Ayurveda is universal, intuitive, and accessible

What makes an idea, proposal, or theory scientific? Today, for information to be accepted as scientific evidence, it needs to be found in an academic journal, often found on databases that require membership. The results must be replicable and reproducible. The outcome must then be applicable to everyone that falls into that cohort or group. 

Ayurveda is not based on some airy fairy assumptions. In fact, it sits on philosophies and principles to obtain knowledge about our material reality based on inference, logical reasoning, cause and effect. By using our senses to examine the person, asking about their previous experience, comparison, and history-taking, we are able to build a differential diagnosis.

While these perspectives may not be presented in the same way as modern science, they are valid. They also allow for individual differences rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. Ayurveda pioneered personalised healthcare. Take, for example, Ayurveda’s approach to taking into account location and seasonality when assessing a person and developing a plan. The concepts of desha and kala understand that advice for individuals must change according to the season, the land and the climate where the person is at the moment, as well as the time.

Ayurveda pioneered personalised healthcare

The underlying Sankyha philosophy which Ayurveda rests on, gives us an understanding of evolution. We can see this everywhere we look, in all processes. The development of a child, the budding and growth of a crop, and the progression of a disease. In this way, Ayurveda is universally applicable. Everything can be seen through an Ayurvedic lens.

But, what makes Ayurveda stand out is just how intuitive it is. I've had many people say to me that "it just makes sense". And that makes it both accessible and empowering because people get to understand themselves, recognise imbalance, and can put it into practice with what they have around them. It makes medicine a domestic practice.

It's not exclusive, doesn't need you to buy the latest FitBit watch, doesn't need you to understand liver enzymes, and doesn't ask you to count calories. The way Ayurveda describes our nature and make-up makes sense, but if we want, it can be correlated with and understood using modern scientific lingo too.

With the ever-changing scientific research landscape, medical practices and advice often changes. What Ayurveda presents us with is timeless laws of nature that are as relevant today as they were yesterday. After all, science, both ancient and modern, is simply a type of storytelling about processes we observe in life.