When considering the history of exercise physiology, authors begin with Hippocrates and the "Golden Age of Greece" before mentioning Galen and the contributions from Rome. However, this approach has omitted the information from the ancient civilizations of India who flourished before and during the emergence of the Mycenaen cultures. Specifically omitted have been (1) the tridosa doctrine (humoral theory) which as early as 1500 B.C. emphasized disease occurred because of a displacement of one or more of the three humors with health being achieved when the humors were in equilibrium and (2) the perspective of Susruta (Sushruta) who was a 600 B.C. physician who included exercise in his prescription to prevent and treat diseases. Susruta not only advocated exercise to maintain equilibrium among the humors, notably kapha, he promoted exercise to minimize the consequences of obesity and diabetes. To be effective, exercise had to be daily, moderate in intensity, never excessive or to exceed the half maximum capacity for exhaustion because disease or death could ensue. It was concluded that Susruta's concepts pertaining to chronic exercise and to the health benefits of exercise were "remarkably modern" and that future exercise physiology historians should include the contributions from ancient India.