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If Systems Approach is the Way Forward, What can the Ayurvedic Theory of Tridosha Teach Us?


Affiliations
1 Department of NMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India
 

With a shift in focus from genes to cells, systems approach is not only revolutionizing cell biology, but is also providing impetus for clinical medicine to shift from a reductionistic to a holistic approach for efficient disease management. This inevitably brings into focus one of the longest unbroken healthcare systems in the world, namely ayurveda, the medical system indigenous to Indian subcontinent. A distinctive feature of ayurveda is its systems approach to health and disease. Through the theoretical framework of vata, pitta and kapha, ayurveda offers a new paradigm for understanding the human system as a networked functional entity wherein system properties are integral components. An open-minded dialogue between the cell-centric systems biology and organism-centric ayurveda can open new exciting vistas for research beneficial to both sciences, which could leave a major imprint on clinical practice.

Keywords

Ayurveda, Kapha, Pitta, Systems Approach, Tridosha, Vata.
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  • If Systems Approach is the Way Forward, What can the Ayurvedic Theory of Tridosha Teach Us?

Abstract Views: 449  |  PDF Views: 137

Authors

Rama Jayasundar
Department of NMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India

Abstract


With a shift in focus from genes to cells, systems approach is not only revolutionizing cell biology, but is also providing impetus for clinical medicine to shift from a reductionistic to a holistic approach for efficient disease management. This inevitably brings into focus one of the longest unbroken healthcare systems in the world, namely ayurveda, the medical system indigenous to Indian subcontinent. A distinctive feature of ayurveda is its systems approach to health and disease. Through the theoretical framework of vata, pitta and kapha, ayurveda offers a new paradigm for understanding the human system as a networked functional entity wherein system properties are integral components. An open-minded dialogue between the cell-centric systems biology and organism-centric ayurveda can open new exciting vistas for research beneficial to both sciences, which could leave a major imprint on clinical practice.

Keywords


Ayurveda, Kapha, Pitta, Systems Approach, Tridosha, Vata.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv112%2Fi06%2F1127-1133