It is amazing how quickly the physical body heals. I had three surgeries over the summer about a month apart starting in June. By the time of the second surgery in July the actual physical wounds from the first had healed. The same with the surgery in August. However, the part of healing that I neglected until recently was the emotional/psychological aspect of healing. Honestly I am not sure I was capable of addressing this aspect while on the interferon. I could barely motivate myself through the day! Thinking clearly enough to understand what I needed to do on an emotional level was out of the realm of possibility.
Here at the clinic I am able to focus on multiple levels or modes of healing. First there is the physical aspect of treatments and the expunging of the toxins in my body. I had a new treatment today where I could really feel the physical effects. The treatment is similar to 
the back basti that I described earlier except that this time I am laying on my back and the dough is placed on my stomach. After the hot oil was placed inside the container that they create with the dough, I started to feel blood rushing to the area. Oddly, it felt like my heart was in my abdominal area as I felt the blood pumping very strongly.
The second mode of healing are the herbs, both consumed and in the oils and liquids used in the treatments that ultimately seep into the body through the skin. A number of our modern medicines have medicinal plants as their active ingredient, so for me it is easy to believe that the Ayurvedic herbs can act in a positive way. That and the fact that the combination of herbs that they use have have been formulated over a few thousand years of the healing arts puts my mind at ease. I like to take the herbs I consume with some intention of what they are meant to do in the physical body. At this point I am taking number of different herbs.
- Shoolagna Vati which acts as an anti-viral.
- Ananda Sidi Yog (which is mixed with milk) is meant to boost the immune system
- Abudari Kashayam , is focused on killing cancer cells
- Smriti is focused on helping the body to create healthy cells.
- Plus a number of herbs that are meant to help the body digest food more easily so that it does not become muck that sticks to the intestinal track.
The third mode of healing is the food. I was already familiar with the ayurvedic diet as Susan has been on the program a few times in preparation for her visits to Fairfield Iowa. I also had been moving my diet towards this philosophy over the past couple of months. In general they believe that the food should be vegetarian and easy to digest. Breakfast 
and lunch should be the heavier meals and they prefer that one stays away from stimulants such as coffee and chocolate as well as alcohol. I must admit at home I have been imbibing in some fish, a little dark chocolate and red wine…..for medicinal purposes of-course! Here at the clinic I actually have been eating “double rations” for breakfast and lunch as Susan has given me the mandate that I do not lose any more weight. I am down about 20-25 lbs since last summer and I agree that I need to gain back some of the muscle I have lost.
The fourth mode of healing that is available here is energetic/spiritual. In the morning and again in the evening the clinic has two people come and chant prayers. The people are called Pundits and they are dressed in colorful robes (very much unlike the pundits in the west!) and they have been trained to chant healing prayers and offer blessings. The power behind this chanting, and really all chanting is the vibration it creates. When sitting close-by I can actually feel the vibrations in my body and know that they are having the intended effect. I have recorded some of the chanting but do not seem to be able to upload it to the blog. I will attempt this again at a later date.
I am very thankful for having the opportunity to be here and experience all these levels of healing. I look forward to a rejuvenated return to my family and friends!
This was very informative & will give our friends and family a much better sense of your cleansing treatments. This approach is way beyound what I have experienced in Iowa, it sounds wonderful!
Alan, thanks so much for continuing to post. The treatments seem, at their core, to be nurturing and life-giving. I’m full of hope about your recovery and return to full health.
Our thoughts and hearts are with you on your journey to health. Thanks for all the desciptions and explanations. We loved having Susan, Jacob and Sarah this weekend. We ALL were rejeuvenated this week.
Love,
Barb and Tom
Alan, your journaling is not only enabling us to join you in your healing process, but is inspiring us at home. You are sharing so many lessons and reminders for us all to incorporate into our daily lives — the power of being in the moment, the need to relax and reflect, the import of healing the body physically and emotionally, etc. I thank you for that. I very much related to your post re: visualization when receiving head massages. I use that same process when trying to relieve myself of a migraine, visualizing the blood vessels actually ‘letting go’, as if they were in solid form, now released or melted. Please keep writing!
Hi Alan. Susan gave us your blog address last week when she came to my 6:30 pm Karma Yoga class. You’ll be proud to know that Susan has commited to come every week to this practice. At the end of our class we always chant OM and now, having read your blog and how you are enjoying chanting and the vibrations it creates, I love this idea that you and she are both chanting and connecting through the sum vibrations of the Universe. Very nice. I am also so happy to read that you are a student of Carl Jerome’s and have been meditating with him and enjoying his book recommendations there on your healing retreat. So I’m fascinated by what you’re experiencing over there. I’ve enjoyed a few Ayervedic treatments and am very intrigued by your center. Please tell us more about the food if you can. I am a vegetarian and my favorite food is Indian and I’m quite curious about how what I enjoy here compares to the “real deal” over there. Also: who are the other visitors to the center; do you interact very much together? And how is your yoga practice coming? Even stretching, twists, Sun Salutations….it’s all great and I hope you are finding yoga helpful in preparing you for sitting meditation. I’m also curious if whether now that you’ve been there for a while, have you experienced an easier time calming your mind/finding stillness? I enjoyed your comment that sometimes the best we can do is to observe the thoughts that enter our minds as water flowing down a river. My “monkey mind” threatens to get in my way whenever I meditate so this is a challenge I’m working on right now. At any rate, I am very impressed with what you are doing by going over there. I’m also very impressed with your wife and your kids as they support you as you take these steps to heal yourself physically and spiritually. Breathe in, breathe out. Simple? yes. Life altering: yes. Enjoy and we look forward to your posts! Karen Citow
Nora,
Thank you for your well wishes and your support. Congratulations to you and your new husband!
Alan
Barb and Tom,
Great to hear from you. I know Susan, Jacob and Sarah really enjoyed the weekend. Thank you for hosting.
Alan
Nancy,
Thank you for reading. I too find visualization to be very powerful. More posts coming shortly.
Alan
Karen,
Susan loves your class, she has told me about it a number of times! Carl is very kind and I usually sit with him a couple of times a week. I want to attend one of his classes when I am back in Chicago. In general the food served at the clinic is spiced differently than what we have at home but not really hot. For the purposes of Pancha Karma they want the food to be easy to digest and not cause any intestinal upset. That said……this week there was a party for Dr. Raju’s daughter who turned one. That day they served traditional food for both lunch and dinner. Oh my what a difference! Good thing they served some milk curd to cool the taste buds. Here at the clinic there are people from the U.S.(the largest contingent), Malaysia, Greece, Iran, Italy, and Austria. The clinic is a four story building with Dr. Raju’s office on the bottom floor and then rooms on the other floors. There are more people here than room in the clinic so they have space in other buildings in the neighborhood. The best time for talking is in the morning when everyone queues up to see the doctor . At the same time the Pundits(monks) are present and chanting. Like at home I have good days and bad days in terms of settling down for meditation. I would say more good days here do to the intention I am holding while here. Yes, my coming here was a huge commitment for the whole family, but I think a worthwhile one. Thanks for reading.
Alan