RASAYANA: A BETTER ALTERNATIVE FOR DISEASE PREVENTION

Abstract

In present era, infectious diseases are expanding like anything. To catch all the organisms (newly evolved, resistant strains, capsulated organisms etc) and to treat them accordingly is not become possible all the time. Prevention might be the right choice against such kind of diseases. Thus vaccination since its conceptualization remains one of the important pillars of preventive medicine. But even after enormous efforts, preventing all the diseases (which are produced by known organism) still remain out of reach. This fact catches up the eyes towards other methods of disease prevention described in traditional health care systems like ayurveda.  Rasayana is one such measure to strengthen the general immunity (both innate and cell mediated), which makes body so strong that it can resist variety of infectious agents entering the body system. Hence rasayana improves non specific immunity where as vaccination works on limited specific immunity. This article aims to illustrate the disease Burden, cost factor of rasayana and vaccines, income per capita in India, mode of action of some rasayana drugs and vaccines, drugless preventive measures in ayurveda & concept of non specific immunity.