The gift of perfect health

Life is so full of wonderful surprises. You can always trust God to throw in something exciting your way. As you take time to count one blessing at a time, new ones come by. Sometimes they come in trickles. Often you may get caught in a downpour.

One special blessing God sent me lately came into our home in the form of a very gracious lady named Tita Manelle Katigbak-Jose. My sister Christine serendipitously bumped into her at a gathering last year. She was an old friend of our late parents. She was abroad when they passed away 15 years ago. Next thing we knew, Tita Manelle lovingly arranged a special healing Mass at our parents’ ancestral home with all us five orphans and our children present. It was a beautiful Mass that refreshed our spirits. We sat down and caught up over a sumptuous dinner as she regaled us with tales of her own journeys and advocacies.

Tita Manelle had just come from India and was enthusiastically raving about an ayurvedic detox program called panchakarma. She said she has received immense benefits from this program and wished for her family to experience it, too. She passionately found a way to share with her loved ones this priceless and precious gift of wellness right here in the Philippines. Her next course of action was to invite us to her home in Makati called Arogya, which actually means perfect health.

What happened next was magical. Christine first tried the panchakarma treatments mid last year. She said, “It was a very rejuvenating experience because the cleansing and healing was so deep and encompassing because my mind, body and soul felt truly integrated. Worthy to note, the medicines that they put in the oils that were massaged into my body were the specific solution to my need that moment.” She learned that ayurveda is not a system of medicine but a system of perfect health. Christine has been hooked on it ever since her first treatment.

When you come in for your panchakarma treatment, Patrick Eyquem, a Frenchman who has been practicing and promoting ayurveda for over three decades, will assess the state of your body-mind system.  He will also create and prescribe the exact oil formula that is massaged into your system. The recipe of these herbs and the distinct combinations were created over a thousand years ago. Some of the oils have over 50 herbs in it.

Patrick said, “Panchakarma is a system of prevention. It’s not a spa treatment. There are actually six stages of disease. If panchakarma can arrest the early stage of the disease, then the affliction is eliminated. It is used to open the channels that are blocked due to one’s rigid habit and lifestyle.”

My Ate Jaqui was experiencing sleepless nights due to a combination of excitement and nervousness while attending to the countless details of her daughter Nikki’s wedding last November. As she was lovingly waiting to welcome her new son-in-law Jason, she was a bunch of nerves anticipating the coming milestone while wanting to make everything perfect for the newly-weds. Ate Jaqui emerged flying high, totally rejuvenated and looking forward to the big day after her panchakarma treatment. She was the epitome of rejuvenation, which showed on the wedding day as she glowed with an inner calm and radiance.

My youngest sister Yvonne went next and said that she had never experienced such restful sleep after her treatment. Even her dreams were overwhelmingly delightful. Now, she looks forward to her every single treatment.

For the next few months, all I would hear from my sisters was how well they felt after their treatment. They would tell me how gloriously satisfying the experience was for them.

Finally, very recently, it was my turn. Tita Manelle was concerned about the chemotherapy sessions I had completed and found a window of opportunity to detoxify and strengthen my body before my scheduled surgery. She gifted me with a seven-day panchakarma treatment of abhyanga and takradhara. In abhyanga, two expert therapists gently worked in synchronicity while gently massaging my body with thick sesame oil infused with specific herbs especially formulated for me. I savored every minute of this exhilarating experience. Medicated buttermilk was gently poured onto my forehead, resulting in a cooling sensation that simply relaxed me, leaving me begging for more. I imagined myself drifting in the purest lake of turquoise waters or flying like a feather landing comfortably on a pillow of clouds. I was simply in a state of blessed bliss.

Patrick was present each day to check on how I was feeling. He also imparted his wisdom and reminded me to just take my time. No need to rush things. I have finally learned to do that and I thank him for reprimanding me when he caught me gulping down the tea instead of savoring it the way life should be treated.

He said, “The treatment strengthens the immune system, it rejuvenates the body. It detoxes the entire body and not just focus on a particular part. When the toxins are removed from the brain, the mind functions better.”

He added, “Panchakarma can cure sleep disorder, alleviate back pain, balance cholesterol, reduce fatty tissue and diminish emotional imbalance.  It decreases the rate of platelet clumping, raises good cholesterol, decreases anxiety and aging and reduces free radicals that are the leading cause of all diseases like cancer.

Statistics show that panchakarma has a 99 percent success rate in treating chronic sinusitis, 88 percent success rate in treating rheumatoid arthritis and chronic constipation and between 56 percent and 77 percent success rate in curing asthma, bronchitis, headache, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Besides the all-time favorite abhyanga and takradhara treatment, Christine also tried the patrapotli treatment where a detoxifying concoction of various herbs and medicated powder are placed in bundles and steamed before being applied to the entire body. The heat that seeps through the pores carries with it the potent forces of the herbs and natural medicines. Uddvartan, on the other hand, is a medicated powder that is rubbed all over the body to help in weight loss and alleviate skin problems, arthritis and rheumatism. Uddvartan utilizes an herbal paste massaged into the skin then you are cocooned in a steam cover (svedana) to allow the body to absorb the healing properties of the herbs.

 “I cannot change your life but I can make your body stronger. When this happens it is easier to adjust to life’s challenges,” Patrick concluded.

 (Arogya Ayurveda Center is located at 8398 Mayapis St., San Antonio Village, Makati City. Call 403-4048 or 0906-249-2463 or send an e-mail to arogyamanila@gmail.com.

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(For best results, consult your doctor.)