Ayurgenomics!!! So much of this word yet so little to clarify the concept. So, here we went down every book, every page, every word related to ayur and genomics to find anything and everything about this new hot buzz shaking the medical world.
Ayurgenomics is basically a blend of Ayurveda with genomics. While Ayurveda is the 5000-year-old ancient traditional system of medicine based on the extracts of nature, Genomics is the modern science that can decipher genes and unveil the information within. So, an integration of Ayurveda and Genomics present a personalized approach in the predictive, preventive, and curative aspects of stratified medicine with molecular variability.
Ayur-genomics is the new science that studies individual variability due to genetic variations through generations. A deeper dive on Ayurgenomics helps in establishing better, faster and more accurate diagnosis and prognosis, mainly on the basis of the constitution type of a person’s Prakriti. While modern medicine has been successful in increasing the average life expectancy of humans, it has failed miserably in availing preventive and qualitative care.
Today, most of the common diseases like diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disorders, epilepsy, stroke, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the world extend throughout life and require long-term medication with added complications and/or expensive interventions. Such chronic diseases are mainly attributed to sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits. Nearly 1% of the world population suffers from these diseases and in some cases like diabetes and obesity, the numbers are considerably higher and also dangerously on the rise.
Identifying factors that predispose individuals to these diseases and predict their progression as well as designing customized drug regime for each individual to minimize side-effects is a major challenge.
Life-time prevalence, long-term medications, side effects of therapeutic intervention further add to health burden. Prevalence of common and complex disorder today is 1-5%. However, Ayurveda, the traditional science, is known for its knacks with nature and its simple ways to keep life healthy and happy. An integration of Ayurveda and genomics if attempted in a systematic manner could help fill the gap.
According to Ayurgenomics, every individual is blessed with their own basic constitution or Prakriti which greatly determines one’s susceptibility to diseases and response to the external environment, diet and drugs. The concept of Ayurgenomics contradicts contemporary medicine, where a preventive and curative regime can be adopted only after an individual suffers or shows signs of an impending illness and there are no methods to identify healthy individuals who would be differently susceptible to disease.
Genomics has recently stirred quite a buzz marking the beginning of a paradigm shift in the practice of medicine from a generalized symptomatic approach to an individualized approach based on his or her genetic makeup. Ayugenomics would be the next big innovation and disruption in the world of medicine when done right. It could not only treat, prevent and predict diseases but it can also improve the quality of life by far and large.
Ayurveda has already penetrated the global scene with large tides where the west stands in awe of the ancient simple techniques, India continues to get in the track of their ancestral wealth. Also, genomics has made quite a stride from decrypting the distant relations to unveiling the risk associations of an individual to a particular disease. An amalgamation of the two is sure to pave the way for the futuristic approach to medicine and healthcare making treatment easy and affordable.