مجله طب سنتی اسلام و ایران
سال دوازدهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 46، تابستان 1400)

Background and Purpose:

Coronary heart disease (CAD) is one of the most important chronic diseases. In Iran, the first and most common cause of death is cardiovascular disease, especially CAD.
From the perspective of Persian medicine (PM), different temperaments (Mizaj) are prone to different diseases. If CAD is associated with a specific temperament, it can be considered as one of the risk factors for this disease, and correcting it can help reduce the risk of CAD. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between myocardial infarction and temperament.

This cross-sectional descriptive study included fifty patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) in the winter of 2018 with a diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) selected by convenience sampling method, and 50 healthy individuals. Demographic information questionnaire and Mojahedi Mizaj questionnaire (MMQ) were completed to determine qualities (hotness, coldness, wetness, dryness) of temperament. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test.

There was no significant difference between temperament indices in patients with acute myocardial infarction and healthy individuals.

The results of this study did not indicate a relationship between temperament factors and myocardial infarction. Further studies with higher sample sizes in different climatic regions are suggested to further investigate the possibility of this relationship.

Background and Purpose:

Considering traditional and complementary medicine along with conventional medicine is of importance in completing the medical treatment chain, providing appropriate information to the patients by pharmacists, and also assessing the traditional medicine and pharmacy course offered in the school of pharmacy at Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) since 2017. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of traditional and complementary medicine by pharmacy students in GUMS. The results of this study can be helpful for relevant authorities in planning for traditional and complementary medicine education.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 256 students in the Faculty of Pharmacy of GUMS in 2019. The data collection tool included a researcher-made questionnaire with components of knowledge, attitude and practice of traditional and complementary medicine.

As revealed by the results of this study, the mean value of knowledge and attitude of pharmacy students regarding traditional and complementary therapies were 6.56±2.29 and 41.00±4.96, respectively. Also, the knowledge score of students who had passed the traditional medicine and pharmacy course was significantly higher than other students (p<0.001). There was a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude score with some variables such as age, educational course and marital status (p<0.05). The most common complementary medicine modality in this study was medicinal herbs.

The knowledge and attitude of pharmacy students regarding traditional and complementary medicine has been satisfactory. Also, pharmacy students who had passed traditional medicine and pharmacy unit had more desirable knowledge, attitude and practice. Therefore, it is necessary that this course be offered to students of other medical disciplines.

Background and Purpose:

Nowadays, we are facing an increasing number of known and unknown diseases that necessitate referral to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Despite the increasing global tendency to traditional and complementary medicine over the past decade and acceptance of Persian medicine (PM) by the international community, the disease titles of this school of medicine have unfortunately not yet found their place in ICD. This paper is a comparative study of head diseases in Persian medicine texts (2nd to 15th century AH) and equivalent chapters in the international classification of diseases.

This study was conducted qualitatively (content analysis) by studying Persian medicine reference books in several stages.

After an overview of the books and introduction, the sources were arbitrarily arranged in three separate historical periods and in a separate file due to the large volume of data. Selected resources included thirteen books from the 2nd-5th centuries AH, seventeen books from the 5th-10th centuries AH, and eighteen books from the 10th-15th century AH. After examining the titles of diseases in the human body, head-related diseases were recorded separately and in tables of three time periods. Abbreviations of book names along with their arbitrary numbers in the first to third time periods were also extracted in a separate table. Then, the terms used in the texts of Iranian medicine were equated with the English terms of diseases, signs, and symptoms (modern medicine) according to Qamous al-Qanun, and mostly Iksir-i Azam. Codes were extracted from the ICD-10 book (2019 edition). Eventually, a list of nervous system diseases along with their equivalents in ICD headings 10 and matching English terms of head diseases in PM texts was prepared by using classification blocks.

The study of the surviving texts in the context of history makes it necessary to return to this ancient heritage and revive it in the context of new findings. A principled order and subset exist in the structure of classification of head diseases in Persian medical texts, which can be used in the context of data proc

Background and Purpose:

Due to the pandemic of Covid-19 in 2020, it may seem that epidemics are one of the problems of human societies nowadays. But human beings have been facing epidemics for centuries. Persian Medicine (PM) is a medical school that has treatment strategies in facing these diseases. This study investigated the effect of mental states (Araz-Nafsani) on affliction and prevention of pandemic diseases according to PM.

The present research is a review study that collected information from reliable PM sources such as Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi, Nasīhatnāme, Qanun al-Ilaj and Dastūr al-Atibbā’ fi Dafe al-Taawoun wa al-Waba. Subsequently, valid national and international databases were searched, and the data was categorized and presented.

Mental states (Araz-Nafsani) predispose individuals to pandemics. The effect of mental states on infectious diseases can be considered from two perspectives. The first is the effect of mental states on the body. Mental imaginations can influence interactions in the body, and thus, Persian scholars have recommended measures to modify mental states. These measures include two methods that correspond to the effects of mental states in a pandemic: the first method is to pay attention to the effect of each mental state on the body and to treat it against its causation, while the second is the attitude of individuals towards this unfortunate incident.

PM has considered special measures for mental health in epidemics, which shows the depth of awareness of Persian scientists in issues related to mental health of both sick and healthy people.

Background and Purpose:

Ethnopharmacology includes field and experimental research that provides valuable information about medicinal plants that are used in various cultures. Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is an annual plant of the Umbelliferae family, the seeds and leaves of which are used as antiseptic, anticonvulsant, anti-flatulence, indigestion, milk enhancer and lipid-lowering in Persian Medicine. The aim of this study was to analyze the ethnopharmacology of dill in Ardestan, with a long history of cultivation and consumption of this plant.

Initially, local elderly and experts in fields of traditional medicinal, food, and industrial uses of dill were selected by snowball sampling and interviewed winter 2019. Subsequently, a researcher-made questionnaire was prepared from locally collected data. Using Cochran's formula, the sample size was estimated at 375 and the questionnaire was randomly distributed among the participants from Ardestan in the spring of 2020. The validity of the research instrument was confirmed by a survey of professors and experts and the reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha of 0.894. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 22 and t-test and Friedman test.

A review of the frequency of variables for dill used as treatment showed that, on average, there was a 3.13% use of fresh seeds to reduce blood lipids, 2.02% to treat stomach pain. Seed infusion was used in 1.87% as a galactagogue. Also, seeds were used to eliminate bloating in livestock in 1.73%. The most frequently used part was leaves and the most consumed method (34.1%) was dried (seasoning in foods).

Therefore, it can be concluded that despite the rich knowledge of the elderly and local experts of different applications of dill, the respondents to the researcher-made questionnaire in different neighborhoods of Ardestan have little or no knowledge of the ethnopharmacology of dill. Perhaps the lower experience of the younger generation and their little knowledge of the use of medicinal plants is a reason for this matter.

There is a paucity of research on the history of medicine in pre-Islamic Persia. There is, therefore, no in-depth and clear understanding of the medical tradition of that era. Some entries in encyclopedias and papers in journals, conference proceedings, and panels on the history of medicine in the Ancient Persia contain brief descriptions of medicine in the Sasanian era. Moreover, books on the history of medicine in the Muslim civilization or history of GondēŠāpur present some general knowledge about the subject. Thus, any inquiry of the subject may prove useful. One such inquiry is “An introduction to medicine in the Sasanid Era” (Moqhaddame-i bar Pezeshki dar doran-e Sasanian), by Arman Zargaran, which deals with Sassanid era’s medical tradition. This paper is a critique and evaluation of the book. The book contains seven descriptive and analytical chapters. Despite suffering from some methodological weaknesses, it may serve as an illuminating experience in our research into the history of medicine in the Sassanid era. The book is a descriptive and analytical account of historical sources, coupled with the author’s insightful analyses and interpretations. It aims to portray a picture of medical tradition, and the status of medical practice and of practitioners in the Persian society of Sassanid era – an objective that the book has successfully accomplished