Blackhawks great Jonathan Toews reveals wild Indian detox

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After seeing his outstanding NHL career seemingly cut short by a series of long-term health issues, Jonathan Toews has revealed the latest details of his “healing journey.”

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Toews was forced to step away from the NHL in 2023 due to ongoing health concerns related to long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome. He had previously missed the 2020-21 season due to health issues before returning to the team for the next two seasons.

His search to restore his health and wellbeing has apparently taken him to India, where he is using a treatment called a Panchakarma, which is an Ayurvedic detox.

“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,” Toews wrote on Instagram.

“But I recently spent 5 weeks in India undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma, and I’m happy to say things are trending.

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“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.”

According to the National Library of Medicine in the U.S., Ayurveda “is the traditional medical system of India and, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, it is understudied in western contexts.”

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It also added that “Panchakarma is believed to help cleanse the body of impurities that can lead to disease.”

Toews included a carousel of images of himself in India with several others at the clinic, but opted to not go into too much detail of his experience.

“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,” he wrote.

“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.”

During his time with the Blackhawks, Toews won the Stanley Cup three times and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009-10. He also won the Frank Selke Trophy in 2013.

The 36-year-old native of Winnipeg scored 372 goals and 883 points in 1,067 career games.

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