Hi All,
One must be open to new experiences………
Sciatica
My sciatica started in again and I couldn’t walk very far or even stand up long by evening time. At the Crabtree’s Sunday lunch Louisa recommended the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala clinic. I needed something and this was a recommendation from a sane person, so I jumped at it.
http://www.aryavaidyasala.com is the website of the clinic
The following was on their web site FAQ treatment page:
Could you please suggest the best time to have ayurvedic treatment? 
Generally three seasons are considered best suited for conducting treatment. They are,
Mid July – Mid August (Karkkidakam)
Mid October – Mid November (Thulam)
Mid February – Mid March (Kubham)
because these seasons have moderate weather conditions (heat, cold and rain). The fortnights immediately before and after these three months are also considered as acceptable. (I started on February 3rd which isn’t mid-February, but the weather is moderate with no rain and no tropical heat.
Another FAQ was if their treatment would help sciatica and their answer was, surprise, surprise…yes.
Treatment options were illustrated and described.
First a consultation with Doctor R. Subhadra Varier B.A.M. S. Deputy Physician
When we arrived I checked in at reception and about 2 minutes later I was in the Doctor’s office. I interrupted her reading which surprised me though I don’t know why. Doctors are always reading charts or computer screens, but it’s rare that you see them reading a book. Of course, here as in the Port Clearance Offices everything is done by paper and carbon
The doctor was very matter-of-fact bordering on impersonal. But I was probably the billionth (literally,) person complaining of a bad back and pain down my leg. (A few days later I saw her walking down the street and she wasn’t smiling then either. She didn’t recognize me, but I recognized her. ) She took my pulse, blood pressure, asked about my cholesterol and if I took calcium. She asked about my sciatica history and if I had x-rays with me. I said, no but I had a photo of my acupuncture suction cup red marks. That didn’t impress her at all. They don’t do acupuncture here. Maybe it’s more a Chinese medicine. She had me lay on her examining table and she pushed each one of my legs perpendicular to my body to see the range of movement and if I had pain. No pain. I told her it only hurt when I walked, stood or sometimes sat. I also told her about the acupuncture doctor’s theory of air conditioning impacting my sciatica which is totally true and I wear flannel pants on the boat when we have AC. We discussed treatment options. One option was that I take the pills and rub myself with oils. The other option was having someone work on me. I opted for “someone working on me” because Advil and stretching wasn’t doing the trick so I needed to have “someone work on me.”
Reception and pharmacy.
My medicine is 3 different pills. I take two kinds in the morning and evening about an hour before meals and the other one I take after meals. The tricky part is making myself wake up about 5:30 am so I can take the pills so when we get up at 6 am I don’t have to sit around waiting for my tea. I have no idea if it really matters. But I am taking them, going for treatment and have been able to cut back on my Advil consumption. I wear flannel pants on the boat all the time and I wear some kind of footwear because the support helps too.
I asked what the medicines were but was told there is no translation……that it is written in Sanskrit….
My pharmacy printout says:
Ashtavargam Kwatham (TAB) 60 of them
Suvarnamuktadi Gulika 30 (they are tiny pills)
Dhanwantaram Kwatham (Tab)
(I just took my before pills with wine…..which should be a double whammy pain killer!)
The cost 357.40 rupee = about $8 US
I’ve finished my 3rd day of treatments and I haven’t taken Advil except one at night.
Pizhichil:The patient is made to lie on a wooden Droni (a specially designed wooden plank. (I read about this treatment on the clinic website and it sounds like my treatment.)
Wooden Droni treatment table…
Embarrassing as it is to admit, that dangling bit of tan cloth is what I wear.
I get to the clinic about 10:15 and after a trip to the “toilet” I go into the treatment room. They tell me to take off my clothes, jewelry, and specs and put on my tiny linen diaper. After 3 treatments I’m used to it, sort of. Then they tell me to sit on the table and one lady puts a bit of oil in my hair and rubs it around. Then they pour some warm oil on my back and rub it around. Then they tell me to lie on my back. They spend about 20 minutes working on my front, one lady working on my foot, leg and hip and the other working on my neck, arm, hand, and stomach. One is on my right and one on my left. Then they change so my whole body is done. Then I roll over and the back half is done. That back massage is actually kind of nice; though my neck starts to get stiff without a pillow, just a few folded small linen towels, and sometimes I get a foot cramp. Then they tell me to roll over again and do the front again. Then, when they are done they take some rough linen towels, you can see them in the photo, and rub off the oil. That actually feels great. Then they tell me to sit up and rub off some more oil. Finally they help me off the table and I take a towel and wipe off some more oil. Then I get dressed, go outside, get a tuk tuk and go home. Amazingly I don’t feel oily greasy awful. It isn’t like being coated in suntan lotion and hot and sweaty and sandy. It’s hard to explain, more like putting on expensive body lotion, not that I have any. At the end when I get off the table they put more stuff in my hair and hold some powder under my nose and make me breathe deeply. I wasn’t allowed to wash my hair until after the third visit and my hair was stiff and shiny! My whole body now smells like India!
Close-up of the table.
I hope to get some photos of the ladies in their medical blue saris. They fold up the bottoms to keep them out of the way and then put on aprons. They are very sweet and matter-of-fact so it really isn’t any more embarrassing than going for a mammogram. And it’s not cold and nothing gets squished. I have four more treatments.