Hiii Hiii Everybody!!!

Happy Monday!

Alrighttt, countdown is on- one more week until I am done the full spectrum of my treatment and get to head back to Delhi to reunite with my parents! And then after staying one night in a hotel, we get to start our departure back to Vancouver! So close<3

I have to say that this time around, the days have gone by faster than the previous two times and I think it’s because I really came prepared this time (lots of resources and tools to keep me busy), my mindset is way more evolved than 5 years ago, and I really set some strong intentions for this trip. There are also a lot more people here so there’s more conversation happening which in turn makes the time pass.

By popular demand, this blog post is going to break down all the treatment details and my daily routine here at Sreedhareeyam.

So, the days begin here at 6am and wrap up at around 8pm. There’s treatment all throughout the day and as the days/weeks go on, the treatment does change. They discontinue some and then begin new ones.

Generally speaking, each treatment lasts about 5,7 or 9 days depending on what’s going on. Ayurveda has been around a long time, and they have a very specific structure and protocol of how they go about treating each patient and dependent on your condition and diagnosis, each patient will have a treatment plan unique to them.

The therapies used in Ayurveda range from a wide variety of things such as: oils, pastes, eyedrops, herbal medicines, ghee, special diets, massages, meditation, prayer, yoga and so much more. Everything they use here is natural and non-synthetic. There are zero pharmaceuticals in the Eye of Ayurveda, and everything is prepared fresh using the utmost quality of ingredients, all sourced from nature.

The first time I came to Sreedhareeyam, I had something known as Macular Edema, which basically just means swelling in my retina. It was a secondary cause to my actual condition, Gyrate Atrophy. It was progressing quite rapidly and in the last one to two years (2017/2018) it came to a point where it really started to impact my day to day, including my work at the time and I was unable to see clearly. My condition Gyrate Atrophy has mainly impacted my peripheral vision and my night vision but because of the progression of the dis-ease, my retina became swollen meaning I also had blurry central vision.

In November 2017, shortly after I underwent cataract surgery (If I knew about Sreedhareeyam back then, I would have never got the surgery) my retinal specialist in Vancouver basically told me that there was nothing else they can do for me and that I should start preparing for the worst. This is when I was referred to CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind).

Why it took them almost 6 years to refer me to an organization who specializes in helping people adjust to their visual impairment is so far beyond me and at times outrages me. I hear from my clients all the time, that none of their doctors have ever spoken about CNIB until it’s basically too late or so far into their grief and loss that it takes that much longer to process and adapt to the diagnosis.

Anyway, that was basically the beginning of the end for me. I was struggling majorly with my vision and inevitably my mental health was declining faster than I could catch my breath.

When I came to Sreedhareeyam the first time, the swelling in my retina is what their primary focus was, and I am so deeply blessed and grateful that they were able to heal that part of my vision for me. The changes didn’t happen right away, but when you are healing holistically, it’s expected the results will take longer but you can rest assure that you’re not going to end up with all these secondary implications due to the use of pharmaceuticals and synthetics.

My vision cleared up and I was able to see more clearly than I had in a long time. The swelling basically isn’t there anymore and I have never experienced that blurry vision again. Something, that western medicine told me was not possible.

This time around, it’s hard to articulate what they are trying to heal but basically, they have told me that they are trying to regenerate the cells and bring more circulation into my eye that’s lacking in turn providing more nourishment, vitality and health to my eyes. Along with naturally healing the depression and anxiety as well because when one system is healing so will the others. This is the mind, body & soul connection. Bringing all of you into a state of homeostasis.

Okay now here’s a rough breakdown of my days:

* Let me just forewarn you- there is nothing glamorous about Ayurvedic Therapies! Haha Enjoy! *

6am: Kashayam- A bitter tasting drink

615– 730am: Morning walk

730am: Breakfast in the dining hall

830am: Nethrodara- A medicated eye wash. Eyes are closed and they pour medicated water on your eye several times each eye.

Anjanam- Burning and Cooling eye drops into both eyes

Dristiprasdam- Eye massage using medicated oil

Kandasirodwarthanam- Neck massage using medicated oil

9am: Doctors come into do their rounds

1000am: Siroveshtanam- A medicated cloth wrapped around your head and then that same medicated paste put on the top of your head. Left to soak in for 1 hour. Can’t wash hair for the duration of this treatment. For me it was 5 days 😐

1000am (once above was discontinued): Medicated ghee (clarified butter)- Drinking this internally. And let me tell you, its not just like having butter. This is horrifying if I’m being honest lol, its warm, thick, and just quite unbearable. However, ghee is one of the biggest treatments they use here as it is the one that directly impacts the retina and helps to regenerate the cells.

3 different tablets

1100am: Sirodhara (+drinking Kashayam)- Warm, hot medicated oil + ghee is poured over your forehead and massaged into your hair for 45 minutes X 7 days. This feels very relaxing and calming. So much so, that I fall asleep during it.

Sirodhara also helps with your mental health relieving you from depression and anxiety. This is one of my favorite therapies, minus the fact that you aren’t allowed to wash your hair for the duration of the treatment. You can imagine how much oil is in your hair by the end of it. They don’t just use a small amount, it’s basically like a big bucket of oil that’s being poured onto you and for nearly an hour at that!

1230: Lunch in the dining hall

230pm: Repeat of Nethrodara, anjanam drops

4pm: Repeat of ghee and tablets

6 pm: Repeat of Kashayam

615 to 7pm: Evening Walk

7pm: Dinner at dining hall

8pm: Winding down and getting ready for bed

And that my friends, is what my days have consisted of so far! Haha, in between all of that, I am usually plugged into a podcast, listening to music, reading a bit here and there but not much to avoid the strain and pressure on my eye, blogging, coloring, mindfulness, meditation, journaling…you know all the fun and expansive healing modalities at my fingertips! <3

This week, a lot of those treatments have been discontinued, and I am actually starting a new one today but I’m not entirely sure what its called or what it’s going to entail so I will share more on that later this week!

There is just so much more to say on this topic of Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health and of course can’t articulate it fully in a blog post, but this really is a lifestyle change. I always get asked what I did to heal myself, not only my vision but how did I heal through all the mental health challenges (and continue to do so because the grief will never fully go away), and I always tell people that it’s not just one thing. I have literally shifted and changed my entire life from what I was doing, eating, consuming before to what I do now.

I will leave you with this though. What I have learned throughout my entire 5/6-year healing journey is to never put your entire fate into the hands of doctors or anyone else. We are brilliant human beings and have the ability and capacity to self-heal.

I could have simply given up and not taken the first step to visit my ND which then led me to come to the hospital. Was I skeptical? HELL YES!

The person who you see and hear speaking today, is not the same person from 6 years ago. But when life kicks you in the fuckin ass and knocks you off your feet, you get back up stronger than ever before and take back control and put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your life!!

Its’s also important to note here that I am so deeply grateful for allopathic (allopathy) medicine. It actually saved me more times than I can count in the last several months. There is a time and place for it and we 100% need it in emergency situations and when alternative medicine just can’t do what western medicine can do.

However, I don’t believe it should be our first line of support. What I wholeheartedly wish for as we continue to evolve and grow as a collective, is bridging western and eastern medicine bringing in more of a balanced Holistic approach to treatment all across the board. They are beautifully paired together and can really help change the trajectory of our health care.

Once again, thank YOU for being here, for being a part of my story and allowing me to share it so openly and vulnerably.

I love you all!

Xo,

Sara J<3