Ayurvedic Treatment For Palliation.

A basic Ayurvedic principle states that jathar agni, the gastric fire, and dhatu agni, the metabolic and regulatory component of each tissue, must be in harmony. If agni is low, food is not properly digested; undigested food becomes nonhomogenous, toxic, and morbid, and produces ama (or toxins) in the system. Ama is the root cause of disease.

This ama must be eliminated, and panchakarma (Ayurvedic cleansing therapy) is the best treatment for this process. However, panchakarma should only be done with a person who has sufficient energy and strength. If a person is debilitated, tired, or weak, he or she cannot bear panchakarma and it could further complicate his or her condition. For these people, palliation is a better choice. Palliation involves the use of herbs, such as ginger, black pepper, Piper longum, or chitrak, in addition to a specific diet appropriate for the person's constitution and condition.

Palliation helps not only to kindle digestive fire, but also to burn the ama. A person should drink no more than seven or eight cups of water daily because it will only slow down digestion, add to the ama, and create more congestion. Instead of cold water, a person should drink ginger tea, cinnamon tea, or certain herbal teas (e.g., mint tea or cumin-coriander-fennel tea). These teas kindle fire, detoxify ama, and cleanse the srotas, the subtle channels of the body. After this treatment, mild laxatives, such as triphala, are given to remove toxins from the colon.

The process of palliation still involves the removal of toxins from the system. However, the approach is more gentle and involves several aspects: herbal medication to digest accumulated toxins (ama) and to strengthen the digestive fire (agni); fasting from food and/or liquids; and sunbathing or windbathing. As this treatment continues, proper lifestyle, diet, and exercise must also be employed to sustain the benefits of treatment. With many conditions, treatment by palliation is used first and then, when the patient is stronger and the toxins have been moved from the tissues to the hollow organs, purification is appropriate to finish the removal of the toxins from the body.