Ayurveda complements P4 medicine
P4s: Predictive; Preventive; Personalized; and Participatory
Over the last ten years, a new field of research is emerging called P4 medicine in modern medicine. The 4 P’s are - predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory. P4 medicine focuses on the whole body rather than just the symptoms. Ayurveda and other traditional medicines have been focusing on wellness of whole body for over thousand years. Ayurveda is able to contribute greatly to P4 medicine. The emphasis on nutrition and exercise is quite recent in modern medicine whereas Ayurveda pillars are based on diet and lifestyle.
As more research on genetics is taking place with more devices and tests available, scientists are visiting Ayurveda to look at Prakriti of people. Ayurveda tells us about Prakriti (at birth) and doshas can define trajectories of the diseases and thus enable us to prevent those. Prakriti is classified into seven types of combinations of three doshas - vata, pitta and kapha. This helps to personalize the diet, lifestyle and herbal recommendations.
A new field called Ayurgenomics is attempting to understand and contribute to personalized medicine. The phentotype of each dosha is well-known in Ayurveda and now there are studies being done to look at the genetic composition of each dosha. There are studies showing specific genes that are found in Pitta and Kapha types. More research and clinical trials are needed to validate these claims. Nevertheless, the knowledge from Ayurveda can help us all keep our mind and body healthy.
Sharma H, Keith Wallace R. Ayurveda and Epigenetics. Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Dec 11;56(12):687.
Wallace RK. Ayurgenomics and Modern Medicine. Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Nov 30;56(12):661.