Before I answer this question I would like to share my experience with a couple who visited us a few years ago.

The husband was in his early 50s, and the wife was in her late 40s. During the initial consultation, the woman mentioned that she was suffering from perimenopausal issues. She had hot flashes, heat waves, and was worried if she would have to take hormone replacement therapy.

She also had anxiety, chronic body ache and some digestive issues. We took about 45 minutes to finish her consultation and then it was her husband’s turn. I asked him what his health concerns were. He looked at me with a straight face and replied, “Nothing, I just want a good massage”.

The moment he said this, the wife interrupted and got quite furious. She said, “ He is lying. He is stressed out, always tired in the evenings, there could be a high blood pressure issue. His sleep is disturbed and he snores a lot in his sleep!”

Here we see two different definitions of what health conditions mean to each of them. For some, being unhealthy means being bedridden or having a disease that needs immediate attention. For others, it could be constant tiredness, unexplained aches, lack of motivation or energy – basically anything that prevents them from living a fulfilling life. These are also health conditions that need not be clinically diagnosed but prevent you from living a good life. It’s like driving a car with hand brakes on. The car moves, but there is constant resistance.

Panchakarma is not something that you do only when you have a diagnosed health condition, it is also something you do in order to protect and sustain a healthy condition. Today, everything in our society and lifestyle is designed to make us consume more, get addicted to the consumption and stay in the loop. Our lifestyles stack up against one unhealthy habit over another.

If you eat outside food, there is a 100% chance that there are toxins in your body. The restaurants design their menu to keep bringing you back as a customer. Your health is their interest.

If you travel a lot for your work, especially in different time zones, then your ability to relax is definitely impaired. If you work in a fast-paced environment, then your body is definitely storing the stress in various parts. Panchakarma is a way to eliminate the accumulated toxins these lifestyles inflict.

Let’s take a look at who may not need panchakarma.

If you are living a very healthy lifestyle where you don’t travel a lot, you cook your own food, you exercise moderately, you don’t eat processed food, you are conscious about your nutrition and consume easy to digest food, you are emotionally stable and you have a very healthy family, then you may not need panchakarma. But the irony I see is, people who live this way are the most regular visitors for panchakarma treatment!

People who are regular with panchakarma are these people who already have a healthy lifestyle. They have prioritized their health above everything. In addition to being healthy, they are committed to keeping and sustaining their health. Some people do not even want to live long, simply because they prefer death over a life with illness. With panchakarma, you are reinforcing your value of prioritizing health as a very important part of your life. You are renewing your purpose and aim for longevity and fulfilling life.