Public health importance of shatkriyakala in relation to natural history of disease

Abstract

Kriyakala, also known as Shatkriyakala, is predominantly a concept of Ayurveda which describes different phases of disease formation in its own unique way. This concept can be comparable with natural history of disease in modern medicine. Though many authorities compare it simply with pathogenesis but a meticulous look will reveal its relation with natural history of disease. A good understanding of natural history of disease helps to frame public health intervention strategies, more specially the disease prevention stratagem. Similarly a scrupulous insight about Kriyakala will also help us to frame public health intervention strategy. Both modern medicine and public health describes three different types of prevention measures such as primary prevention, secondary prevention and tertiary prevention which can appropriately be applied to different stages of natural history of disease with their modes of intervention. The same concept can also be applied to Shatkriyakala with appropriate intervention strategies to halt the progression of a disease process. This document tries to understand the concept of Kriyakala in the light of natural history of disease and analyses various intervention strategies which are important from the disease control perspective.