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The antiquity of exercise physiology I: The overlooked contributions of Susruta from India
Author(s) -
Tipton Charles M
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a443-d
Subject(s) - disease , human physiology , physiology , medicine , china , period (music) , traditional medicine , history , philosophy , aesthetics , archaeology
For Physiology, antiquity ends with the death of Galen in 200 A.D. The history of exercise physiology is intimately linked to the evolving concepts concerning health and disease and to the emergence of rational medicine. Despite the fact that early civilizations were present in Mesopotamia, India and China, contemporary exercise physiology historians began their discussions with the accomplishments of the Classical Period of Greece that included the era of Hippocrates (460 B.C.–370 B.C.). Such an approach has ignored the 1500 B.C. introduction of the tridosa humoral theory in the Rzveda (Rig‐Veda) concerning health and disease as well as the recommendations of the physician Susruta (600 B.C.) pertaining to how moderate exercise can alter their equilibria. In essence, exercise prevented an increase in the vata humor while reducing the concentration of the kapha humor which in turn reduced the incidence of disease while restoring health to the individual. In addition, he provided original insights on the physiological effects of both acute and chronic exercise. One such insight was that moderate exercise was necessary to “cure” diabetes.