Contraindications for Shirodhara 

Go to any Ayurvedic Spa, they will lead you into a room and give you shirodhara. Regardless.

During Shirodhara there is a lifestyle to follow as well or complications will develop:

Pathya/apathya:
Laghu ahara – Following a light and easily digestible intake. A diet of light mostly liquid like diet of easy digested and properly spiced food for deepana and pachana.
One is to refrain from eating too hot or too cold foods or drink, refrain from sex, exercise***, long walking, being in the sun, excessive sleeping, staying up late at night, taking of alchohol or drugs, being in wind or draft, excessive speaking, being emotional, being in stress, not working while taking treatments, withholding natural urges of the body

 

These are the contraindications to giving Shirodhara:

Having just eaten or full stomach
Aversion to oil
Ama
Fever in ama stage
Beginning stages of fever
Indigestion
Nausea
Vomiting
Common cold
Congestion
Low blood pressure
Menses
Jaundice
Excess Kapha
Excessive Vata
People with severe anxiety and combined control issues.
Pregnancy
Morbid obesity
Alcoholism
Drug use
Toxic conditions like sepsis (blood poisoning)
Ascites
Odema
Open wounds / cuts / abrasions on head
Burn/Sunburn
Exhaustion
Severe weakness
Dizziness/Fainting
Spontaneous sweating
Dehydration
Thirst
Not cooperative individuals like children
Alzheimer’s Disease
Brain tumor
Recent neck injury

*** yes, this means yoga classes as well for all those Ashtangis that are undergoing improper panchakarma in Mysore at the same time as doing practice with their ‘Guru’ because the doctors there would rather be making money and taking advantage of naive foreigners than caring about your health. This is very dangerous.

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