Swedana
Introduction:
The patient is made to go into steam chamber and 10-15 minutes of steam is given. The steam which is used is medicated with special herbs, made for the purpose of the disease.
Uses & Benefits:
- Improve blood circulation Steam U Reduce toxins / eliminate toxins through sweating
- Spasm / stiffness
- Muscle sprain
- Heaviness in body
Therapeutic Purposes:
The purpose of swedana is to increase body temperature which opens the channel system to dilate resulting in increased circulation. It allows toxins to move out of the body through the skin as the body sweats.
Swedana is useful for all conditions of stagnation, coldness, and stiffness.
Sweating also reduces fat tissue assisting with weight loss.
Herbs are added to the steam therapy according to the client’s state of imbalance.
Avagha Swedana: A deep bath is filled with herbal decoctions or essential oils.
Benefits:
- Weight loss
- Removal of toxins
- Beautifies skin
- Relieves stress
- Joint pain relief
- Eases sore muscles
- Relieves allergies/asthma
- Improves circulation/reduces inflammation
Swedana is one of the treatments used for purification in Ayurvedic medicine. It is popular during cleanses and is a supportive treatment to promote detoxification. In Swedana, moist heat is applied to the body through one of several means. At Ambika Healing Massage, I use a tent that encloses over a client and connects to a vent from where the steam arises. The benefits of steam therapy come from both the moisture and the heat. The heat to the body promotes sweat, which is your body’s own detoxification system. The skin is sometimes called the third kidney because of the important detoxification function it performs through the eccrine glands, which produce perspiration containing metabolic and other waste products.
In Swedana, the temperature inside the steam tent will be between 105-120 degrees Fahrenheit depending upon the client’s tolerance to heat. The heat encourages the client to sweat and release toxins, and it also brings extra blood flow to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The increased blood supply is beneficial because it carries oxygen and nutrients, allowing skin and subcutaneous tissue to heal and regenerate. It can be helpful for skin conditions because the moisture allows pores to open and reduce built-up sebum and impurities while softening dead skin cells. The blood flow to superficial layers of the body will increase collagen production which can have an anti-aging effect and even reduce wrinkles.
Swedana Ayurveda oil massage is often followed by a herbal steam bath with specially selected medicinal herbs. This loosens the vessels and thereby helps the detoxification of the entire body system. The Swedana therapy includes many different forms of heat treatment. The heat to the body can be applied dry or damp, locally or to the whole body.
Swedana is the Ayurveda therapy for revitalising the skin. Herbal mixtures are prepared with various herbs and medicated powder. Your entire body is massaged with these specially for you made mixtures after they are warmed in medicated oils. This promotes circulation and increases perspiration of the body thus resulting the skin to eliminate the wastes and so the skin tone improves. After the application of medicated oil, your entire body is made to perspire by the external application of medicated rice packs in the form of small bags. This Ayurveda treatment vitalize your skin and makes it glow. A gentle application of warm special herbal oil is first applied to the skin. The massage of the body helps eliminate toxins from the skin's surface while the oil protects the pores from becoming too loose during the Ayurveda steam treatment. The individual therapy taker is made to perspire intensively inside a steam chamber that lets out herbal steam from aromatic herbs that promote cohesion between cells. Through this Ayurveda application the steam will open up the very small pores of the skin thereby removing all wastes. An excellent therapy for toning the skin and giving it a special long term glow.