Karkidaka Chikitsa

The month of Karkidakam (Cancer), falls in the Varsha Ritu (monsoon season), one among the six Ritus (six seasons). Varsha Ritu extends from mid-July to mid-September.

In Cancer, the Sun enters the Dakshinayana from Uttarayana, or transits from Adana period

to Visarga period. In the summer season, due to the heat, the Dhatus get dried up, but the Vata Dosha does not get aggravated due to the impact of excess heat.

आदानं च तदाधत्ते नृणां प्रतिदिनं बलम् |

विसर्गः तु सौम्यः

(Ashtanga Hridayam)

As a result of the sudden fall of temperature due to rains, Humors (Doshas), especially the Vata (degenerative factor) gets aggravated. The vitiation of Doshas will lead to diseases and further weaken the digestive fire that is already weakened in summer (Greeshma).

It is necessary to mitigate imbalanced Doshas in the body. Measures to improve digestive activity must be done. One should undergo Panchakarma therapies to mitigate the Doshas and thereby gaining the fine balance of Doshas in the body. Panchakarma therapies are the five types of purificatory procedures in Ayurveda, carried out for cleaning the body. Therefore, in order to overcome fatigue and damage caused to the body and bring the body to an energetic state for the next year, body cleansing (Shudhikriyas i.e. Detoxification) is beneficial in this month. This can be done by proper panchakarma.

Panchakarma is a set of cleansing treatments practised for expelling vitiated dosha out from the human body.

Panchakarmas are

1. VASTI

2. VIRECHANAM

3. VAMANAM

4. NASYAM

5. RAKTAMOKSHAM

After thorough examination of the patient and disease condition, appropriate treatment among these will be decided and applied.

By doing the appropriate karma out of the five, body cleansing along with restoration of equilibrium of three doshas (Vata-Pitta-Kapha) can be attained.