Ayurveda has a distinctive approach to healthcare since it has a theory and practice of both health and disease (Jayasundar, R.2010). In Ayurveda an organism or the human body is not considered a system of organs, but a system of relationships which define the functions, and it’s the functions that ultimately malfunction. The simplicity of Ayurveda diagnosis is its strength. Ayurvedic treatments involve removal of causative factors that bring the functions back into balance.
On the other hand in the Biomedical Model, adopted by Western medicine, the focus is on a system of organs. The focus is structural which reduces everything to fundamental units of matter based upon atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organic systems that form the building blocks of the human body such as digestive, circulatory, skeletal, endocrine, reproductive. BioMedical Science has been a successful method of understanding the human body in terms of minute details such as workings of the nerve cells in the brain and decoding the human genome.
Both models of medicine focus on health, but they approach the human body with very different perspectives and diagnostic tools to understand and treat disease.
For example, even though Susruta, who was acknowledged as an Ayurvedic surgeon even in the West, described the importance of dissection and surgical procedures, Ayurveda theory looked beyond the purely structural by considering life as complex interrelationships of various forces, namely the Doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This is a unique approach of treating the human body in a holistic way as distinct from focusing structurally.
Over four thousands of years of observation, clinical applications and experimentation Ayurveda produced a successful model which offers time-tested protocols. The central tenet of Ayurvedic theory is that disease results from an imbalance of Doshas ( Vata, Pitta and Kapha). Ayurveda has developed a variety of techniques including herbal medicine, diet and lifestyle activities to help restore the functional balance of the Doshas.
Interest in Ayurvedic holistic medicine is growing globally. There is now growing awareness among some medical scientists that it is difficult to understand health by its individual parts of organ systems. The current system of structural parts is only one aspect of a complex picture. According to Ayurveda, health cannot be reduced to individual parts, as multiple levels of interactions exist between whole organisms for them to function smoothly.
Even though Ayurveda has demonstrated success in holistic treatments, from the point of view of modern medicine there are few clinical trials available for Ayurveda and in particular for complex herbal formulations. For example, the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has recommended doing more case studies to determine herbal efficacy and future clinical studies.
Since the demise of infectious diseases and rise of chronic, stress and lifestyle disorders, Western medicine, while very successful in dealing with certain diseases and emergencies, is challenged to find solutions for these complex diseases, e.g. obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
On the other hand an Ayurvedic approach to healthcare, with its philosophy and different understanding of the human body and its functions, can play a crucial role in managing health care in a holistic way. The experience and accumulated knowledge over 4000 years together with a focus on diet and lifestyle activities, should be used more widely to benefit people.
Reference
JAYASUNDAR, R. (2010() Current Science. Pp 908-914. Vol.98. No.7, 10 April 2010. Sited 2014 http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Downloads/article_id_098_07_0908_0914_0.pdf
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