Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

So far, no significant research has been done on the medical history of Iran as required by its depth and breadth; Their background, opinions, theories, experiences, and methods of treatment also remain strange and unknown.

The Iranian School of Traditional Medicine is a reserve that originated in the Aryan lands of Iran and has been perfected and tested over time, in close proximity to other medical schools, especially during the glorious period of Islamic civilization.

The school of medicine of Iran for several thousand years does not look at human beings only from the material dimension but also pays attention to their spiritual and spiritual dimensions. According to this school, maintaining health precedes treatment and paying attention to the right way of life, having healthy air, مناسب proper nutrition, adequate activity, لازم necessary rest and maintaining mental and emotional balance is a necessity. Our ancestors often left valuable works in the field of general medical knowledge, general and special diseases, and single and compound medicines, and one of the important parts of their medical principles is the issue of health and hygiene.

Although our present situation has changed from the past and human beings have achieved new things, the human being is still the human being and the human body which is the subject of medicine has not changed, so in many cases, including in the field of health law, his program with The plans of the past ‌ have not changed much, at least in principle, and it is not fair that we suspect that everything that belongs to the past is old and unusable; If so, many important issues in human life must be ignored; For example, genuine moral issues that have thousands of years of roots, or valuable ancient artifacts that have always been praised by all and tell the ancient history and civilization of any land, are considered worthless, so some issues and facts of the universe will never become obsolete. And still have their own benefit and value.

The same is true of medicine. Many research institutes and centers in the East and West of the world have done serious research in the field of various medical schools since ancient times and have given attention to these matters in their research priority. Fortunately, in Iran, by launching various fields of medical sciences, medicine Traditional, traditional pharmacy in universities and research centers and institutes has dealt with this serious matter and day by day we are witnessing the emergence and dynamism of various disciplines in the field of traditional medicine in Iran, including medical history. This great movement will not be possible except by strengthening the revival of history. Iranian medicine and the thousands of manuscripts of the sages and scientists of Iran and Islam, which are in fact the main capital of this movement, because history is our guide and a list without which any choice and study will be difficult. Any scientific research and study without examining and returning to its historical background and thinking and contemplating in the process of evolution and evolution of that science and examining the weaknesses and strengths of its background, will be a fruitless and laborious task.

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Traditional Persian/ Iranian medicine uses specific philosophy and terminology for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. One of the terms used, is “Masam” (pores usually in the skin surface or in the organs) which plays an important role in the appearance of some symptoms and diseases, and is used in the management of many disorders. In this article, we reviewed existing Persian medicine literatures, articles and textbooks, searching what have been said about Masams. “Masam” is one of the natural openings which exist in the skin surface and in also other body organs such as eyelid, placenta, uterus, synovial membrane, muscle and lung vessels. Entrance of materials such as oxygen and topical medications, Exit of materials from the body. They also have the possibility of having various and alternative conditions which is used in diagnosis and treatment of some diseases. Long time ago Great Persian physicians, realized specific factors for the transpiration of materials, without having exact details of body histology and only with observations of signs and symptoms. They presented the term “masam” to all these factors and diagnosed and treated many diseases almost perfectly with this attitude.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are among the most common complications of pregnancy affecting almost more than half of the pregnant women. In modern medicine nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are attributed to changes in hormones and pressure on the stomach due to the enlargement of the uterus. Modern treatments include non-medicinal treatments (including diets) and medications like Pyridoxine and Corticosteroids. Since in modern medicine possible causes for such a problem are not fully known, therefore its treatment could be difficult with unidentified effects on fetal health. Iranian Traditional medicine, which is a holistically-oriented medical school, has special attitudes towards diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Gynaecological diseases have always been at the foci of traditional medicine practitioners and in many cases different safe treatment methods have been recommended by traditional medicine. This study is a systematic review scrutinizing issues concerning nausea and vomiting during pregnancy based on reliable sources in Traditional Medicine which was conducted following the categorization and analysis of the gleaned data. In this research at first vomiting and nausea were defined according to Traditional Medicine approaches; then the aetiologies and treatment procedures of them were presented. Overall, based on approaches by the Iranian Traditional Medicine, nausea and vomiting in pregnancy can be due to causes such as increasing of waste materials in the body due to the cessation of menstruation in pregnancy, penetration of such waste materials into the stomach (since there is a relationship between stomach and uterus), and a less fetal demand for menstrual blood during the first three months of pregnancy. Recommended treatments include: lowering the waste production in the body and their disposition in the stomach, strengthening the stomach, and taking medications to alleviate nausea and vomiting. Regarding the fact that treatments in traditional medicine mostly hinge upon principles of prevention, correcting diets and life style along with effective and less problematic therapeutic measures it seems that traditional medicine can be an efficient treatment which can alleviate pregnancy complications. This study is an attempt to review different approaches in traditional medicine concerning the aetiology of this disorder along with its treatments in order to help pregnant women relieved significantly from the great discomfort associated with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Massage therapy is considered as an important part of Iranian traditional medicine for preservation of health and treatment of diseases. This intervention scrutinised by Iranian physicians including Ghotb-ed-din Shirazi, hakim and physician of the 7^th hijri.

Massage therapy is considered as a prioritized way of treatment for special disorders in Iranian medicine. These include reopening the abnormal trapping of substances, fitness of organs locally, removing the windy substances, overcoming the coolness in temperament, changing the flow of substances, preservation of body humidity and establishing a balance between softness and stiffness of body.

With respect to different application of massage in Iranian medicine including increase the warmness of a local area, undermine the substances and preservation of humidity; stretching, low, long, short, harsh, soft and mild massage are considered.

In fact, quantity and quality of massage is in coordination with individual differences, age and place; and the technique including time, stress and harshness of the massage is planned based on mentioned circumstances.

Iranian physicians paid special attention to sport massage and they recommended specific massages before and after the exercises. They also mentioned the foot massage in their manuscripts and promoted it as an important health issue in their community. To revive these valuable techniques in the present time, we have no choice but reviewing the scientific legacy and treasure that we have forgotten it for a long time

Nowadays "Aromatherapy" as a branch of phytotherapy is an alternative and complementary medical discipline. The historical studies show us that ancient cultures had a great attention to aromatic plants and used to apply them widely in various aspects of their life from religious rituals and embalming their deads to cosmetics and medicinal purposes.

Considering the ancient litterateurs, the fragrances were used widely both for preventive and therapeutic purposes in Iranian traditional medicine. Our great physicians (Hakims) like Rhazes , Avecinna , Ali Ibn Rabban Tabari and  so on, had designed and practiced a systematic therapeutic protocols consist of natural aromatic and  smelling  drugs  beside other types of therapies, for a wide range of diseases which will be explained in the full text of this article. For example Ibn Nafis in "Al moujaz fi al-tibb" said:" pleasant smells are one of the good  general treatments for most of the diseases."

In addition, there are many methods of preparation of natural aromatic drugs in our traditional pharmaceutical texts like "Gharabadine kabir","tohfa al-momenin" and "Makhzan al-advieh". So we can conclude that Iranian traditional medicine has a more important role in innovation and progress of aromatherapy than whatever has been supposed.

Burns are the fourth most common type of trauma worldwide. Generally burns are classified in to thermal, electrical, and chemical. Burns are affecting life of the person in a various aspects.  In Traditional sources Burns, entitled "Burn" and "Harqh" is discussed. Burn is the main and acute disease that is created suddenly from external causes. The symptoms are varied based on   severity and duration of contact with the heat source, and It can cause Su’e Mizaj (imbalance temperament), Separation, edema, ulcers and wounds, and in extreme cases even cause deformation and loss of the injured part of body. Burn is classified into 7 groups based on its causes in traditional medicine. The main symptoms of burn are including Erythema (Homrat), blisters (Nafat) and pain. Traditional treatments include topical treatments and special diets, and in some cases is Phlebotomy. The study of philosophers in the field of traditional medicine resources in causes, symptoms and treatment of burns can help to find more efficient ways of treatment for this global problem.

Health is a very essential issue in our world. From the classic and traditional medicine point of view, whatever is surrounding us such as weather, air, water and soil, and our behavior and habits as far as eating, drinking, training and emotions are concerned, contribute to a healthy life style. With an overview in traditional medicine, it is clear that there is another important aspect in preventive medicine and it is sexual life and intercourse.

We reviewed reference textbooks in traditional Iranian medicine and classic medicine about sexual life and intercourse and their role in a healthy life style. We looked for sexual life and its relationship with eating, types of drinking, bath, sleeping, various times and periods of a day in those references.

Also we reviewed Al-Ghanoon by Avicina, Zakhireh Kharazmshahi and Kamel alsanaeh.

In Iranian Traditional medicine, having a sexual life and intercourse are not only for pleasure, but also they are important aspects of a healthy life style.

Therefore, they need to be performed in certain times and periods, there should be a prologue and foreplay, and they have regular relationship with drinking and eating.

The role of sexual life and intercourse in health and preventive medicine are essential. Also it is absolutely necessary to educate public about those essential issues in health clinics and primary care settings.

Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders whose increase is highly affected by stresses of life. Significant prevalence of insomnia in Iran and other countries imposes a huge economic burden on the patient and the society; because it needs many models of treatment. In addition, insomnia disturbs patient’s daily activities because of effects on the social relationships and also job activities of the patient.

As in modern medicine the cure of insomnia is usually symptomatic, and considering many side effects of sedative drug, the current study investigates causes of insomnia from the viewpoint of Iranian traditional medicine and compares it with modern medicine.  This study is a survey which investigates different valid textbooks of Iranian traditional medicine. It collects texts about insomnia, its causes, and its signs and symptoms and expresses them in separate sections. Also, causes of insomnia from valid textbooks of modern medicine is collected and compared.

In Iranian traditional medicine, insomnia is called “sahar”. Iran’s traditional physicians have classified the causes of insomnia under two categories: arbitrary and non-arbitrary. They mention ill-temperament of brain as one of the main causes of non-arbitrary insomnia. These causes are compared with causes of insomnia in modern medicine such as medical, psychological and environmental disorders. Some causes of insomnia in traditional medicine are confirmed in modern medicine but other causes of insomnia exist in traditional medicine that is not in modern medicine and is needed to more research.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Islamic and traditional medicine in the prevention and treatment of mental illness by library method.

In this study, the written works of former Iranian Muslim scientists such as sages; Abu ZaydBalkhi, al-Razi, IbnSina, Jorjani and Aghili Khorasani and some of the written works of contemporary scientists have been used and diseases mentioned in traditional medicine have been adapted to current conditions. And in addition to providing the therapeutic method of traditional medicine, today’s conventional medication method and its side effects is also noted. In the present study it was revealed that Islamic and traditional medicine focuses more on the prevention aspect and seeks for removal of the causes of diseases, not just removal of symptoms. And sages in addition to the role of drugs inpatients’ mental health, have fully understood the role of psychological and environmental factors such as light, water and air inpatient's location, color of patient’s room and clothing, gentle smells and sounds and rhythmic songs, diet, sleep, exercise and massage, bath and family’s behavior with patient. This medicine can facilitate and accelerate the healing process of the types of therapeutic methods and reduce the duration and cost of treatment. And can also be useful for psychiatrists, psychologists, and in particular for health psychologists. Healthy and patient people can take effective steps to maintain and improve their mental health by taking advantage of this medicine.

Abstract: Resaleh Afiunieh is one of the remarkable articles of Emad-e-din Mahmoud, a physician lived during the time of Safavieh. In this article proposed two sustained release drug formula from opium, these drugs prevent the withdrawal syndrome of addicted patients in Ramazhan. This innovation helps the patients for better starvation by elimination the side effects of withdrawal syndrome. So this formulation is important from the viewpoint of Pharmacy and Ethic.

The importance of the music as a tool for maintenance and improving the health as well as treating some diseases, has mentioned or discussed by details in the literature of Iranian traditional medicine. The aim of this article is introducing this issue and presenting some traditional physician’s  opinions about it; as well as explaining the recommendations of Abu-zeide Balkhi  titleing: ”the policies to use music”;and  paying attention to his subtle approach in expressing the important and wonderful effect of sounds and music on human physical and mental health.

History of patients is one of the most important fundamentals of diagnosis and treatment which has been used since ancient periods. Due to its importance, it has become the first lesson of medical students. Recently, history taking and communication with patients has become the first priority of medical education and many methods have been offered to improve them.

In this library study, printed and electronic library resources were searched. Printed books consisted of “Raz-e- Darman” and “Tarikh-e- Teb pish az Islam va pas az Islam”. We also searched online journals and books using the following Keywords in English and Persian: Medical Education, Iranian Traditional Medicine, Dr. Ahmadiyeh, and Medical History.

Over time, several methods of medical history taking have been offered ranging from paper questionnaires to computer softwares. Daily record of events is one of the methods of medical history taking which was used by some physicians such as Dr. Ahmadyeh. He was one of the talented graduate students of “Dar-ol- Fonon” and encouraged his patients to prepare documents about their problems by writing in notebooks and delivering it to his office. After that, he collected their medical history and his treatment approaches to open new horizons to medical students and traditional medicine.

In this paper, we made an attempt to demonstrate the importance of medical history taking and the novel method of Dr. Ahmadyeh.

Although Dr. Ahmadyeh was familiar with new methods of medical history taking but he encouraged the patients to write their problems in a notebook and bring it to his office. This method made an opportunity for patients to tell their problems clearly without any shame, stress and forgetfulness. This notebook was used as a complementary to oral history taking In addition, both the patient and the doctor can follow the course of treatment for upcoming events.