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Jonathan Toews posted about his recovery treatment in India in November 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ayurveda \u2014 which translates to \u201cscience of life\u201d and dates back more than 5,000 years \u2014 is a holistic system aimed at balancing the body\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not for the faint-hearted.<\/p>\n
\u201cTreatment 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,\u201d Jalota explained. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facing the possible end of a hall of fame career \u2014 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 \u2014 Toews took desperate measures to heal from the lingering effects of long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
There were also gentler elements: morning yoga, prayer, mud baths and fireside meditation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is focus on spiritual aspects, too. It is believed bad karmas can lead to diseases,\u201d said Jalota.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jonathan Toews posted about his recovery treatment in India in November 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In Toews\u2019 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWith 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,\u201d Jalota explained.<\/p>\n That\u2019s hard enough for anyone to manage in daily life \u2014 let alone a professional athlete.<\/p>\n \u201c(Athletes) can have aggravated (symptoms) due to exercise and their intense training and physical stress, thus further increasing the inflammation,\u201d said Jalota. \u201cSo in this case, hats off to Ayurveda for showing such marvellous results.\u201d<\/p>\n Toews first took leave from the sport in December 2020, and missed the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cCaptain Serious\u201d due to his intense demeanour.<\/p>\n \u201cThe (medical) fraternity would have all eyes on the player and his performance.\u201d\u2013Dr. Rajni Jalota<\/p>\n The path to India began during a trip to Costa Rica, when a friend of a friend \u2014 an Austrian who had studied Ayurveda while living as a monk \u2014 suggested the treatment. Toews, a self-described health nut who has battled digestive and immune issues since childhood, was willing to try anything.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very intense. It was an emotional roller-coaster, a physical roller-coaster, it was all the things,\u201d Toews told GQ \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Toews \u2014 who is still using some of the key Ayurvedic practices \u2014 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.<\/p>\n At the news conference announcing his signing, Toews reflected on his long journey back to the NHL.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my mind, I had kind of accepted that I might not play again,\u201d he said in July. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to play the victim card. A lot of people go through difficult times and it\u2019s something that I try to keep the mindset and that attitude that it\u2019s not happening to me, it\u2019s happening for me. I try to learn from it and I try to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have a health issue, that\u2019s what healing is, you\u2019re just taking a look at your life and trying to find balance within it all.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews, with his Jets jersey presented to him by General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and Head Coach Scott Arniel in July.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n To Jalota, Toews\u2019 recovery \u201cis a shining example\u201d of Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatment.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cMy aim is to globalize Ayurveda and spread its less-known glory to the world,\u201d said Jalota.<\/p>\n However, not everyone can jump on a plane and commit to five weeks in India.<\/p>\n Naturopathic medicine is the closest local parallel, focusing on chronic inflammatory and immune conditions while recognizing the interconnectedness of the body\u2019s systems.<\/p>\n \u201cThey share some philosophical overlap \u2014 both aim to treat the whole person and seek to address root causes \u2014 but they are fundamentally different in origin, training and scientific grounding,\u201d said Dr. Hayley Warren, a licensed naturopathic practitioner with Nature Doctors in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t \u201cAyurveda 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 \u2014 including anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology and clinical diagnosis \u2014 while also studying clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, physical medicine, lifestyle counseling and other therapeutic modalities.\u201d<\/p>\n Warren and her team have worked with many professional and amateur athletes and will be pulling for Toews \u2014 not just for the Jets\u2019 sake, but for the message his experience could provide.<\/p>\n \u201cThis comeback will inspire many people and athletes, in ways he probably never imagined. His recovery will certainly set him up for success,\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love hearing these stories and it\u2019s important for society to hear them. We all know someone who is dealing with long-term health issues and it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially true given the growing wave of people suffering long COVID and\/or CIRS, which Warren said now represents the majority of her practice.<\/p>\n \u201cToo many people suffering from chronic health issues feel unheard, dismissed or gas-lit by the very systems meant to help them,\u201d Warren said. \u201cThey\u2019ve learned to simply live with persistent symptoms \u2014 fatigue, pain, digestive troubles, hormone issues, mental health concerns, brain fog \u2014 that silently erode their quality of life.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Toews is banking on that \u2014 with a cheering squad as unique and global as his incredible journey.<\/p>\n mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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