Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30385015›Full record

ArticleJournal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine

Relationships among classifications of ayurvedic medicine diagnostics for imbalances and western measures of psychological states: An exploratory study.

Paul J Mills, Christine Tara Peterson, Kathleen L Wilson, Meredith A Pung, Sheila Patel, Lizabeth Weiss, Suhas G Kshirsagar, Rudolph E Tanzi, Deepak Chopra

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
4.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. In Vitro Investigation of the Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Activities ofAdvances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. An Ayurvedic approach to sustaining and pampering the feet of healthcare workers.Journal of interprofessional education & practice · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Paul J MillsDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. Electronic address: pmills@ucsd.edu.
Christine Tara PetersonDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Kathleen L WilsonDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Meredith A PungDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Sheila PatelDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Carlsbad, CA, USA.
Lizabeth WeissThe Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Carlsbad, CA, USA.
Suhas G KshirsagarAyurvedic Healing, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
Rudolph E TanziMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Deepak ChopraDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Carlsbad, CA, USA.
University of California, San Diego · USThe Chopra Foundation · USAyurvedic Institute · USHarvard University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAccording to Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India, doshas are a combination of characteristics based on a five-element philosophy that drive our mental and physical tendencies. When the doshas, or functional principles, are out of balance in quality or quantity, wellbeing is adversely affected and symptoms manifest.

objectiveThis study examined relationships among imbalances in the doshas (termed Vikruti) reported via questionnaire and Western measures of psychological states. MATERIALS AND

methodsStudy participants were 101 women (n = 81) and men (n = 20), mean age 53.9 years (SD = 11.7; range 32-80). Participants completed questionnaires to categorize their Vikruti type and psychological states, which included depressed mood (CESD), anxiety (PROMIS), rumination & reflection (RRQ), mindfulness (MAAS), stress (PSS), and quality of life (Ryff).

resultsMultivariate general linear modeling, controlling for age, gender and body mass index (BMI), showed that Vata imbalance was associated with more anxiety (p ≤ 0.05), more rumination (p ≤ 0.01), less mindfulness (p ≤ 0.05), and lower overall quality of life (p ≤ 0.01). Pitta imbalance was associated with poorer mood (p ≤ 0.01) and less mindfulness (p ≤ 0.05), more anxiety (p ≤ 0.05) and stress (p ≤ 0.05). Kapha imbalance was associated with more stress (p ≤ 0.05), more rumination (p ≤ 0.05) and less reflection (p ≤ 0.05).

conclusionThese findings suggest that symptoms of mind-body imbalances in Ayurveda are differentially associated with western assessments of psychological states. Ayurvedic dosha assessment may be an effective way to assess physical as well as emotional wellbeing in research and clinical settings.

Indexed as

AnxietyDoshaMoodQuality of lifeVikruti

Identifiers

PMID30385015
PMCPMC6822152
OpenAlexW2898904799

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.