مجله طب سنتی اسلام و ایران
سال دوم شماره 4 (پیاپی 8، زمستان 1390)

Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM) is a comprehensive medical system، which is different from the modern medicine in various aspects. To find out why the TIM is considered a comprehensive medical system، the philosophical foundations of the TIM in the fields related to medical sciences، medical profession، and clinical practice should be defined. In this paper، with a rational and philosophical (rather than historical) approach، we have addressed scientific reasoning in the TIM، with the results related to the field of medical philosophy (as one of the second-order philosophies). The thinking system of TIM and modern medicine are different in their approach to man، life، and health; definition of basic concepts such as health، disease، and treatment; theorizing the medical sciences; and employment of comparative and deductive logics. The current paper addresses these topics. In the paper، we have attempted to demonstrate how the thinking system of the TIM has influenced principles of diagnosis، rational of clinical decision making، different levels of disease treatment، and evaluation of a hypothesis in clinical experiences

The general structure of reasoning (collection of information، development، and evaluation of the hypotheses) in modern medicine is similar to that in the Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM). However، contrary to a physician in modern medicine، traditional physicians did not only try to diagnose the disease on the basis of patients’ chief complaints. Rather، traditional physicians attempted to determine the general temperament of the patient. Reasoning in the TIM is of the deductive type. Therefore، in the TIM، there is not any disease considered as idiopathic and without any specific etiology. In both modern and traditional medicine schools، there are therapeutic and diagnostic reasoning. However، in the TIM، treatment is defined as the diagnosis is determined. This is while in modern medicine، even when the physician achieves the diagnosis، treatment requires further processing of the patients’ information. This paper addresses reasoning in the TIM. To this end، modern medicine is compared with the TIM in methods of clinical reasoning.

The Traditional Iranian Medicine has robust logical foundations، in which it is tried to understand and explain many symptoms and signs with the aid of experience and comparison and with regard to the normal function of the body. The gastrointestinal (GI) system، particularly stomach، is of great importance in the TIM، and prevention and treatment of gastric diseases have been noted in treatment of many disorders of other body organs. In evaluation of the patient for diseases of the GI system، a physician should have a good understanding of anatomy and the relationship among the different organs. Furthermore، based on the TIM، besides having a good knowledge of anatomy، a physician should be expert in the theoretical basis of medicine، especially the seven natural components، to have an appropriate understanding of the diseases and their symptoms. In this way، making use of this knowledge، the physician could provide feasible explanations for the relationships among the disease symptoms. In the TIM، the natural components include elements، temperaments، humors، organs، spirits، faculties، and actions. Furthermore، the common items between TIM and Chinese traditional medicine were addressed. Furthermore، the common items between TIM and Chinese traditional medicine were addressed.

In the Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM)، several symptoms have been mentioned under the topic of gastric diseases، which shows the special attention of the TIM physicians to semiology of the diseases. Symptoms such as color، smell، and uniformity of the stool; the sound of gas passing and severity of its smell; evaluation of the severity of thirst and its satisfaction with warm or non-warm water; color and characteristics of the tongue، belching and its types، inclination for particular types of food، and amount and type of saliva are all symptoms that are not evaluated in modern semiology and history taking or little information is obtained on them. The preciseness of physicians such as Avicenna in history taking and physical examination of patients could be used to improve the method of history taking in modern medicine. It seems that some items that received attention in the TIM were eliminated from the medical knowledge in an unknown era of history. As a result، the natural trend of science evolution، which includes upgrade and modification of the knowledge of a generation by the next generation، was not passed. In this respect، further experimental studies are required to review the major TIM textbooks to determine the changes occurred in the gastric signs and symptoms in these textbooks، compared with those mentioned in the modern semiology and history taking at the clinical setting. In the next step، analysis of pathophysiological basis of the existing differences in clinical studies would be helpful. Furthermore، some comparisons between these topics in the TIM and traditional Chinese medicine were addressed in this paper.

Foods play an important role in the maintenance of human health. Food is a permanent need; so that what is consumed by internal and external factors would be replaced. It is evident that without having an appropriate nutrition، it is not possible to be healthy. Proper nutrition and cure through food have been emphasized in the Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM); such that the great Iranian physician of the 10th century، Razi، considered modification or prescription of diet as the first therapeutic modality. In some of the TIM manuscripts، some qualities and functions have been specified for foods، some of which are consistent with modern sciences، and there are no equivalents for some of them in modern sciences. In this paper، we have accurately described the classification of foods in the TIM textbooks، and tried to compare the TIM definitions with terminology of modern nutrition science. Furthermore، the common items between TIM and traditional Chinese medicine were addressed.

In the view point of Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM)، many diseases in different organs of the body result from the foods and drinks، and also the gastrointestinal (GI) system disorders. Therefore، diseases of stomach as one of the most important parts of the GI system are of great importance. Gastric pain is one of these conditions، for which the physiopathology with regard to the quality of pain and its relationship with eating and other symptoms have been well defined in the TIM. The three major causes of gastric pain mentioned in the textbooks of the TIM are dystemperament، tafarroghe ettesal، or both; and some treatments and strategies have been provided for treatment of each of these causes and pain relief. In the TIM references، the causes of gastric pain، which seems to be functional in many cases، have been defined and methods of treatment have been specified. Also، some hypotheses have been proposed for the underlying causes of functional gastric pain in modern medicine. In the current study، the causes of gastric pain in the TIM references were investigated، and were compared versus dyspepsia with the dominant symptom of pain in modern medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Gastroesophageal reflux accompanied with heartburn is caused by anatomical factors and dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter. In the Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM)، heartburn is mostly called herqat-al me’deh (gastric burn)، and three types of underlying causes have been mentioned for it. The first cause is taking hard-to-digest foods، which could be eliminated by life style modification and following nutritional rules. The second cause is presence of raw moisture in the first part of stomach. Maturative and laxative drugs can help these patients. The third cause is a condition in which the yellow bile humor is excessively secreted from the spleen in the upper part of the stomach. Soft drinks are prescribed in such cases. Considering the high frequency of heartburn، it is suggested to carry out clinical trials to evaluate these items in the TIM and to introduce the TIM approaches to physicians in order to improve the treatments for this condition. Finally، some comparisons between these topics in the TIM and traditional Chinese medicine were provided

Bloating is a common gastrointestinal (GI) problem in the general population. In many cases، no known organic cause could be found for the problem، and such cases of bloating are considered as functional bloating. Although until three decades ago، the functional GI diseases were only mentioned to be psychological، today the relationship between physiological and psychological factors in this problem have been considered. In the TIM، in addition to non-organic causes، other organic causes (such as temperaments) according to the basis of TIM are proposed، which can considerably helpful in treatment of these problems. In this paper، the causes of functional bloating in the TIM and modern medicine were compared. Furthermore، it was tried to determine whether some patients with functional bloating in the viewpoint of modern medicine could be diagnosed as bloating with organic causes in the TIM. Also، the role of psychological aspects in these two fields was evaluated. Finally، some comparisons between these topics in the TIM and traditional Chinese medicine were provided.

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal complaint. More than one seventh of the adult population throughout the world experience chronic constipation. Different factors cause establishment or aggravation of constipation. In conventional modern medicine، specific and reasonably accurate criteria have been proposed for definition of constipation، and also some treatments are used for the condition. In the Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM)، some terms such as hasr، ghabz-e shekam، and eteghal-e batn are used for constipation. Moreover، the type of constipation accompanied with pain is called qolanj. Comparative study of physiopathology and treatments of constipation in conventional medicine and TIM، and making use of different treatment approaches along with each other would lead to achievement of some approaches with higher cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study is to review the knowledge in the TIM about constipation and investigating the possibility of comparison of definitions، etiology، and treatments of the condition in the TIM with the corresponding items in modern medicine. Finally، some comparisons between these topics in the TIM and traditional Chinese medicine were provided.

This manuscript is a glance at the life of the sage hakim، Isa-Ibn Ali-Ibn Jazla، who was one of the famous scientists of the fifth Hijra century. The data presented are gathered and arranged by investigation of some reliable references. Besides medicine، he was an expert in literature and philosophy. However، most of his works dealt with medicine. One of his main books is the valuable text of Taqwim al-Abdan، which was creatively arranged like the stars in astronomical tables. After he converted to Islam، he wrote works in praise of Islam on the basis of verses of the old and new testaments. He died in 934 A. H.

One of the major works of Ibn Nafis، or in other words، his only book on ophthalmology is “Al-Mahzab fi al-Kohl al-Mojarrab.” In an introduction and two sections، the book addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of ophthalmology and simple and compound ophthalmic drugs and their formulations. In this book، Ibn Nafis deals with the scientific aspects of vision، and by rejecting the hypotheses of his predecessors، he proposed new hypotheses، which were scientific and novel for his time. His vision theory complements the theory proposed by Ibn Al-Haytham. Furthermore، he discussed the hypotheses provided by other scientists، and extended them in ten chapters. He also proposed some new ideas about ocular diseases and diplopia. In this paper، which is based on the manuscript of the book، we have attempted to evaluate the book chapters. Furthermore، the vision theory of Al Nafis was compared with those of his predecessors and his novel contributions were introduced