Ayurvedic Diagnosis

What is diagnosis in Ayurveda? It is more than understanding which dosha is causing the problem.

Note that there are two types of diagnose in Ayurveda:
Determining the constitution or birth type of the person (prakriti pariksha)
Determining the imbalance or disease of the person (vikriti pariksha)

Diagnosis (vikriti pariksha) is a question of understanding where the dosha is moving to, which pathway it is using and if it is mixed with mala (waste) or ama (non-digested food).

The study of diagnosis in Ayurveda is understanding the pathology of DOSHA, DHATU, MALA and their combination with ama, if it is present. Diagnosis is both a science and an art. Failure to recognize the logical progression of dosha will lead to failure in diagnosis as will the incapacity to understand the patient and their SATMYA. Dosha increase or decrease is one aspect, failure of the doctor to not understand their patient is a question of Satmya and will prevent the pathology from being understood.

The biggest misunderstanding I find when teaching is that people do not recognize that diagnosis in Ayurveda is based on a very logical and scientific methodology. Ayurveda uses three methods to get a broad approach to understanding the patient.

Vikriti Pariksha or Diagnosis consists of three steps:
1. Questioning (Prashnana)
2. Observation (Darshana)
3. Touch (Sparshana)

Each of the three methods is equally important! One is not more important that another.

All forms of diagnosis can be fit into these three categories. For example, a blood test is just another form of observation. Most modern tests combine some form of touch to receive the data that is then observed – thus, observation of the data is the diagnostic goal.