Some traditional Ayurvedic treatments which help in psychosomatic disorders

The Ayurvedic medicinal system defines health as equilibrium between a healthy mind and healthy body. Ayurvedic and yogic treatment helps you in managing and reducing stress in an effective manner. It also offers systematic specialized treatments for various psychosomatic disorders. Some of the popular treatments offered by Ayurveda for treating psychosomatic disorders are:

Shirodhara treatment

Shirodhara treatment is sometimes also used as a precursor treatment in Panchakarma procedure. It has been practiced by the various Ayurvedic practitioners for over 5000 years. The treatment is quite helpful in relieving patient from stress, insomnia, headache, nervousness and fatigue. The procedure includes mixing of different medicinal oils with milk or ghee that have already been fused with other medicinal herbs. The mixture is then poured on the forehead using a mud pot. The mud pot is made to be hung at a particular height above the person for a particular span of time. A little hole at the bottom of the mud pot allows the mixture to flow down continuously on the patient. A headband is also used to prevent any oil from getting into the eyes of the patient.

The Shirodhara treatment helps in relieving your stress and calm down the nerves, restores your nervous system, purify your mind and balance vata. Apart from being effective on these, this treatment also treats some skin diseases and mental imbalance. Before starting this treatment a head massage is carried out to remove all stress and relax your mind. The treatment also helps in improving the functionality of your five senses and relives your from insomnia, depression, fatigue, vata, stress, and revitalizes the patient. The treatment is also helpful in beating mental exhaustion, headache, nervousness, anxiety, etc. that affects the psychological aspect of any person.

Ayurvedic medical head packs or Shirolepa

Shirolepa is a procedure of applying medicinal paste on the head. It is a traditional Ayurvedic treatment that is mainly followed in the Kerala Ayurvedic centres, where it is referred to as thalapodhichil. It is quite effective in helping patients out with psychosomatic disorders. Basically, it is a treatment for diseases related to skin and scalp. It also has cooling effects, hence it is also known as rejuvenation therapy.

The treatment process involves creating a paste of various medicinal powders and herbs. Then the paste is applied on the scalp of the person. The scalp in then covered with some leaves so that the herbs and medicinal powders in the paste could get some time to interact with the scalp. This procedure provides necessary nourishment to the head and scalp. After keeping the paste intact for about 50 to 60 minutes it is removed and oil is wiped by using a clean cloth. After that the head and body are massaged with medicinal oils and the patient is then allowed to bath with warm water.

Other than being an effective treatment for psychosomatic disorders, shirolepa also helps in numerous other medical conditions such as hypertension, dry vision, migraines etc. it also helps in memory improvement and concentration. It also offers ultimate relaxation by soothing the nervous system and offering extreme cooling to the patient’s head.

Nellikka Talam Treatment

Nillikka Talam is used by Ayurvedic practitioners for treatment of a variety of medical conditions like tension, stress, insomnia, etc. The treatment comprises of application of medicinal paste containing ‘Amla or Indian gooseberry’ also known as ‘Nellikka’ on the forehead. The nature of the application can be different and depends upon the type of illness for which it is applied.

As it is evident from the name itself the past, mainly comprises of ‘Amla’. The same paste has several other applications also. The Ayurvedic practitioners use this paste to treat a number of illnesses including asthma, fever, cough, stomach problems and skin issues. The amla paste is used at the place where the pain is maximum from the headache. For relieving patients of anxiety disorder the amla juice is extracted from the fruit and is mixed with two tablespoons of lime and two tablespoons of honey and is given to the patient diluted in a cup of lukewarm water in the morning. Other than consuming this mixture, the amla paste is also used for external application for quick relief from anxiety.

This treatment doesn’t not only helps in dealing with the problems related to the psychosomatic disorders, but also does help patients in treating hair problems. The hair problems like dry hair,  grey or damaged hair can be easily managed from this treatment. Apart from this it also helps in sinus, headaches, infections and helps in improvement of eyesight, smell and hearing power of the patient.