Ayurveda Carli Hill

Objectives Introduction to Ayurveda Tridosha theory Reported benefits Reasons for caution Current Research Conclusions

Introduction to Ayurveda Comprehensive system that places equal emphasis on the body, mind and spirit, and it strives to restore the innate harmony of the individual Ayurveda is the combination of two Sanskrit words –“ayu” meaning long life –“ved” meaning knowledge –“Knowledge or science of life”

Practiced in India for over 5000 years Covers all medical fields Diagnosis done by observation, touch, and questioning Four components to disease management –Physician, Drug, Patient, Attendant (such as a nurse)

Clinical exam includes –Pulse diagnosis –Urine examination –Stool examination –Tongue examination –Examination of body sounds –Eye examination –Skin examination –Assessment of total body appearance

Treatment has four main parts –Shodan – cleansing –Shaman – palliation –Rasayan – rejuvenation –Satwajaya – mental nurturing and spiritual healing

Tridosha Theory Three energies/doshas –Pitta – digestion, metabolism, emotions –Kapha – lubrication, structure, synthesis –Vata – movement, physical and mental function, degeneration Individualized combination/ratio of the three doshas

Imbalance in the doshas is the main cause of disease or poor health

Reported Benefits Slowing the aging process Promoting health of all the organs of the body Reducing fatigue and stress Nurturing the body with proper diet Healing disorders of the nervous system

Caution Herbal/metal/mineral Ayurvedic treatments –Safety dependent on following a complex procedure –Many include heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic –1 in 5 herbal products produced in South Asia have toxic levels –Reports of lead poisoning

A biostatistical approach to Ayurveda: quantifying the Tridosha. Joshi R. J Altern Comp Med. 2004;10;5; Objective – create an equation to quantify the three doshas Methods –280 subjects –Add worth-coefficients to dosha characteristics –Individual doshas predicted using equation –Predictions compared to qualitative diagnosis Results – equation predicted correct dosha over 90%

Hypothalamic digoxin, hemispheric chemical dominance, and the tridosha theory. Kurup R, Kurup P. Intern J Neuroscience. 2003;113: Objectives –Show that the three doshas represent different states of hemispheric dominance –Show how hemispheric dominance relates to certain disease and psychological states Methods –90 individuals aged years divided into six groups Right hemispheric dominance, left hemispheric dominance, and bihemispheric dominance The three doshas – vata, pitta, kapha

Six factors were assessed in the individuals in each group –The isoprenoid pathway – HMG CoA reductase, serum digoxin, dolichol and ubiquinone –RBC Na+-K+ ATPase activity and serum magnesium –Neurotransmitter patterns – tryptophan, serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, tyrosine, quinolinic acid, strychnine, nicotine, and morphine

Factors continued –Serum lysosomal enzymes, total glycos- aminoglycans (GAG) and different GAG fractions, glycolipids, and carbohydrate residues of glycoproteins –Free radicals and scavenging enzymes –RBC membrane composition Serum digoxin and RBC Na+-K+ ATPase activity assessed in several disease states and psychiatric conditions (15 cases or individuals per condition) to find a correlation between tridosha and disease

Conclusions –Correlation between tridosha and hemispheric chemical dominance –Link between doshas and predisposition to diseases and psychological states

Classification of human population based on Ayurvedic concept of Prakriti. Patwardhan B, Joshi K, Chopra A. J Altern Comp Med. 2005;11: Objective – assess relationship between prakriti and phenotype in a healthy population Methods –76 subjects –DNA extracted and genes typed –Prakriti assessed Results – frequency of certain alleles associated with vata and kapha, but pitta had no significant association with any alleles Conclusion – correlation found, but need larger sample size

Conclusions Evidence supporting/validating the tridosha theory of Ayurveda looks promising More research needs to be done to gather a larger body of evidence Additional research needs to be conducted in the area of Ayurvedic herbs –Biochemical, pharmacological, and toxological especially

Online Resources Seattle’s Ayurvedic acadamy and clinic: Ayurvedic Institute:

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