NAVARAKIZHI - The Medicated Milk-Porridge Bundle

Navarakizhi Massage Therapy

Navarakizhi is a treatment using medicated milk-porridge made into a bundle (Kizhi). The kizhi is dipped into a mixture of milk and medicinal decoctation and is applied all over the body. It is an immuno rejuvination therapy and is made use in convalesence period of injury and trauma, muscular wasting, arthritis, general weakness, paralysis, pains relented to joints and sore muscles etc. This is a nourishing and restorative treatment that will reduce emancination of the muscles and will build a better immune system. It is also effective to improve the lusture and texture of skin.

The treatment is a special gift from ayurveda to the ailing world and is called Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda in sanskrit and Navarakizhi in  Kerala Ayurveda practice.

Milk and Rice are well known nutrients to us and are part of our daily diet.

Navarakizhi is a form of sweat of inducing massage treatment, it is used to improve muscle strength, rejuvinate and re-energize body. Here, milk and rice are mainly used.

Milk is processed with medicinal herbs and a special type of rice are combined together to be used as an effective external therapy. This treatment is used to provide strength and nutrition to the body tissues, especially bones, muscles and other soft tissues.

Though it is a sweating form of treatment, often, the term massage is associated with this treatment because sweating is used by massaging.

Procedure for Navarakizhi Massage Therapy

We need at least 4 attendants or masseurs to carry on the treatment in a synchronized and uninterrupted way on either side of the patient. The rubbing or stroking of the Pinda or boluses on both sides of the body (left and right) should be done in a rhythmic way by all the 4 masseurs. They should be trained in such a way that they should be able to efficiently carry out the treatment procedure. 2 masseurs should stand on one side of the patient and the other 2 on other side. We need a 5^th person as helper (can have 2 helpers too) who should be standing near the stove on which the vessel consisting of medicated milk along with the dipped Pinda’s (boluses) is kept for constant heating on a mild flame. They will be supplying the boluses dipped in the heated medicated milk to the masseurs. As and when the boluses lose temperature, the masseurs return them to the helpers and in turn receive the other boluses kept in the heated milk. This method is conducted for the prescribed duration without interruption. Care should be taken that neither the bolus nor the body of the patient gets cold at any point of the treatment. This is possible only with a cyclic synchronizing between the main masseurs and the helpers in terms of how they keep changing and exchanging the boluses so as to maintain the heat throughout the treatment procedure. The masseurs should not only be skilled but also should be compassionate towards the patient.

Two masseurs should take in charge of rubbing and stroking the boluses against the body of the patient in a gentle way and cover the lower portion of the body i.e. one masseur should attend the hip, buttock, anterior and posterior portions of thigh, leg, knee, ankle and lumbo-sacral area on the right side and the other masseur on the left side.

The other 2 masseurs should carry on the procedure simultaneously on the upper portion of the body. One among them should cover the abdomen, chest, sides of the chest, flanks, upper back, neck (nape), shoulder, elbow, wrist and small joints of the hands, arm and forearm of the right side and the other masseur should cover the left side of the body.

The treatment should be carried out in a skilful and synchronized way on both left and right sides of upper and lower portions of the body by all the 4 masseurs in an uninterrupted way.

The rice boluses are dipped in hot milk; temperature of the boluses is tested and used for giving fomentation. Before rubbing the bolus over the afflicted painful body part of the patient, the bolus is wiped along the rim of the pan to rip off the excessive milk dripping from the boluses. If not, the excessive milk dripping from the boluses will spill all around and create inconvenience to the treatment procedure. The hot milk can also fall on the patient’s body and cause burns.

The bolus is rubbed on the affected part gently (as good as massaging with bolus). The strokes are given from above downwards from nape of the neck to the lower back and the masseurs attending the lower portion of the body will give a descending stroke by rubbing the boluses from hip downwards towards the feet. The strokes are done in a circular and clockwise fashion while covering joints of the body. Similar method is followed while conducting the treatment on the upper limbs. While rubbing the part with the bolus in right hand, the masseur can move his left hand over the body part following the direction of the bolus and give a soothing stroke. Circular strokes can be given over the joints and vertical strokes from above downwards on the back and limbs.

When the boluses lose their temperature (as felt by touching the bolus with the hand) the masseurs should immediately hand them over to the helper and receive the heated boluses and continue the procedure. For changing purposes, 4 boluses shall be kept in the heated medicine and the other 4 shall be used by masseurs (1 bolus by each masseur). The bolus is repeatedly interchanged with the backup bolus throughout the treatment duration. The key is to maintain the temperature of the bolus.

The fomentation given by Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda method should reach all parts of the body. To achieve this, the procedure should be carried out in all the 7 postures in which Abhyanga (herbal oil massage) is done.

The 7 postures of doing Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda are, patient in –

• Sitting posture
• Sleeping by facing the roof (supine position)
• Sleeping in left lateral position (towards left)
• Sleeping on tummy (prone position or face downwards)
• Sleeping in right lateral position (towards right)
• Sleeping back by facing the roof
• Sitting posture

The treatment procedure is carried out for 10-15 minutes in each posture. Thus the time duration of the treatment ranges from 70-105 minutes. By the time we finish off this procedure, the patient would be sweating, which gives a sign to stop the treatment. At the same time, the medicine (processed milk) kept on the stove too would have been exhausted.

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MANNALIL AYURVEDA HOSPITAL

Ettumanoor,Madappadu ,Punnathara (w) P.O,
Kottayam
Kerala , India
Contact us : 0481 2530909
Email : info@mannalilayurvedahospital.com
info@mannalilvaidyasala@gmail.com