Integration of Ayurveda in Contemporary Surgical Healthcare

Background: This article examines how classical Ayurveda surgical principles, notably those from the Sushruta Samhita, align with conventional surgical practices and how Ayurveda-inspired perioperative and postoperative care can complement conventional surgery. Objectives: To synthesize Ayurveda modalities and perioperative care within an integrative framework, evaluate their potential to enhance healing and reduce recurrence, and identify gaps requiring rigorous research, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Methods: Narrative synthesis of traditional Ayurvedic surgical principles and modern adaptations within interventional and surgical contexts. Review of integrative care paradigms in oncology, neurology, and proctology, with emphasis on perioperative optimization, pain management, and rehabilitation. Consideration of current evidence, limitations, and methodological needs for future studies. Results: Ayurveda interventions for fistula-in-ano with Kṣhārasūtra-based approaches offer minimally invasive options that can complement surgical procedures. Integrative care models emphasize personalized prehabilitation, multimodal pain control, and tailored postoperative rehabilitation, contributing to accelerated healing, improved quality of life, and potentially reduced recurrence when combined with conventional practices. Across oncology and neurology, Ayurveda-informed strategies may support symptom management, postoperative recovery, and functional outcomes. Conclusions: There is growing evidence for meaningful synergy between Ayurveda and conventional surgery within integrative healthcare. Realizing full benefits requires standardized training, rigorous, methodologically sound research, and robust cross-disciplinary collaboration to establish safety, efficacy, and reproducibility. Future work should prioritize randomized controlled trials, standardized outcome measures, and clear guidelines for integration across surgical specialties.