Ayurveda is a pseudoscience! Ayurveda is old and outdated! and Ayurveda is not relevant! As much as I have a huge number of Ayurveda enthusiasts who love my content on Ayurveda, I also come across a few who have the above-mentioned notions. Hence this blog to enlighten you about the relevance of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old medical science. It is a science and it follows the scientific method of hypothesis, observation and validation. Every older scripture of Ayurveda is validated by newer scriptures and corrections are made with time. For example, Ashtanga Hridaya validates the principles mentioned in Caraka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita which is further validated by Ayurvedic textbooks like Nighantus and Teekas that came later. Ayurveda is individualised Ayurveda is not a “population-based” medicine. It is, in fact, an “individual-based/ individualised medicine.” There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach in Ayurveda. Ayurveda believes that every person is unique. One person’s individual constitution, family history, lifestyle, food habits, thoughts, environment etc. are completely different from another person’s. Hence every human needs individualised medicine and treatment. We may not do randomised control trials on 1000 people and come up with a conclusion that this medicine worked for all 1000, so this will work for 10,00,000 people in the world; we believe that how a disease manifests in one person is completely different for another person. According to modern medicine, a disease is diagnosed merely by numbers – based on a lab report. But does the lab report show details like a person’s sleeping pattern, diet, thoughts, environment at home, office, etc. – all of which might have an impact on their health? In Ayurveda, the diagnosis depends on all of these and many more parameters. Ayurveda beyond the notions There are many notions about Ayurveda, the primary reason being people assuming things from hearsay. They say Ayurveda is a pseudoscience as it doesn’t show instant results. Yes, Ayurveda isn’t about popping a pill for your health condition. It is all about diagnosing your health condition, deeply understanding the circumstances that led to your condition, delving into the root cause and helping you heal through personalised dietary and lifestyle changes, treatments and medicines, if necessary. So, it’s going to take time, but rest assured your condition will not come back haunting you in the long run. However, I do agree that all medical systems exist for a purpose – to alleviate suffering. No medical system is perfect. For example, there is no treatment for Myocardial Infarction or cancer in Ayurveda. For this, modern medicine is the best. But Ayurveda is the best for gastroenterology conditions, arthritis, all kinds of chronic diseases, autoimmune conditions, skin diseases etc. and can remove the disease from the root. Ayurveda is not specialised Ayurveda is a whole system of medicine and is not specific. Ayurvedic doctors treat everything from the common cold to Parkinsonism. We not only treat just one problem but also we treat the whole person from head to toe. Also, Ayurveda is not just about treating humans. An Ayurvedic doctor can treat everything with a body, mind and souland that includes treating animals. So, the next time you say, “stick to your forte,” when I say Sankalpa and Yoga Nidra are deeper than hypnotherapy or use Triphala for oral health or Prachanna is safer, time tested and better than PRP and microneedling, remember, Ayurveda is my forte. And no, Ayurveda is not a pseudoscience. Ayurvedic texts have solutions to almost all health conditions and the best part is there are barely any side effects or aftereffects. Therefore, Ayurveda is very much relevant today as it was 5000 years ago. So, when the world is going for super modern, let’s go back and chase our roots!