Viewpoints of Hakim Arzani about Anorexia and Dysorexia in Mizan-al-Teb

Background and Hakim Mohammad-Akbar Arzani, Iranian sage and physician of 11th -12th Hijri who immigrated to India from Iran, has remained several valuable books, including Teb-e-Akbari, Mofareh-al-Qoloub, Mizan-al-Teb, Mojarrabat, Hodoud-al-Amraz and Qarabadin-e-Qaderi. He has described a broad range of diseases in Mizan-al-Teb in a precise and perfect manner. Description of anorexia in Mizan-al-Teb comparing to what we know in conventional medicine is the subject of this article. In this article, the other disturbances in appetite, including Joo-al-Kalb, Joo-al-Baqar, Joo-al-Qashye and Fessad-e- Shahvat are also discussed briefly. We searched the databases PubMed, ISI web of science, IranMedex and SID with theses keywords, Anorexia, Dysorexia, Traditional medicine and Arzani, further than the book Mizan-al-Teb as the main source of the article. Anorexia and dysorexia are two common problems in all age groups. Anorexia nervosa is a common problem in young females. Calorie intake of the patients with anorexia nervosa is less than their daily requirements. Classification of anorexia in traditional medicine is different with conventional medicine. In the traditional approach, dystemperaments, bad humors in the stomach, disturbances in the function of the liver and the spleen and mental conditions are considered as causes of the disease.