[loren]

Vincent  Roger Clay visited one of the ayurvedic resorts kerala during his first visit to the State and this itself changed all his perceptions on Ayurveda.  Until then, he believed that it was just some good public relations works around Ayurveda that made the system so popular even among the foreigners.
``I was always skeptical of this traditional medicine,’’ he says. ``I thought there is no scientific base for this medicine.  And except for the usual oil massage, I didn’t know much about the system too, ‘’ he says.
The first thing he saw in the resort is one of the specialised body massage called Chavitti Thirummu, in which the masseur uses his feet to massage the body of the patient.
Roger enjoyed watching the rhythmic movement of the feet of the masseur while applying the herbal oil on the body of the patient. He also saw the masseur skillfully balancing by holding on to a rope while massaging the patient’s body.
``I later interviewed the patient who underwent the treatment. He said he approached the resort as he was suffering from postural problems. The Chavitti thirummal helped him relieve the pain by gently stretching and realigning the spine,’’ says Roger.
He also watched the procedures involved in panchakarma, dhara and many other therapies and spoke later directly to those who underwent these treatments.
``Now I know the popularity of Ayurveda owes not just to a good PR,’’ says Roger with laughter.