Non-linear perspectives of health and disease in Ayurveda

The enormous complexity of human body opens up a wide range of conceptual possibilities for its understanding. While the western medicine views the body from a predominantly structural perspective, Ayurveda’s understanding is from a functional viewpoint. It has conceptualised the human body as an interdependent set of functions and parameters, each influencing the other in a number of ways. Ayurveda’s determinants of health and disease deal with nonlinear relationships and do not obey the linear causal pathways of western medicine. An important feature of Ayurveda is its theoretical framework, under which it has put together an enormous body of observational data. The theories (which have stood the test of time) and practices forming the backbone of Ayurveda have been documented and validated by practice over thousands of years and continue to be validated. 


Although, a number of theories contribute to Ayurveda, that of tridoshas (vata, pitta and kapha) runs as an undercurrent to all Ayurvedic understanding of health and ill-health. Vata, pitta and kapha are complex terms referring to functions and a logically grouped set of physical and physiological parameters contributing to these functions. They reflect the functional interdependence and the nonlinear dynamics of the system. This different perception has given Ayurveda its distinct approach to diagnosis and treatment. The presentation will compare and contrast Ayurveda with the experiment oriented western medicine. The logic and science behind Ayurveda, in particular, its relevance to the current health scenario will be discussed. 




About Dr. Rama Jayasundar

Rama Jayasundar is Faculty in Department of NMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. She got her B.Sc (Physics) degree from Madras University in 1981, M.Sc in applied Physics from Anna University in 1983. She received her Ph.D. degree in Physics from Cambridge University in 1990, and BAMS degree from SJS Ayurveda College, Chennai, in 2008.


Research Interests

Area of specialization is Biomedical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) – Clinical imaging and spectroscopy, Radio-frequency (RF) coil designing, RF pulse sequence programming and applications of MR in neuroscience. Current research interest - application of NMR in ayurvedic research, scientific study of Ayurveda, its concepts, methods and clinical practices. 

She has more than 100 publications in reputed national and international journals and over 120 presentations in national and international conferences and recipient of many prestigious awards (Some of them are listed below).


Cambridge Nehru Scholarship, Nehru Trust for Cambridge University, UK (1986-1990)

Young Scientist Award, 1991 (for developing indigenously a low cost NMR RF coil in India)* 

BOYSCAST fellowship for research (at Max Planck Institute, Gottingen, Germany), Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India (1996 – 1997)

E.K. Zavoisky Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, USA (2001 & 2002)

Chaired scientific sessions in the conferences of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, USA (2002, 2003) (first Indian to be asked to chair sessions in ISMRM)

Elected to the Executive Committee of the National Magnetic Resonance Society, India (2002)

Woman of the Year Award, Lions Club International, Chennai, India (2004)

Best Student Award, BAMS, SJS Ayurveda College, Chennai (2007)

Featured on the cover page of the European Journal ‘Leadership Medica’ (2009)

* The coil was developed at a very low cost (about Rs. 2,000 against the manufacturer’s cost of Rs.15 lakhs)