The document discusses diagnostic tools in Ayurveda and their practical application. It notes that while classical Ayurvedic diagnostic techniques like astasthana pareeksha are taught, many practitioners may not be able to practically apply them or correlate findings with modern medical understanding. Suggestions are made to modify diagnostic tools so students can easily understand and apply them, and to interpret the tools using modern techniques from life sciences to aid diagnosis. The need to establish evidence-based Ayurveda using diagnostic parameters and statistics is also discussed.

1. Ai£Z PyKyÄ pxYy
C¶¢ÀÅhµ WOºh¸ù ¢¸gº
AiÎa QÈLÈísÇ gÇZÈ
AqÉ×iÉ February 2009 uÉÉÍhÉ Amrita Chikitsa Vani
ÍcÉÌMüixÉÉ
CªÀÄÈvÀ aQvÁì ªÁtÂ
Department of Kayachikitsa & Panchakarma
“Being – Doing – Having”
“Fear makes the people to unite and the comparison makes to divide”, when ever the
fear dominates, it leads to failure and when we conquer success is in our hand. The fear –
phobias are common in many conditions, especially in exams or when we face any critical
condition. That is the time to look in and analyze individual. Jeanne Sharbuno, the author of
“52 ways to live success”, says that normally we look the life from outside to inside – as
“Having – Doing – Being”. The other way really to apply is inside to out side i.e. “Being –
Doing – Having”.
Be – you’re self what really you are. Know much your capabilities and what can you make
unique. This introspection and clarity, you gat makes difference.
Do – the way of style you adopt to complete the job, but it should be in meaningful way. In
this stage touch the people with your act.
Have – the fruit of the action you performed. A perfect oriented life enjoyment is in your
hands.
Where is the question of fear? Life is with - Just only success and Happiness.
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and observing the surrounding scien- •Use mustard on your sandwiches instead of
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world we have a collective responsi- calories while Mayo, is loaded with fat. If you just
don’t like the taste of mustard, find a low-fat
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Based Ayurveda Medicine in terms of •Weigh yourself each week. Don’t be worried about
statistics and parameters, which is al- small daily changes in your weight. You shouldn’t
lose more than 1 - 2 pounds a week. There may
ready evidential since ages. Thus be weeks when you don’t lose weight. This is
please share your valuable information normal. Stay on your diet to lose weight.
of practice with us. . . . . . Continued in page – 4
AqÉ× i É ÍcÉÌMüixÉÉ uÉÉÍhÉ Ai£Z PyKyÄ pxYy C¶ ¢ ÀÅhµ WOº h ¸ù ¢¸gº AiÎ a QÈ L È í s Ç gÇZÈ CªÀÄÈvÀ aQvÁì ªÁt Amrita Chikitsa Vani
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Designed, Compiled, Edited and Displayed by Dr. K. Shiva Rama Prasad

2. Diagnostic tools in Ayurveda
<doctorksrprasad@gmail.com> where they are used to a direct info and used
wrote on 1/31/09: direct management without time delay.
For long time Ayurveda is using many modules For example I collected many photographs which
of diagnostic tools in our day to day practice denote a direct spot diagnosis of the disease and
for offering a better relief for ailed community. sure approach for the treatment. The senior
The diagnostic tools of Ayurveda are of very old physicians who are used to practice well should
and technically some time non relevant even is go with Darshana – sparshana and Prasna and treat
the claim of the present day Ayurveda sure. The last set of 10vidha is used only by
practitioner. The diagnostic tools such as - researchers or experts for analytical study or
Astasthana, Dashavidha, etc, which include Nadi, research. So, the tools of ayurveda are true and
Sparsha, etc - are how far practical and taught in needs the expatriation and through evidence
the curriculum. based data base to evaluate.
Is there any practitioner practicing Ayurveda as doctorksrprasad@gmail.com
Ayurveda at present era is a question. I request Many of our friends are having so many
the learned Ayurveda fraternity to discuss this evidences and / or following contemporary texts
topic and mail me the opinions drawn for a better and magazines to find a proper presentation of
curriculum support to teach a proper Ayurvedic the ayurveda as evidence based study. It is true
methods of examination and ultimately to reach to my knowledge, as the charaka kalpa initial
a good crisis management in Ayurveda. slokas reflect the biochemistry and the micro
< prakhya sivaram> answered nutrients/ constituents and the micro /chemical
If we understand the gati, lakshana of tridoshas reaction in a reverse osmosis method.
correctly, feeling as if known something will not We do speak of the reverse pharmacology etc
serve the purpose. Unless physiologically we do for the sake of learned and research. What
not understand tridoshas, meaningless about exactly need for the community and community
thought of application of diagnostic tools. health improvable method are not thought by the
Some people say we felt vata nadi, etc. like, that many Ayurvedic teachers in the curriculum. At
may be their experiential feeling in which they this juncture it is our collective responsibility
cannot explain, share to others. In the present to pool the spot diagnostic info available for the
era Ayurvedist is living on the name but thought student – Jai Hind
process, diagnosis is polluted & influenced much <Dr.Madhavi Mahajan> wrote on Feb 3/09
by modern that they did not read completely. So, We teach our students all the examinations
finally all these Ayurvedic diagnostic tools are therotically but i think many times, many
for namesake to remember & not to forget we teachers can’t teach the practical application of
write in case sheet. Sorry friend! them and satisfy the students. Sorry friend, but
<vd Tapan Vaidya> answered it’s a fact that the student can understand the
The tool usage can be graded in to three modern diagnostic tools very easily. Why it is
categories viz. fundamental or initial so? I think these tools should be modified so
practitioners (beginners), senior practitioners that the student can reach to the diagnosis easily,
and the experts. Out of the tools the astasthana unanimously. We have to interpret these tools
Pareeksha is basically meant for the beginners, with the help of modern techniques coming from
AqÉ× i É ÍcÉÌMüixÉÉ uÉÉÍhÉ Ai£Z PyKyÄ pxYy C¶ ¢ ÀÅhµ WOº h ¸ù ¢¸gº AiÎ a QÈ L È í s Ç gÇZÈ CªÀÄÈvÀ aQvÁì ªÁt Amrita Chikitsa Vani
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3. modern life sciences. When we talk about Agni, Identify the problem in X-ray
Strotorodha, the process has clinical
manifestation. How are we going to correlate it
with what is happening, with the help of
molecular biology. We need to really work on it
so that every student, even of average intellectual
can understand, apply it easily.
doctorksrprasad@gmail.com
wrote on Feb 6/09
Whether the Agni and Srotorodha are defined
and shown practically to the students and there
by they can be standardised for practice?
<Pranavodgeetha Piratla>
wrote on Feb 7
The extent of Appling of diagnostic tools depends
on disease. Eg. If the patient comes with a simple
common cold, we need not think of any other Be Good...Do Good..!
tool we need to just use darsana, sparsaana, Came across this...found it really sweet &
prasna, etc. On the hand if the patient comes with thought of sharing with you.....
any serious cardiac disease, we can use ecg or A Small Story…
any other such reports to draw the diagnosis. A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy
What I think is the modern diagnostic tools are had a collection of marbles. The girl had some
only tools and they will not spoil our science. sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will
We should be able to infer vataja, pittaja or give her all his marbles in exchange for her
kaphaja type of the hridragam that he is sweets. The girl agreed.
suffering. From the ecg its possible by The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful
experience. We can use the MRIscan, CT scan marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The
or any other such reports and we can diagnose girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
our disease itself. Eg we test reflexes deep and That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy
superficial for a paralytic patient if its an upper couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl
motor neuron disorder, we get deep reflexes as had hidden some sweets from him the way he
exaggerated. From this we can infer that the had hidden his best marble.
Dosha involvement of Kapha, Vata, and the
patient may have spastic of his muscles. And Moral of the story: If you don’t give your
thereby we can decide the treatment. hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always
We can infer the 3 doshas from reflexes. We keep doubting if the other person has given his/
can also do the asta sthana pareeksha as well her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any
unlike allopathic. And we do have Agni. Assessing relationship like love, employer-employee
the prakriti of the patient, etc., many such other relationship etc.
determinative factors helps in our treatment. So Give your hundred percent to everything you do
we have a wide spectrum of diagnostic tools with and sleep peacefully.
us. We should train ourselves so that we can use on Right side medial to Right lung shadow
them to the maximum extent possible. The answer is Calcified mediastinal lymph nodes
AqÉ× i É ÍcÉÌMüixÉÉ uÉÉÍhÉ Ai£Z PyKyÄ pxYy C¶ ¢ ÀÅhµ WOº h ¸ù ¢¸gº AiÎ a QÈ L È í s Ç gÇZÈ CªÀÄÈvÀ aQvÁì ªÁt Amrita Chikitsa Vani
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4. •Bake, roast, or broil your food instead of frying. body’s starvation defenses will kick in, lower your
Remove all fat from meats and skin from poultry metabolism, and store fat.
before cooking. •Exercise – If you want to stay healthy and make
•Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. This will help weight loss permanent you just cant do without
flush out your body while also suppressing your exercise. Along with cutting down on the fat you
appetite eat exercising regularly may be your best ally in
•If you haven’t done so already, switch to diet soft improving your all around health and bringing your
drinks. An average 12 Oz can of regular soda contains weight loss under control.
around 120 calories, while the diet version usually has •Schedule your exercise time just as you plan your
one or zero. If you drink 3 cans a day, you’ll be saving other activities of the day. Treat this time as an
360 calories right there. Now multiply that by 7 days a important appointment you don’t want to miss
week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year... You’ll •Write your weight goal & post it where you’ll see it
be saving a lot of calories! everyday.
•Limit alcohol. Alcoholic drinks have many calories •You are responsible for what you do & what you eat.
& little else. •Eat to live, not live to eat. Overeating can KILL you!
•Don’t give it up if you don’t want to, just reduce •Repeat: “I’m learning a way to live, not just a way to diet.”
your intake. •Water is essential to all bodily functions and has no
•Pick one place at home and work that you will do all calories. It is the perfect drink for dieters. You need
your eating. Be sure you are seated. Don’t eat eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily.
anywhere but in that place. Enjoy your food by •Be happy: you’re OK! Resisting all those tempting
sitting down and eating slowly. Sitting down foods is NOT going to kill you.
focuses your attention more directly on the activity •Limit your time in the grocery store. The longer you
of eating. By eating in the same place you identify stay, the more you will buy.
and associate that place with the idea that it is the •Be patient - it took years to gain weight; it takes time
only area in which you should eat. to lose weight.
•Shop for Groceries only after eating. You will be less •“Nibble” food and “linger” over drinks. Do the “Push
likely to buy foods impulsively – especially foods Away From The Table Exercise.”
you don’t need. •Chew your food completely: digestion begins in the
•When you shop for groceries stick to your shopping mouth. Avoid “washing” half-chewed food down.
list. This helps you guard against impulse buying. •Let someone else be the walking garbage disposal:
Make sure you list is complete and do not buy you are no longer responsible for eating up the
any extra food items. leftovers after a meal.
•Watch food labels. Foods with a high percentage of •Success is when you can look beyond food...and
fat (or carbohydrates that are sugars) will slow look down and see your feet.
down your weight loss program Don’t just count •Each day you stay on your weight-loss diet brings
grams, count percentage of total calories that are you closer to your weight goal.
fat or sugars. •The purpose of getting together with people is to enjoy
•Don’t think that just because you are eating low fat/ their company...not eating.
low calorie foods that you can eat all that you want. •Chart or graph your weight loss and serving selections.
The calories still add up and must be burned off •Take small servings - avoid gorging yourself.
regardless of what kind of food you eat. Balance •Consuming most calories in one big meal is the worst
is the key. way to diet. Eat 4 or 5 small meals rather than in
•If you are going to a restaurant, decide ahead of time one all-out feeding frenzy.
what you will be eating. Stick to it. •If your schedule only permits you to eat one major
•Never starve yourself, especially before going out to meal in a day, eat it in the morning to midday hours
eat (or you will binge). Never skip meals, you must rather than afternoon/evening hours.
have some kind of nourishment regularly or your •Lose weight with a supportive friend or in a support group.
AqÉ× i É ÍcÉÌMüixÉÉ uÉÉÍhÉ Ai£Z PyKyÄ pxYy C¶ ¢ ÀÅhµ WOº h ¸ù ¢¸gº AiÎ a QÈ L È í s Ç gÇZÈ CªÀÄÈvÀ aQvÁì ªÁt Amrita Chikitsa Vani
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