Your Constitution: Prakruti & Vikruti

Learning about your constitution is not something we delve into much in the west. But in the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, it is a pivotal part of understanding treatment options, and maintaining a balanced body and life. So, I wanted to quickly share a little about Prakruti and Vikruti. 

Ayurvedic Constitution Concepts

Prakruti and Vikruti are concepts from Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine. These terms are used to understand and describe an individual's natural constitution and their current state of health.

Prakruti (Constitution): Prakruti refers to an individual's inherent or natural constitution. It is the unique combination of three fundamental energies or doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These doshas are present in varying degrees in each person and influence their physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. Each dosha represents different combinations of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) present in the body. Each person has a unique constitution that is determined by the dominant dosha or dosha combination.Your Prakruti is determined at the time of your birth and remains relatively stable throughout your life. It's like your basic nature or blueprint.

Vikruti (Current State): Vikruti, on the other hand, refers to an individual's current state of health and balance. It's how the doshas are functioning at a given moment. This can change due to various factors like diet, lifestyle, environment, stress, and illness. When there is an imbalance in the doshas from their natural state (Prakruti), it can lead to health issues. Ayurveda aims to bring an individual's Vikruti back into alignment with their Prakruti to restore health and well-being.

 In Ayurveda, understanding your Prakruti and monitoring your Vikruti helps in making personalized health recommendations, like diet, lifestyle changes, and herbal treatments, to maintain or restore balance and achieve optimal well-being. It's a holistic approach that takes into consideration the individual as a whole, addressing both physical and mental aspects of health. It can help us more specifically in the following ways:

1. Imbalance Detection: Ayurveda places a strong emphasis on balance. When one or more doshas become imbalanced, it is believed to lead to various health issues. By knowing a person's constitution, practitioners can identify which dosha is most likely to go out of balance and cause specific health problems. This allows for early detection and prevention of imbalances.

2. Disease Prevention: Ayurveda focuses on preventing diseases by maintaining the balance of doshas. Knowing an individual's constitution can help them make informed lifestyle choices that align with their inherent nature, reducing the risk of developing imbalances that might lead to illnesses.

3. Tailored Diet and Nutrition: Different doshas have different dietary requirements. For example, a person with a dominant Pitta constitution might be more sensitive to spicy foods and require cooling, hydrating foods, while someone with a dominant Vata constitution might benefit from warm and grounding foods. By following a diet that suits their constitution, individuals can promote better digestion, absorption of nutrients, and overall well-being. However, as we are generally a mix of doshas and have other environemental/internal factors, it may not always be as simple as following one diet to solve our health imbalances.

4. Herbal Remedies: Ayurveda utilizes a wide range of herbs and natural remedies to restore balance to the body. Based on an individual's constitution, specific herbs and formulations can be recommended to address imbalances and promote health.

5. Lifestyle Recommendations: Ayurveda provides guidance on daily routines, exercise, sleep patterns, and other lifestyle factors. Recommendations are often tailored to an individual's constitution to promote harmony between their internal nature and external environment.

6. Emotional and Mental Well-being: Ayurveda recognizes the interconnectedness of the mind and body. Different constitutions have different tendencies when it comes to emotional responses and mental states. By understanding these tendencies, individuals can adopt practices that promote emotional balance and psychological well-being.

As you can see the focus is on I N D I V I D U A L treatment. We have become far more advanced and and moved away from the olden days when it was accepted to prescribe the same medicine for everyone with the same condition...or have we? There are unfortunately practices/people that still use this blanket approach. I see it in clinical practice - ALL THE TIME. 

I am grateful that we have our ancient sciences that support the holistic path which truly focus on patient - centred care.