AGASTYAA HERITAGE

Ayurveda is a medical system applying a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.  It works with personalized healthcare by evaluating both body and mind to diagnose and manage health issues.

Treatments are based on natural methods and ingredients such as detoxification, massage, herbal medicine, diet, yoga, and meditation.  It relieves symptoms and cures disease, can be used on a long-term basis with no ill effect, and, helps to prevent illness by balancing a person’s physical, emotional and spiritual states.

The basis of this system originates 5,000 years ago in India where sages, or yogis, started to study immortality.  Their learnings were documented in classic Hindu scripts called “the Vedas” with the earliest written records dating back some 3,000 years.

Agastya was one of these sages and is often considered the father of Indian medicine.

CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE

Classical Ayurveda medicine was divided into eight branches:

TOXICOLOGY

PEDIATRICS

REJUVENATION

VIRILIFICATION

SURGERY

PSYCHIATRY

INTERNAL MEDICINE  AND THERAPEUTICS

SPECIFIC ORGAN  – EYES, EAR, NOSE, THROAT

Traditionally the wisdom of the sages was transferred from generation to generation within families with the name Vaidya.  Hence traditional medicine men in Indian villages were called Vaidyas.

In today’s India, Ayurveda has evolved into a licensed form of science practiced by doctors with a university degree in medicine and government authorization.  The first two years’ curriculum is focusing on basic human physiology and is the same for both Ayurveda and Allopathic medical degrees.  The final three years of education is focused on treatment procedures.  A qualified Ayurveda physician has the title BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) and needs to annually register with the government health authorities.

HEALING TECHNIQUES

We have developed a unique form of massage where the therapists use their feet to provide for optimal stimulation of a patient’s inner biochemistry, supporting effective healing.  This technique is based on traditional wisdom deriving from Kalari and Kathakali.

Kalari is an ancient form of martial art, which originated in the south of India several thousands of years ago. And, Kathakali – with its origins from some 1,500 years ago in Kerala – is a classical performance art with dance dramas that were traditionally conducted at night until early morning.

Practitioners of both disciplines needed strong flexibility and strength for their practice.  When injured they healed themselves with techniques stimulating so-called marma points (specific energy fields in a body and similar to acupuncture).  This way they mobilized their bodies to self-heal.

OUR PEOPLE

Dr. Unnikrishnan Kavirajan BAMS

The founder, Chief Physician and Managing Director of Agastyaa Heritage Ayurvedic Hospital.  He started his own Clinic in Kovalam some 20 years ago after having graduated from the Government Ayurveda College in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.

He comes from a family with a strong background in Ayurveda on his mother’s side, who is herself a distinguished Ayurveda physician.

Through his passion for helping people to regain sustainable wellbeing, he has established the Agastyaa Heritage Ayurvedic Hospital as a leading provider of complete healthcare in balance with nature.

His clientele comes from the whole world.  As Dr. Unni visits Europe biannually he has a considerable number of regular clients from this region – and is in a way functioning as their family doctor.

Dr. Sulthana Ancy BAMS

The Clinic’s Senior Physician.  She has worked together with Dr. Unni for some ten years mainly in Kovalam but also Russia and the Middle East. Today she is responsible for the day to day medical operations and leading a team of three assisting physicians.

She was awarded her BAMS degree of Ayurveda from Pankajakasthuri Ayurveda College with distinction and has deepened her studies in clinical studies combining modern and traditional ways at Amrita Institute of Medical Science.  She studies infertility and female-related health issues.

Dr. Lalitha Kavirajan BAMS

The mother of Dr. Unni.  She is also an alumnus from the Government Ayurveda College in Trivandrum, Kerala.  In addition, she was trained in traditional Vaidya Ayurveda wisdom by her paternal and maternal grandfathers.

During 30 years she worked for the Kerala government, initially as a General Practitioner and then as District Medical Officer in charge of all hospitals in Trivandrum.

Now she manages Krishna Pharmacy – a family company she founded herself that is producing Ayurvedic medical products and selling them from its own pharmacy outlets as well as to other pharmacies across India and Europe.

OUR TEAM

We have a strong team working all year round.  In addition to all doctors, the clinic as around 20 Government licensed therapists.  To ensure consistent desired quality and that a client is treated by the same persons during a course of treatments a licensed therapist leads a team of two to three assisting therapists.  All therapists are certified or their role via formal training verified by Dr. Unni.

The teams are designed based solely on seniority and expertise which means religions, castes and genders are mixed.  Remuneration is also neutrally applied based on skills and responsibilities.  About 80 percent of our employees are females.  Low season is used for training, maintenance and paid vacation.

In total – together with Prittwi Resort – we have some 100 full-time employees covering a broad scope of roles to ensure an uplifting client experience:

FRONT DESK STAFF

CLEANING STAFF

GARDEN STAFF

MAINTENANCE STAFF

SECURITY STAFF

MANAGEMENT AND BACK OFFICE SUPPORT

DOCTORS

THERAPISTS

MEDICINE PREPARATION

YOGA TEACHERS

PHARMACISTS

CHEF & KITCHEN STAFF

Our Core Values

We base all our efforts on three fundamental principles that together form our core values.

Care for people’s well-being

Our mission is to help people achieve sustainable wellbeing in today’s demanding world.  To deliver on our mission we apply our government authorized expertise in Ayurveda and, bridge traditional medical care with modern while causing minimal environmental impact.

Act for sustainable results

Our activities are founded on respect and safety – for people and nature.  We strive to always be a reliable partner delivering sustainable results – be it for our clients, employees’ or partners’ wellbeing or for nature.  Our eco-friendly approach include for example actions for;

Reliable Corporate Partner

Waste Management and recycling

Equal Opportunity
(Career and pay gender equity)

Always improve

Our commitment is to always improve our services and operation.  The long-term vision is to make Ayurveda recognized by modern society as a scientifically complete system for sustainable wellbeing.

YOUR TREATEMENT

All of our treatments are individualized and prescribed by Dr. Unni based on the specific needs of each client.  Therefore there are no standard programmes to share in advance.  Your health complaints, your physical and emotional state, your key life energy (dosha) in combination with your reactions to each treatment decide which of the vast number of different kinds of treatments, medications and variations or combinations we give you.
Many clients take two-week courses for a feel-good boost.  For more serious health issues and longer-lasting results, three to four weeks are recommended.  The effects of four weeks of rejuvenation course or, so-called Panchakarma, normally last for a full year.

Before you start your first treatment you will sit down with your doctor for a detailed consultation on your medical background and all your current health-related issues.
Based on your length of enrolment a course of daily treatment sessions is planned.  What is common for most courses is an initial detox phase followed by phases of rejuvenation and strengthening.  Each session starts with approximately one hour of massage where your leading therapist uses either the feet or hands to work through your body usually with the help of oil.  The massage is followed by 60 to 90 minutes of treatments where various forms of herbal mixtures are applied to the body in different ways by assisting therapists.

All treatment sessions are based on consultations with your doctor before and after the administration of the treatment.  Dr. Unni is personally reviewing all treatment planning continuously.

Each day, you get herbal medicines to support and complement your treatments. We make our own oil and most of the medicines you are given – they are individually prepared on a daily basis according to each client’s needs.

Your treatments, medicines, and reactions to them, are duly documented on a daily basis in your medical journal by your doctor. If you are taking any drugs on a regular basis it is important that you inform your doctor so that it is considered in your treatment planning.

All treatment sessions are based on consultations with your doctor before and after administration of the treatment.  Dr Unni is personally reviewing all treatment planning continuously.

Each day, you get herbal medicines to support and complement your treatments. We make our own oil and most of the medicines you are given – they are individually prepared on a daily basis according to each client’s needs.

Your treatments, medicines and reactions to them, are duly documented on a daily basis in your medical journal by your doctor. If you are taking any drugs on a regular basis it is important that you inform your doctor so that it is considered in your treatment planning.

WHAT WE DO

REJUVENATION

Ayurveda methodology stresses the prevention of issues by rejuvenation, which means to revitalize all body tissues to obtain optimal health.

The modern world’s hectic lifestyle is demanding so it leads to consequences for people’s wellbeing.  When someone in the day-to-day life gets hyperactive he or she teaches each cell in his/her body to be hyperactive as well.  They start to be a bit more than normal increasing levels of e.g. hormones, digestive enzymes, bile, etc eventually leading to imbalances and unhealthy states.

Rejuvenation is a unique branch for Ayurveda.  Regular rejuvenation maintains the body in a balanced state by detoxing excess secretions back to normal levels.

Lab results for our clients indicate significant improvement in levels of hormones, sugar, cholesterol, etc. after our rejuvenation treatments.

Ailments that benefit from rejuvenating treatments

Stress & Burnout management

Rehab post-surgery or chemo therapy

Weight management

Pain management (joints, back & neck problems)

CURE

If proper care of the body is not maintained, imbalances occur.  These imbalances are the cause of most ailments.  Then one needs to go into cure mode before returning to the rejuvenation cycle.

We believe in combining modern and traditional medicine.  Modern allopathic care managed with data-based controls works best for acute diseases, while Ayurveda works better for chronic illnesses.  Guidelines for a combination of both modern and traditional methods are available in the philosophy of Ayurveda.

People come to us with different chronic ailments.  We choose treatments after speaking with each client every day.  Treatments are never predetermined.  Our clients spend a minimum of two and a half hours a day in the Clinic.  They are cared for by two doctors and three therapists plus a group of people behind the scene like the ones who cook herbs. After a treatment session, we advise to rest for an hour and then take a shower or herbal bath.  Every day they are provided with freshly prepared herbs along with the treatments.

Ayurveda is most effective in chronic health issues

Circulatory ailments; deep vein thrombosis, hemorrhoids, varicoceles, etc.

Metabolic disorders; diabetes, IBS, colitis, hyperacidity, slow digestion, constipation, liver diseases, kidney stones, chronic nephritis, eating disorders, etc.

Musculoskeletal ailments; joint problems (meniscus, subluxation, dislocation, disc prolapse), arthritis, gout, etc.

Respiratory ailments; sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis etc.

Skin ailments; psoriasis, eczema, rashes, etc.

Gynaecology & urology; fertility, cystitis etc.

Mental health problems; PTS syndrome, depression, stress and anxiety, hyper-activity (ADHD), insomnia etc.

Rehab post-surgery or chemotherapy

MEDICINE PRODUCTION

There is a numerous variety of Ayurvedic medicines.  These formulations are adapted from several classical textbooks.  Their manufacture and marketing are licensed by the Drug Controlling Authority of the Government.

We make our own oil and most of the medicines.  They are individually prepared on a daily basis according to our client’s needs.  Our production is GMP certified by the Government.  GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure controlled quality standards.

On an average, 20-30 herbs are used in the preparation of a medicine.  There are some instances when more than a hundred herbs go into the making of a medicine.  There are others which take months to get prepared.

Our medicines are prepared based on classical tenets while adapting modern technological and industrial methods where it makes sense.  For example, basic cooking is now done in pharmaceutical grade stainless steel vessels by using steam as the source of heat instead of an open fire.  Vacuum evaporation is employed for concentration to shorten the processing time.  Several electro-mechanical equipments are used for size reduction of herbs, pulverisation, sifting, grinding, filling and packing instead of manual efforts.

Manufacturing of Ayurvedic oil and medicine is material-intensive, labour-intensive and also water-intensive.

WHY US

Government-authorized Ayurveda professionals

Team with decades of successful practice

Strong network with other specialists in healthcare

Daily consultations with your doctor

10,000 treatments pa – a unique knowledge base

24/7 on-site government authorized Ayurveda doctor

Swedish-Indian management

Swedish-Indian management

management

Ann Marie Johansson met Dr. Unni after she had gone through breast cancer treatments in her home country Sweden during the late 1990s.  The two of them have cooperated since.  Initially, she was a patient in much need of help who could not lift her arms.  After some time with Dr. Unni’s treatments combining massages and herbal medicine she started to apply her skills in administration at his Clinic – organizing bookings, arranging schedules for treatments, setting up structures for book-keeping and finances.

Dr. Unni and Ann Marie then made an agreement.  He would help her to stay healthy for the rest of her life and she would help him to build a successful Ayurvedic clinic.  She has over 20 years spent some six months annually at the Clinic and instilled cultural values such as the importance of cleanliness, punctuality, teamwork and policies for equal opportunities for all employees.  She was quickly addressed as “Mama” which, is a title of respect and more honourable than Madame.

Since a couple of years, Christina Lindberg is another partner with Swedish roots.  After having been a regular client for more than a decade she is sharing the perspectives of European clients’ expectations and inter-cultural matters.  Christina has worked and lived in many different countries for over some thirty years.  She has experience in consumer and management services from both smaller family-owned and big multi-national businesses.  She is spending at least two to three months every year in Kovalam.

Other Services

ACCOMODATION

Dr. Unni has over many years put his heart and soul into designing Prittwi Resort to match his dream of a special place marked by harmony and tranquillity in tune with nature for the guests to enjoy.  The closeness to nature with natural sounds as sea waves, crickets or birds singing will help you to thoroughly relax.

The resort is situated right next to the Clinic.

RESTAURANT

Eating is a fundamental physiological activity that maintains health on a day-to-day basis.  All aspects of the daily diet – what to eat, how to eat and when to eat – are important.  When body and mind are in balance most anything can be eaten in moderation without causing health issues.  But when there are imbalances, the diet needs to be controlled in order to avoid further aggravations. You will receive recommendations of what to eat or what to avoid eating and drinking based on your health complaints and physical constitution.
It is also possible to have your meals at reasonable prices at Prittwi Resort which is located right next to the Clinic.

RESTAURANT

Eating is a fundamental physiological activity that maintains health on a day-to-day basis.  All aspects of the daily diet – what to eat, how to eat and when to eat – are important.  When body and mind are in balance most anything can be eaten in moderation without causing health issues.  But when there are imbalances, the diet needs to be controlled in order to avoid further aggravations. You will receive recommendations of what to eat or what to avoid eating and drinking based on your health complaints and physical constitution.
It is also possible to have your meals at reasonable prices at Prittwi Resort which is located right next to the Clinic.
For more information about our restaurant please click here.

YOGA

Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences that developed together. They are both integral parts of Indian Vedic tradition. Together they form a complete approach for optimal health, vitality and higher awareness. Yoga is about gentle stretching and finding your balance. It is not supposed to hurt and it is not a competition. If a yoga position hurts you should stop doing it.
Daily hatha yoga classes are offered with a dedicated Indian teacher trained in the Sivananda tradition as an optional activity at a reasonable cost. If you have any known physical disabilities you must inform our yoga instructor prior to participation. All classes are held at Prittwi Resort right next to the Clinic.
There is also space for private yoga groups and their teachers.

ACCUPUNCTURE

Dr. Pradeep Antony – one of India’s leading experts in traditional acupuncture treatment – works at our clinic every day in the mornings.  He studied at Indian Research Institute for Integrated Medicine in West Bengal, and, at Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.  In 1999 he founded his own clinic in Trivandrum, Kerala.  He has also held significant positions across India within research, teaching and as a consultant at different hospitals.

In 2015, Dr. Pradeep Antony was together with his wife, Dr. Deepthi, honoured with “The best Acupuncture Couple Award” by the Acupuncture Science Association India.

ACCUPUNCTURE

Dr Pradeep Antony – one of India’s leading experts in traditional acupuncture treatment – works at our clinic every day in the mornings.  He studied at Indian Research Institute for Integrated Medicine in West Bengal, and, at Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.  In 1999 he founded his own clinic in Trivandrum, Kerala.  He has also held significant positions across India within research, teaching and as a consultant at different hospitals.

In 2015, Dr Pradeep Antony was together with his wife, Dr Deepthi, honoured with “The best Acupuncture Couple Award” by the Acupuncture Science Association India.

PEMF THERAPY

Our clinic has state of the art equipment to apply PEMF therapy, which improves the blood circulation in the smallest vessels.  This improves the supply of energy to the body cells as well as cleanses them, which in turn supports the body’s own self-healing and regeneration powers.

The technology is more than 60 years old and has numerous peer reviews proving both its safety and effectiveness.  It is gaining recognition among more and more health professionals as well as authorities across the world.  For example, the US FDA has approved PEMF therapy for healing of fractures, incontinence, muscle stimulation, cervical fusion, depression & anxiety, and brain cancer.

BEAUTY PARLOUR

In a parlour right next to the Clinic beauty treatments including facials, manicure and pedicure and massage of the feet are offered at reasonable prices.

BEAUTY PARLOUR

In a parlour right next to the Clinic beauty treatments including facials, manicure and pedicure and massage of the feet are offered at reasonable prices.

DENTAL CLINIC

Smile Stylers is a state of the art multi-speciality dental clinic based on the premises of Dr.Unni’s.  Patients come from Europe, USA, Australia and the Middle East as they can combine vacation on the beach with dental treatment.  Reasonable cost and high quality of dental treatment is what makes Smile Stylers attractive for patients from abroad.

NATURAL HARMONY

When building the Clinic Dr. Unni and the architect Liza Subhadra applied traditional Vaastu principles – an ancient Indian system of design and construction based on natural laws to promote wellbeing.

All activities at the Clinic are managed with minimal environmental impact with solar energy as the main power source and via mindful waste management and recycling.

A tropical garden is surrounding the Clinic providing for a peaceful, clean and relaxing environment.