For Jonathan Toews, the road back to the NHL didn’t just run through the hockey rink and weight room — it took a mysterious, life-altering detour halfway around the world, into the heart of India’s ancient healing traditions.
The result? An unexpected fan club thousands of kilometres away, rooting for the 37-year-old Winnipegger as he prepares to suit up with his hometown Jets this fall.
“I’m really happy that Jonathan Toews has finally recovered with Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatment,” Dr. Rajni Jalota told the Free Press in an interview from India. “I wish him the very best and that he emerges more successful than before.”
Jalota admits she knows nothing about hockey — in her region, ice is for drinks and cricket reigns supreme — but like many of her medical colleagues, she’s intrigued by Toews’ comeback attempt.
“He has undergone a complete rejuvenation,” said Jalota, who didn’t work directly with Toews but is one of the world’s most prominent experts in this form of alternative medicine. Her resumé includes two decades of practising and promoting Ayurveda through clinical work, television appearances and public lectures.
“The (medical) fraternity would have all eyes on the player and his performance,” she said.
INSTAGRAM
Jonathan Toews posted about his recovery treatment in India in November 2024.
Ayurveda — which translates to “science of life” and dates back more than 5,000 years — is a holistic system aimed at balancing the body’s energies through diet, lifestyle, herbal remedies and cleansing techniques. Panchakarma, one of its most intensive therapies, is designed to remove toxins, strengthen digestion and restore vitality.
It’s not for the faint-hearted.
“Treatment is customized according to the body type of an individual. It can mean different treatment for two persons even if they have the same disease,” Jalota explained. “But the aim is to cure the disease from the root and not just suppress the symptoms. Maintain harmony of doshas so that the body can heal itself.”
Facing the possible end of a hall of fame career — three Stanley Cup titles in 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks (883 points in 1,067 regular-season games), two Olympic gold medals and two world junior championship titles — Toews took desperate measures to heal from the lingering effects of long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
He detailed his journey in a piece published last winter in GQ magazine. Beginning in September 2023, he spent five weeks in India undergoing a series of treatments that included daily enemas, blood-letting, induced vomiting, a steady diet of laxatives and painful massages that bordered on physical abuse.
There were also gentler elements: morning yoga, prayer, mud baths and fireside meditation.
“There is focus on spiritual aspects, too. It is believed bad karmas can lead to diseases,” said Jalota.
INSTAGRAM
Jonathan Toews posted about his recovery treatment in India in November 2024.
In Toews’ case, the goal was to flush lingering toxins and reduce inflammation left in the body after COVID-19, which had caused persistent fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms.
“With long COVID, the virus can remain in the body even after treatment. The toxins generate a hyper response from the immune system, thus causing CIRS,” Jalota explained.
That’s hard enough for anyone to manage in daily life — let alone a professional athlete.
“(Athletes) can have aggravated (symptoms) due to exercise and their intense training and physical stress, thus further increasing the inflammation,” said Jalota. “So in this case, hats off to Ayurveda for showing such marvellous results.”
Toews first took leave from the sport in December 2020, and missed the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.
The star centre returned in the fall of 2021, but saw his production plummet over the next two years, eventually announcing in summer 2023 that he was taking another indefinite break to focus on his health. At the time, it looked like that might be it for the player known as “Captain Serious” due to his intense demeanour.
“The (medical) fraternity would have all eyes on the player and his performance.”–Dr. Rajni Jalota
The path to India began during a trip to Costa Rica, when a friend of a friend — an Austrian who had studied Ayurveda while living as a monk — suggested the treatment. Toews, a self-described health nut who has battled digestive and immune issues since childhood, was willing to try anything.
“It was very intense. It was an emotional roller-coaster, a physical roller-coaster, it was all the things,” Toews told GQ — singling out the fact he had to drink multiple litres a day of ghee butter, milk, salt water and a herbal tonic that tasted like licorice as part of the intense detox process, which caused him to lose more than 20 pounds.
“For me, personally, the whole time has been a really huge shift in my ability to take back my own life. And claim my own energy and my own awareness and my own attitudes.”
Toews — who is still using some of the key Ayurvedic practices — resumed skating last winter, ramping up his training and declaring his intentions to sign with an NHL team. That ended up being the Jets, who inked him to a one-year deal that pays a base salary of US$2 million, plus incentives that could add another US$5 million.
At the news conference announcing his signing, Toews reflected on his long journey back to the NHL.
“In my mind, I had kind of accepted that I might not play again,” he said in July. “It’s easy to play the victim card. A lot of people go through difficult times and it’s something that I try to keep the mindset and that attitude that it’s not happening to me, it’s happening for me. I try to learn from it and I try to grow.
“When you have a health issue, that’s what healing is, you’re just taking a look at your life and trying to find balance within it all.”
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews, with his Jets jersey presented to him by General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and Head Coach Scott Arniel in July.
To Jalota, Toews’ recovery “is a shining example” of Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatment.
Such treatment in India can cost between 100,000 and 200,000 rupees (about $1,600 to $3,200) for a 21-day program, though simpler adaptations are possible in private with the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner.
“My aim is to globalize Ayurveda and spread its less-known glory to the world,” said Jalota.
However, not everyone can jump on a plane and commit to five weeks in India.
Naturopathic medicine is the closest local parallel, focusing on chronic inflammatory and immune conditions while recognizing the interconnectedness of the body’s systems.
“They share some philosophical overlap — both aim to treat the whole person and seek to address root causes — but they are fundamentally different in origin, training and scientific grounding,” said Dr. Hayley Warren, a licensed naturopathic practitioner with Nature Doctors in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The Warm-Up
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
“Ayurveda is an ancient, tradition-based system rooted in Indian philosophy and lifestyle practices, with its own unique diagnostic language and treatment logic. Naturopathic doctors are extensively trained in the same biomedical sciences as conventional physicians — including anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology and clinical diagnosis — while also studying clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, physical medicine, lifestyle counseling and other therapeutic modalities.”
Warren and her team have worked with many professional and amateur athletes and will be pulling for Toews — not just for the Jets’ sake, but for the message his experience could provide.
“This comeback will inspire many people and athletes, in ways he probably never imagined. His recovery will certainly set him up for success,” Warren said.
“We love hearing these stories and it’s important for society to hear them. We all know someone who is dealing with long-term health issues and it’s important they know that help is out there. Stories like this are very inspiring to all health professions to spread awareness of chronic inflammatory conditions.”
That’s especially true given the growing wave of people suffering long COVID and/or CIRS, which Warren said now represents the majority of her practice.
“Too many people suffering from chronic health issues feel unheard, dismissed or gas-lit by the very systems meant to help them,” Warren said. “They’ve learned to simply live with persistent symptoms — fatigue, pain, digestive troubles, hormone issues, mental health concerns, brain fog — that silently erode their quality of life.
“Every person deserves to experience their best health, to feel vibrant and empowered in their body. The good news is that help is available. With the right support, understanding and treatment tailored to the root causes of chronic illness, healing and renewed vitality can become a reality. No one should have to settle for less than their fullest well-being.”
Toews is banking on that — with a cheering squad as unique and global as his incredible journey.
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.