مجله طب سنتی اسلام و ایران
سال نهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 34، تابستان 1397)

Background and Purpose:

Hashimoto thyroiditis is one of the common causes of hypothyroidism, most important symptoms of which are: fatigue, weakness, cold feeling, pallor, constipation, memory weakness, weight gain, and loss of appetite. Laboratory findings in this disease include increased TSH, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg) and TPO. Its Treatment in conventional medicine is possible by replacing the thyroid hormone (Levothyroxine). The present article describes a case of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that has been treated by Persian medicine approach.

Case Report:

The patient was a 36-year-old woman with Hashimoto's thyroiditis treated with lifestyle modification, oral medications, and massage by herbal oil and leech therapy based on the principles of Persian medicine. In the monthly follow-up, gradual improvements were observed in symptoms and the test results; so the medications gradually decreased and discontinued after 3 months. In the annual follow-up, the patient had no symptoms of illness and the test results were satisfactory.

It seems that the symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis are very similar to the phlegm overload symptoms in Persian medicine. Not using levothyroxine, Persian medicine was able to treat Hashimoto's thyroiditis with lifestyle modification, body cleansing of waste materials, digestion improvement and local extraction of waste materials.

Background and Purpose:

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In recent years, the rate of cancer has been dramatically rising. Side effects and, in some cases, inefficiencies in common treatments have led to extensive research about new drugs, especially those with plant origin. The study of traditional medical knowledge can lead to the selection of effective plants for cancer treatment. Pistacia atlantica is one of the herbs that had been considered by the ancient scientists for different diseases including cancer. This plant has been mentioned in traditional manuscripts with Arabic words like "Botm", "Elk-ol-Botm", and "Habat-ol-Khazra".

Methods and Materials:

In this study, the main traditional manuscripts were searched with Pistacia atlantica related keywords in addition to different words that refer to malignancy like "Saratan" ,"Khanazir", "Saqhirus" and "Jozam". Moreover, scientific databases such as Iran medex, Cochrane, PubMed, SID, Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched using keywords such as: Pistacia atlantica, Saqez, and Bane.

Based on the results of this study, several anticancer formulations containing the resin of Pistacia atlantica was found in traditional medicine manuscripts. In recent studies, various parts of the plant have been shown to be effective in controlling and inhibiting the proliferation of different types of cancer cells.

So far, various compounds have been identified in Pistacia atlantica, such as phenolic compounds which have antioxidant effects and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Regarding many indications available in traditional and modern medicine about the anticancer effects of this plant, it can be concluded that Pistacia atlantica has a high potential for further investigations, especially in the form of clinical studies, in order to obtain new anti-cancer drugs.

Background and Purpose:

Music is a science that has always been interesting to Muslim scholars. Muslims recognized the artistic aspect of music and its relation to theoretical and practical sciences such as medicine, astronomy and geometry. Medical knowledge is one of the most important sciences in which the practical aspect of music has been most widely used and physicians have considered music as a therapist.

Methods and Materials:

This descriptive-analytic study was conducted, while briefly reviewing the position of music in the works of philosophers, musicians and Muslim physicians in Iranian-Islamic civilization until the end of the Safavid period, to introduce and identify one of the independent writings in the field of music therapy. It was done to explain and determine the purpose of the article which was to explore the contribution and use of music as a therapist in Muslim’s medicine. A sum total 57 sources were used in this article.

The findings of this study indicate that Muslim scholars have referred to music as one of the subcategories of mathematical knowledge in the division of sciences. Philosophers, music scientists and physicians have devoted a part of their productive texts to the impact of the relationship between music and the human spirit and even its effect on the body. Although Muslim physicians remembered music as a maintaining authenticity, most of the views and opinions of Muslim scholars were in the theoretical field. As an Iranian Muslim physician and philosopher, Ibn-e Sina has spoken about the influence of music on the body and soul in his philosophical texts in addition to his medical works. He could be considered as the first physician who has used music in therapy.

Nowadays, music therapy is an independent medical specialty. It is used as a complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of diseases. Considering the history of music therapy in the medical schools, including that of the Muslims, it is possible to use the experiences and opinions of these scholars in modern medicine; "The Treatise on Music Therapy" could be one of these sources.
 

Background and Purpose:

There is a separate chapter for heart diseases in most basic textbooks of Persian medicine such as the Canon of Avicenna. Although nineteen heart diseases are discussed in the related section, heart problems encompass a wide variety of disorders in Persian medicine. This is because the heart is the center of innate heat (Hararat-e-Gharizi) which influences all body functions. Cardiac drugs in this medical school have antidote and anti-depressive effects. In spite of its importance, the cardiac examination has not been discussed collectively in a systematic approach in Persian medicine. We tried to do that in this article.

Methods and Materials:

This article is a library based study. Persian medicine textbooks and its related articles in current databases were searched for the heart examination. Meanwhile, in current medicine, cardiovascular textbooks, as well as databases, were studied with keywords such as heart examination. Both findings were combined with the article.

The most complete explanation of cardiac evaluation belongs to Avicenna in his third volume of the famous book, the Canon of medicine. He mentions that the heart should be evaluated from eight perspectives.

Heart has a wider sense and larger domain of evaluation in Persian medicine than current medicine. Cardiac evaluation pathway in Persian medicine could be integrated with current medicine and presented as an algorithm for a fast and less mistakable approach to cardiac examination by Persian medicine practitioners.

Background and Purpose:

The Traditional Medicine of Iran is based on temperament. As a significant factor in creating individual differences, temperament can be effective in sports performance of human beings. The purpose of this study was to compare warm and cold temperaments with anaerobic power, anaerobic threshold and relative maximum power.

Methods and Materials:

A descriptive study was conducted on 40 dormitory single students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad who had not regular exercise for at least past six months. Volunteers were young healthy men in the age range of 18 to 22 years. Using a standard questionnaire, their temperament was determined. Anaerobic power was measured using Rast test while anaerobic threshold value and relative maximum power were measured by Dmax method and by hamstring muscles evaluation with bodybuilder, respectively.

The number of warm tempered people was 21 and cold tempered people were 19. Significant differences were observed in cold and warm temperament groups in peak power, mean power, minimum anaerobic power (p<0.05), and maximum power (p=0.016) which was 0.61±0.07 kg in warm tempered people and 0.54±0.06 kg in cold tempered people. Moreover, the results showed that anaerobic threshold in warm temperament people (with a mean of 163.7±4.9 beats per minute) and cold temperaments (with a mean of 167.2±4.1 beats per minute) is significantly different (p=0.019).

It seems that warm tempered people have a relatively higher power in comparison to cold tempered people. They also have better anaerobic power. However, cold tempered people have an anaerobic threshold higher than those with warm temperament.

Background and Purpose:

Qara-Khitai is a seldom known government reigning over Kerman from 1223 to 1305 A.D. An exact examination of the history of the government indicates that simultaneous with reign of some of Qara-Khitai kings, political, social, and economic status of Kerman improved. Moreover, due to the skill and wisdom of the kings and doctors in their court, medical condition of Kerman as well as people’s health enhanced. Accordingly, using reasoning and historical logic methods, the present study aims to first introduce Kerman Qara-Khitai government and then to examine diseases in that era and discuss how they were treating.

Methods and Materials:

The research was carried out using a library method and used various historical, medical and research sources in the form of books and articles.

The present study showed that physicians in Qara-Khitai court made use of herbal medicines and minerals existing in Kerman and adopted astounding methods of treating patients almost eight hundred years ago.

It seems that the major diseases of the sultans were liver diseases.

Background and Purpose:

Hiccups are common and transitory complaints that affect a person's quality of life, especially when they get chronic or recur frequently. Treatment of hiccups includes the elimination of underlying causes, physical and pharmaceutical therapies and the use of complementary medicine. Persian medicine with a thousand years of experience offers precious practical skills for the treatment of a host of health problems. The purpose of this comparative study is to review the causes, diagnosis and treatment of hiccups from Persian medicine’s Perspective and the achievements of modern medicine.

Methods and Materials:

This is a literature Comparative study conducted on the Comprehensive traditional and Islamic medicine software and using the keywords "Fovaq" and "Hakhak" meaning hiccups. Also, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar and Scientific Information Database for Hiccups, Hiccough and Singultus. To find equivalents for old names of plants appropriate for the treatment of the hiccups in modern taxonomy, two botany references and electronic databases, namely, the United States Department of Agriculture and The Plantlist.org were used.

Causes for hiccups from Persian medicine’s viewpoint include diet causes, inappropriate lifestyle, hepatic and gastroesophageal reasons, drugs and poisons, abdominal penetrating injuries and diseases of other organs. Treatment for hiccups according to Persian medicine includes non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical treatments. These causes and treatments were matched with findings of modern medicine. Also, 29 medicinal plants used as oral, inhaled, and local remedies were also listed.

Although the classification of diseases in Persian medicine is fundamentally different from modern medicine, the approach, taking history, and many non-pharmacological treatments are in line with modern medicine. The present study is also the first to include reports for occurrence of hiccups following abdominal penetrating injuries and some types of headache. The medicinal plants recommended for hiccups treatment in Persian medicine could be evaluated for their efficiency through clinical trials in further studies.

Background and Purpose:

The role of nutrition in traditional medicine and medical history shows its special status in preserving and, in case of illness, restoring health. One of the appropriate and healthy meals in traditional Iranian tablecloth is Âbgušt (broth). Âbgušt (Arabic: ماءاللحم) is also one of the traditional medicines in Persian medicine used for curing the patients. This meal is used in traditional medicine both as food and medicine. Iranian scholars have written about its significance and nutritional value in separate articles and theses. The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze the ideas of various experts regarding the method of cooking different types of chicken meat and its role in preserving and restoring the health of the body. In this regard, as a sample, some parts of the book of Faqid al-Muqalata (Without Fallacy) is introduced and explained.

Methods and Materials:

The study was conducted via the library research method. Investigating those medical books of the Islamic period which consider medicinal aspects of Âbgušt, the manuscript of Faqid al-Muqalata (Without Fallacy) was introduced.

The research was conducted via a descriptive-analytical method and with a review of the Persian medicine sources in Islam and Iran, especially the independent book of Faqid al-Muqalata (Without Fallacy). Results of this study showed how many Iranian physicians have emphasized the role of different types of Âbgušt in preserving health and curing illnesses.  

Background and Purpose:

Smallpox is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases that has spread to many societies since ancient times, and has resulted in many deaths. Smallpox viruses were transmitted to vulnerable children through travelers or immigrants who walked into clean areas and. It has been the childhood disease and the largest percentage of child mortality in history is due to smallpox. The need to fight smallpox and treat it has long been felt by physicians. Assigning some of the ancient medical texts to the description and interpretation of the disease and the mortality rate of it among different communities indicates the importance of the issue. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been provided so far for its diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the sources of Persian medicine in Iran regarding the course of disease, the causes, symptoms and complications, treatment, and prevention of smallpox.

Methods and Materials:

This research is a library study and is based on valid texts of Persian medicine from the 2nd to the 14th centuries AH. Materials related to smallpox and how to diagnose, treat and prevent it have been extracted.

The disease is called "Jodari" in the texts of the traditional medicine of Iran and was first introduced in the 3th century AH by Sabet ibn Qurreh. However, the first systematic, scientific, clinical and precise description of smallpox was presented by Razi in the book of "Al-Jodari val Hasbah" in the 3rd and 4th centuries of Hijri. It is one of the most important medical books of the Islamic period. Most of the physicians after him expressed this disease based on his description regarding its clinical manifestations, pathology and treatment in three stages of the incubation, demonstration and recovery. As for the prevention, the experts of traditional medicine in Iran have introduced two oral and inoculation methods for vaccination.

There seems to be a clear diagnostic-therapeutic approach to infectious diseases including smallpox in traditional Persian medicine sources so that by eliminating its causes, Iranian physicians were able to significantly prevent it and reduce its severity if it happened. Moreover, in the course of the disease, the principle of their treatment is to strengthen the host (human) to fight the disease. Despite the eradication of smallpox at present, due to its similarity to some other infectious diseases, including chicken pox, the familiarity with traditional sources of medicine in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of smallpox can propose new research ideas for confronting current and future infectious epidemics.

Aftimun and Koshuth are two popular plants with different indications in Persian medicine which are usually wrongly used instead of each other because of similar appearance. The word Aftimun (epithymum) is a Greek word; “epi” means “on” in Latin and “thymum” means “thymus”. Considering its meaning and its appearance which is mentioned to have a red color, the scientific name of Aftimun is Cuscusta epithymum that often grows on thyme and has black bile scavenging properties. It is applied for treatment of melancholia, mania, melancholic epilepsy, and melancholic headache.
Regarding Koshuth, it has been indicated that its stem is yellowish and its flower is small and whitish. Its seed is smaller than radish and circular and the best type is the fresh yellow with bitter taste which grows on thorns. These characteristics are matched with Cuscuta chinensis which is mostly seen on a camel’s thorn. In Persian medicine, koshuth is mentioned to be opener and remover of waste materials from vessels and tonifying agent of stomach, liver, spleen and blood vessels. It is also diuretic, emmenagogue, lactiferous and sudoriferous, laxative and uterus cleanser. Moreover, it is used for treatment of chronic fevers and splenomegaly.