Jonathan Toews shares update on unorthodox “healing” treatment.

The former captain of the Chicago Blackhawks has shared an update on the unorthodox treatment he has been receiving as part of what he has described as his "healing journey."

On Sunday morning, former Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews took to his Instagram to share an update on the "Panchakarma" treatment he has been receiving in India in the form of a lengthy message as well as several photos depicting the treatment he is currently undergoing. Although it certainly does not look like any kind of treatment you could expect to see when it comes to Western medicine, Toews appears to be taking well to the treatment and had nothing but positive words to share about his experience this far.

Here is Toews' message unedited and in full:

Thank you all for the supportive comments and text messages I’ve received. If you have been through similar struggles, I hope this message gives you a little hope and you feel the nudge to look into it.

The 5 week Panchakarma at @ayurvedayogavilla was a grind, but it left me feeling so much lighter and revitalized. Aside from the detox treatments, the most powerful aspect was being surrounded by amazing people who have a totally different culture and way of life. It became easy to see I was burning the candle at both ends.

I now consider it such a blessing to have gone through these challenges. It’s crazy to feel this level of gratitude for the little things, but what seems more insane is to have forgotten that this feeling should be normal. It feels like my body returned to factory settings.

If you can’t travel all the way to India to @ayurvedayogavilla , there’s a ton of info about Ayurveda and the different Panchakarma treatments on their Insta and website. Even the smallest changes are steps in the right direction.

You can scroll through the several photos shared by Toews this morning in the Instagram post just below:

Toews previously revealed his decision to undergo the treatment a little over a week ago in another Instagram post in which he shared more information about the nature of the treatment.

From Toews:

As some of you may know, I’ve been on a bit of a healing journey. I’ve had many ups and downs, brief moments of hope working with a whole bunch of different doctors and modalities, followed by doubting if things would ever improve. But I recently spent 5 weeks in India undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma, and I’m happy to say things are trending.

Ayurveda translates to ‘Knowledge of Life’ and has been the healing science of India for over 5,000 years. This system views our bodies as delicate ecosystems, influenced by everything we consume as far as energy, information, thoughts, feelings, and food. In short, it teaches that our health can thrive when we learn to simplify our lives, create space for stillness and better align ourselves with nature’s rhythms. A Panchakarma is a healing protocol designed to restore your health by cleansing and releasing toxins stored deep in the body.

It’s too long of a story to share all the details here, but it’s been almost 5 years of searching for a way to heal the inflammatory and immune system issues that took me out of hockey. The wisdom of Ayurveda has taught me that everything I experience, I am responsible for. Not only did it teach me better diet choices specific to my body type, it has deepened my intuitive relationship with myself and the world around me.

Toews shared several photos along with that post as well which you can view just below.

Toews has given no indication that he intends to resume his career in the National Hockey League after it was derailed by medical issues, but perhaps this will help him feel more comfortable in his day to day life.