special type a bundle of linen filled with a bolus
of herbal leaves cooked with herbal oils used for fomentation.
8. Dhara
: the process of pouring medicated liquid over the patient's body. They are three
kinds depending on the medicine used: Ksheeradhara (with milk mixed with a medicated
decoction), Snehadhara (with various medicated oils) and Takradhara (with buttermilk
mixed with a medical decoction, very effective for treating diseases affecting
the head, eyes, for chronic sinusitis and some cases of insanity)
Dhara
consists of two main categories:
# Sarvangadhara / Pizhichil: The procedure
of pouring oil over the whole body with simultaneous massaging. Good for treating
hemiplegia, paralysis, muscle spasms and other degenerative diseases affecting
muscles. Could be of two types- Dhara over the whole body except the head and
Dhara over the whole body including the head.
# Sirodhara: Warm oil made
to spill on the forehead. Recent researches show that this therapy induces vasodilatation
within the brain, enabling increased flow of oxygen to the brain and nourishing
the nervous system.
The Pentad of Panchakarma is inclusive of:
(1) Vamana or therapeutic emesis is a purification process intended mainly
for the expulsion of vitiated Kapha. This is a painless, drug induced emetic process.
Vamana cures diseases like acne, asthma, chronic cough and cold, allergies, diabetes
and various other Kapha disorders and should not be performed on children, old
or weak people, pregnant women and those suffering from hepatitis or tuberculosis.
Purvakarma: The first stage of Purvakarma includes external and internal
oilation and then sweating, which mobilizes the toxins to be thrown out during
the Panchakarma from the koshta (stomach).
Pradhanakarma: The night before
staring the Pradhanakarma, the patient is given Kapha exciting food. The next
morning, the patient is given some medicines that promote watery secretion. After
this, the patient is given herbal emetic.. After half an hour, the patient starts
to vomit. To stimulate further vomiting, he is given warm diluted milk at intervals.
The patient should be gently massaged up with upward strokes around the navel
and downward strokes on his back. Once the stomach becomes empty, the vomiting
wills automatically stops.
Paschatkarma: the patient is made to inhale
medicated smoke (Dhoomapana) and also to gargle and then made to take complete
rest.
(2) Virechana or Purgation Therapy is good for diabetes,
colitis, jaundice, spleen enlargement, arthritis, skin diseases and other intestinal
disorders. This therapy is not advisable for infants, the old and pregnant women.
Purvakarma: Oilation and Sudation therapies form the pre processes.
Pradhanakarma: The usual practice is to give the herbal purgatives around 6 am
in the morning. The dose of the drug is determined according to the patient's
constitution. The process of purgation will normally start within two hours of
taking the purgatives. Drinking hot water also acts as a stimulant. The fecal
discharge turns fluid after seven or eight bowel movements. First the feces, then
the toxic Pitta and finally toxic Kapha are discharged. | Paschatkarma:
The patient is only gradually brought back into the regular dietary habits aft6er
going through periods of light foods.
(3) Nasya or Errhine Therapy
is the application of medical oils or powders through the nostrils and is an important
method of treatment for illness of the head region since Nostrils are the doorways
to the brain. Types of Nasya are:
* Brumhana Nasya : A nourishing Nasya
using medicated oils, Juices of herbs and so on that nourish the tissues are used.
* Dhamana Nasya : The medicine insufflated into the nostrils is powder (Churna)
and not fluids.
* Virechana Nasya : A purification Nasya with medicated
lubricants like oil, ghee, various herbal decoctions or honey
* Shamana
Nasya : Demulcents in small dose are used for this palliative therapy to bring
immediate relief.
The Process: The forehead and the neck region of the
patient are gently massaged with suitable oil and sweating is induced. Thereafter
the patient is made to lie down on his back with his head slightly bent back.
Warm medication is then dripped into both nostrils that the patient draws in.
After the treatment, the throat, cheeks and forehead are massaged softly. Gandusha
(gargle) is also advisable as a measure of post-treatment care.
Benefits
of Nasya: Kapha related toxins from the Para nasal sinuses are eliminated giving
great relief in the head and clarity of the sense organs and the region nourished.
Breathing becomes completely unobstructed which gives sound sleep at night. Olfactory
improvement is also felt. Nasya is excellent for chronic sinusitis, headache,
throat diseases, epilepsy, catarrh, migraine, voice problems, eye diseases and
cervical sodalities.
Marsha Nasya Uses higher dosages like six, eight
or ten drops of the medications whereas in the case of Pratimarsha Nasya the dosage
is usually two to three drops in each nostril.
(4) Vasti or the therapeutic
Enema is good for spleen disorders, colic, calculus, kidney stones and many
other diseases due to a Vata disorder but not to be used in diabetes, piles, hiccups,
obesity and injuries to the anus.
As with all the other Panchakarma purification
procedures, here also oil and sweat therapies are essential. After this, lukewarm
and freshly prepared Vasti liquid is injected into the colon via the rectum.
Nirooha vasthi is carried out using herbal decoctions, discharges fluid that
contains toxins along with the fecal matter. While Anuvasana Vasti is carried
out using oils and it nourishes and strengthens the colon.
The different
types of Vasthi according to the Duration of Treatment are
* Yoga
Vasti – treatment duration of 8 days,
* Kala Vasti - treatment duration
of 15 days, and
* Karma Vasti - treatment duration of 30 days.
Vastis
based on the Herbal Compounds used are:
* Vajeekarana or Rasayana Vasti
: Using Aphrodisiac and rejuvenating herbs promoting sexual vitality and vigor
and treats Infertility,
* Lekhana Vasti : This also purges but the dose
is stronger,
* Brumhana Vasti : A nourishing Vasti using herbs that nourish,
* Shamana Vasti : Palliative using drugs that are demulcents,
*
Shodhana Vasti : the decoction prepared with herbs that act as purging agents.
Elimination of toxins from the body is its main function. Madhu Thailikam is the
Shodhana Vasti where honey and oil are used.
Other Special Vastis are:
Matra Vasti: A Anuvasana using very small quantity of medicated oil
not more than four ounces. No regulations are necessary. This therapy, which acts
as a good vitaliser, can be performed regularly after meals and is extremely invigorating
to those emaciated by overwork or those who indulge in excessive sex; and
Uttara Vasti: The medicated oil is introduced through the vagina and cervix
in females and through the penis and urethra in males for treating certain diseases
of the genito-urinary system
Raktamokshana (Bloodletting)
According to Sushruta, certain diseases are caused by vitiation of blood, which
could be effectively treated by letting out the vitiated blood through surgical
venesection called Raktamokshana. Subsequently the Sushruta school of thought
combined the two Vastis - oil and decoction - into one and added Raktamokshana
as the fifth category of the Panchakarma.
Other Important Treatments:
Netravasti or Akshi tarpana: By this method along with the medicated
oil, a particular amount of flour is pasted and applied around the eyes.
Shirovasti: This method utilizes a typical technique
for treatment of earache as well as cataract; treating head disorders, as well
as cranial nerve complaints. A leather cap of about six to eight inches high is
rested on the patient’s shaven head and tied up. The kneaded dough would
help in creating a line within the cap. Oil is poured into the cap and allowed
to rest over the head for some time.
Udwartana:
Finely dried and powdered herbal powder or churna with medicinal oils is used
to massage the patient. The dry massage is effective for treating rheumatoid arthritis
and obesity while the oily massage helps in curing varieties of nervous disorders.
This therapy uses a stroking motion during the massage directed upwards or towards
the heart.
Urovasti: This sort of
treatment is administered on the chest. It is performed by placing a small tank
of dough on the chest, around the sternum region. Then the medicated oil is poured
into it and allowed to rest for a particular period. One is relieved of the pain
on this area by this treatment.
Talam:
It is the procedure by which medicated paste is applied on the crown of the head.
Kativasti: Oil is poured into a dam of
black gram dough made on the lumbo-sacral region and kept there for a particular
time interval. This method is used to cure pains of the lower back.
Talapothichil:
Used to cure ailments of head, the crown of the head is kept covered with gooseberry
paste in buttermilk, for a specific period.
Lepana:
This procedure utilizes the theory of external application of medicated paste
on the affected portion of the body. It is recommended for several types of pains
leading to inflammatory conditions.
Karnapoorana:
Medicated oils are poured into the ears through this method. It is used for curing
Deafness, Otorrhea as well as Tinnitus.
Cuisine
The resort
specializes in traditional and authentic food of Kerala. There is a vegetable
garden within the resort. So there is no dearth of fresh vegetables for preparing
tasty dishes which are in turn flavoured by freshly powdered spices from the restaurant
kitchen. Guests can even opt for vegetables that they wish to be prepared from
the garden. The menu consists of non-vegetarian recipes as well. The visitors
might also try out their hands in fishing which thereafter might be cooked by
the chefs. Recipes like the traditional ‘Meenvattichathu’ (fish in red
chilly sauce), ‘Puttu and Kadala’, mixed vegetable gravy dish with coconut
and yoghurt, ‘Kappa and Meenucurry’ (tapioca and fish curry)’ as
well as stew made of chicken and potatoes would surely relish one’s taste
buds. |
Birds Lagoon Resort Ernakulam, Kerala
