In Ayurveda, the diagnosis and treatment of disease is always individual to each patient. As Ayurveda treats according to the constitution of an individual, it is known as a highly accurate and personalized method of analyzing diseases. All diseases are caused by aggravation of the three doshas i.e. vata, pitta and kapha. This aggravation is caused by the intake of improper diet and an improper lifestyle.

There are different stages of diseases and a good knowledge of these stages are  important for the diagnosis of a disease in its early stages. The five measures which helps to diagnose and treat various diseases are collectively known as nidanpanchak.

Kriyakala describes the mode and stages of development of disease. It refers to the proper diagnosis of stages of disease and adopting preventive and curative measures of aushadh, ahara and charya (drug, diet and activities).

There is a wide range of methods in Ayurveda to assess diseases based on their constitution and then prescribe the suitable treatment. Doshic imbalance can be diagnosed by taking the patient's history, performing the threefold, eightfold or the tenfold examination and assessing the specific symptoms.

The threefold examination or trividh pariksha as it is called, consists of sparshana (palpation method), darshana (inspection), prashna (interrogation), aptopdesh (authoritative instruction), pratyaksha (direct investigation) and anuman (investigation by inference). 

The eightfold examination includes the examination of pulse, tongue, voice, skin, vision, appearance, urine and stools. It gives an idea of the patient's general condition and the type of illness.

The tenfold examination consists of the examination of the body constitution, pathological state, tissue vitality, physical build, body measurement, adaptability, psychic constitution, digestive capacity, capacity for exercise and age.