Ayurvedic Constitution (Prakruti) Identifies Risk Factor of Developing Parkinson's Disease

Objective: The ancient Indian medical system, Ayurveda, is the oldest scientifically based system of medicine in the world. According to Ayurvedic concepts, there are 3 humors or Doshas: Vata, Pitta , and Kapha . The combination of these Doshas in varying degrees leads to one's constitution, referred to as Prakruti . Prakruti determines one's physical, physiologic, and mental character and disease vulnerability. This clinical study was undertaken to determine the constitutional typing of individuals with known idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) compared with that of nonparkinsonian controls. This study sought to validate the ancient observation that persons of Vata Prakruti are at risk for nervous system diseases. PD was used as a test case because the exact cause is not known. Methods: Patients with established PD ( n =75) and closely related controls with no known neurologic disease ( n =73) were assessed for their Ayurvedic constitution ( Prakruti ). An Ayurvedic constitutional assessment form and an independent Ayurvedic clinical assessment were used in the patients and controls. Results: The total mean score (±standard deviation) for Vata was 11.0±3.9 in patients with PD and 6.9±3.0 in controls. This finding was significant ( p