Ankylosing spondylitis belongs to a group of rheumatic diseases known as the spondyloarthropathies (SpA), which show a strong association with the genetic marker HLA-B27. Inflammatory back pain and stiffness are prominent early in the disease, whereas chronic, aggressive disease may produce pain and marked axial immobility or deformity. Modern medicine has no established treatment for it. From the Ayurvedic perspective, the disease can fall under amavata, which may be effectively managed when intervention is started in its early stages. Niruha basthi with Balaguduchyadi yoga, combined by Shamana treatment with Rasnerandadi kwatha and Simhanada guggulu have been found effective in curbing its progression. This article presents a single case report in which these treatments achieved considerable success.

Ayurveda has a holistic and person-centric approach towards health and disease, which in turn necessitates consideration of several factors in the process of a diagnostic workup. This concept of personalised diagnosis brings about a high level of variability among the clinicians with respect to their assessment methods and disease diagnosis. Developing and validating diagnostic tools for diseases enumerated in the Ayurvedic classical textbooks can help in standardising the clinical approach, even when attempting to arrive at a patient specific diagnosis. However, diagnostic research is a very less explored area in Ayurveda and there are no established standards for developing and evaluating diagnostic tools. This paper reviews the methodology for the development and validation of diagnostic tools, available in published literature and proposes to integrate this in the field of Ayurveda. The search was conducted on online databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google scholar, with keywords - ayurvedic diagnosis, diagnostic tool development, validity, reliability, and diagnostic test assessment. The articles were screened based on their comprehensiveness, relevance, and feasibility, and the methodology elaborated in the selected articles was organized into a framework that can be adopted in Ayurveda. We have also tried to examine the methodological challenges of integrating the fundamentals of ayurvedic diagnosis within the current methods of diagnostic research and explored possible solutions. The proposed tool development process involves both qualitative and quantitative components, which may be carried out in three phases that include setting the diagnostic criteria, tool development and validation, and diagnostic test assessment.

Chronic back and neck pain are common clinical entities in ayurvedic practice. Most of the patients are not rendered pain free with the current ayurvedic treatment regimens. Ayurveda considers agni (digestive power) derangements as the basic cause for all nija rogas (endogenous diseases). The term agnivaishamya is implied for functional derangement of agni. Emerging evidences through modern researches point to the role of GI dysfunctions in pain pathologies.  A cross sectional analysis of patients with chronic pain in the neck and back was conducted at VPSV Ayurveda college hospital to explore associations between pain and features of agnivaishamya in koshta (GIT). In the twenty eight patients analyzed, significant association has been found between pain in low back and koshta (GIT) features like Arsas (hemorrhoids) and vibandha (Constipation). Strength of association was more between arsas and low back pain with OR  of 4.2 (P<0.05). In the case of cervical pain , multiple features of Koshta like avipaka (feeling of indigestion), aruchi (anorexia), amlodgara (sour eructations), urodhumayana (chest burn) and muhurbadha muhurdrava pureesha (alternating constipation and loose stools) were found to be associated. Hence it can be concluded that there is significant association of agnivaishamya with chronic pain in neck and back.

Diabetes mellitus, especially Type-2 is one of the major non-communicable diseases with growing prevalence at the global level. Major contributory factors for diabetes are genetic predisposition, environmental factors, lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to a number of complications and food can be a powerful tool in preventing or reversing diabetes. Modern dietetics adopt a reductionist view in determining the diet protocol with emphasis on the macro as well as micronutrients in the food and overlooks the varied demands of the person consuming it. This is where India's traditional medical system, Ayurveda can contribute with its holistic approach. Ayurveda advocates diet that is tailored to meet the needs of the individual. The dietary guidelines incorporate multiple factors comprising the prakriti (body composition), dosha (body humors),agni (digestive power), desa (place of living), kãla (age and season) and sathmya (homogeneity) of the individual. Following such a diet pattern in the long run will aid in preventing metabolic diseases, especially diabetes. In case of manifested diabetes, the management protocol is formulated based on the above said factors and consequently the diet also should be personalized. Differences in the metabolic demands among patients who are obese and non-obese warrants separate dietary guidelines for both groups. Hence a relook into the basics of ayurvedic dietetics and therapeutic approaches could enable researchers and practitioners to have fresh insights in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review and analyze the tools available for the assessment of Agni and its derangements, including grahani dosha. Methods: A review of the published literature was conducted online using PubMed, Science Direct, and Google scholar. The keywords for the search included, "Agni,", "Agni Bala,” “Agni vaishamya," "Grahani dosha”, “Assessment tool “, and “Questionnaire”. The initial search retrieved 37 articles, of which seven were screened, classified, and coded for further analysis including their content, methodology as well as utility in clinical practice. Results: The review discovered four tools aimed at assessing Agni and three for diagnosing grahani roga. All were different with regards to the domains assessed, mode of administration, and methodologies in which they were developed. Only two of the tools for Agni assessment were prepared following proper methodology including the evaluation for their reliability and validity. The absence of a gold standard against which these tools can be corroborated is a major drawback, because of which these tools were neither subjected to stringent scientific validation nor evaluated for their clinical utility. Conclusion: None of the tools available for review could be deemed best at accurately detecting Agni and its dysfunctions. Two of the tools were developed adopting proper methodology, however, the feasibility of these in a clinical scenario has to be established with further studies. Additionally, there was no tool directed at assessing grahani dosha in specific disease states, which necessitates further research to develop and validate tools, especially in specific disorders.