Critical Content Analysis of Narrative Version of Islamic Medicine

Background and Objective: The nature of Narrative version of Islamic medicine (NIM) is based on Quran and hadith, exclusive attention to Islamic narrative references and rejection of the strategies of other medical schools. This study was conducted to criticize NIM. Methods: In this qualitative study of content analysis, after collecting the opinions of 6 prominent scholars of NIM, the criticisms of these opinions were presented and categorized by three doctors specialized in Persian medicine, a cleric in the field of Islamic jurisprudence and a methodologist by holding expert panel meetings. Findings: Criticisms were raised based on three points of view. The intra-religious area including the routine of Ahl al-Bayt (The holy family of the Prophet Muhammad) in illness and the role of physicians, the place of reason and experience in Islamic sciences, differences in geographical areas, not mentioning the full history of patients and newly occurring diseases was brought up. From a medical point of view, the important points include lack of a research method to check the effectiveness of a medical narrative, lack of diagnostic aspects and an approach to screening. From the viewpoint of religious and social consequences, religious trauma resulting from lack of response to treatment attributed to Ahl al-Bayt, approach to other manifestations of Western civilization, ethical issue of producing, prescribing and selling drugs by a group and loss of life and money due to waste of time in cases with definitive or relative treatment was raised in other medical schools. Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, the introduction of this theory to society without sufficient investigations in the seminaries and universities of medical sciences may cause physical, mental and religious trauma at the individual and social level

Comparision of Aqueous and Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Foeniculum Vulgare and Carum Copticum with Gentamicin on Escherichia Coli Strains: in Vitro Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Due to bacterial resistance to antibiotics, new antibacterial agents is essential. In Persian medicine Fennel (Fuenoculum vulgare Mill.) and Ajwain (Carum copticum (L.) Benth. & Hook.f.) are recommended for the treatment of some infections. In this research, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of fennel and Ajwain on E. coli were investigated. METHODS: In an in-vitro study 30 clinical isolates of urine culture of children with urinary tract infection from Amirkola Pediatric Hospital in Babol and a standard sample were used. Antibacterial effects of 4 grouos including aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of fennel and Ajwain by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone using disc diffusion (concentrations 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 mg/disc) and determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) with Microdilution method was compared with Gentamicin (30mg/disc) as a positive control FINDINGS: There was no significant difference in inhibition zone with Gentamicin at concentrations of 64, 128, 256, and 512 mg/disc in standard and clinical samples. At concentrations of 16 and 32, Gentamicin was significantly better. The extract of 512 mg/disc (12.93±2.66) of hydroalcoholic extract of Carum copticum was significantly better than 256 mg/disc (9.53±1) (p=0.002). The MIC and MBC for standard samples were 4 and 8, respectively, and for clinical samples 3.83±2.36 and 5.8 mg / ml, respectively. Other extracts were not able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the Hydroalcoholic extract of Carum copticum has bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on standard and clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

Digesters in traditional Persian medicine

Background: Functional gastrointestinal diseases are common in general populations and comprise more than 40% visits to gastroenterologists. Treatment options of gastrointestinal diseases have been limited. There are a few medications for functional gastrointestinal diseases and some of medications are not available in the market or in the place where the patient lives. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is a branch of alternative and traditional medicine based on individual viewpoint and humoral theory, focuses on lifestyle modification and uses natural products to manage the patients. Methods: In this study, a set of compound drugs known as digesters (jawarishes) and other applications are described based on main TPM text books. Results: Jawarishes have different formulations containing various medicinal herbs used for better food digestion and improved gastric functions and also used for other disorders including reinforcing the brain, heart, liver and some therapeutic approaches. Conclusions: By reviewing medieval Persian pharmaceutical manuscripts, we can conclude that many herbs are effective in different systems of the body and improve gastric functions. Zingiber officinalis and Piper nigrum are mixed together to get various formulations. The variety of jawarishes formulations and their different clinical applications can indicate continuity of their use

The weight of Mizaj (temperament) indices in Persian Medicine: A Delphi study

Background: Mizaj is an individualized viewpoint in Persian Medicine (PM) that is used for the prevetion of diseases and also treatment. Evaluating Mizaj in the two domains of hotness-coldness, and wetness-dryness, 10 criteria have been introduced, most of them are qualitative. To achieve valid and reliable questionnaires, the weight of these criteria must be determined in assessing the Mizaj. Methods: In a cross-sectional study with Delphi method, 10 indices were extracted from PM references and sent to PM experts via e-mail. They were asked to score the weight of each index in determining the Mizaj from 0 to 10. The scores ranked and comparing previous preliminary studies, criteria of major and minor were proposed. Results: Out of 147 invited PM experts, 122 completed the tables. Based on scores, physical functions, physique, and responsiveness of organs obtained the highest scores in the field of hotness-coldness. In wetness-dryness muscle/fat mass and sleep/wakefulness received the highest scores from the viewpoint of experts. Conclusion: Physical functions, physique (Anthropometry), responsiveness of organs and psychic function can be used as major criteria in Mizaj assessment methods in the hotness-coldness field. In the field of wetness-dryness, muscle/fat mass, sleep/wakefulness, tactile condition and physique (anthropometry) can be considered as major criteria

The Wound Healing Effect of Plantago Major Leaf Extract in a Rat Model: An Experimental Confirmation of a Traditional Belief in Persian Medicine

Background and Aim: Plantago major leaf has been traditionally used in Iran and many other countries for wound healing. This study presents a brief report about the depiction of the effects of Plantago major on wound healing in the major texts of Persian medicine. Moreover, the effect of Plantago major’s leaf extract on wound healing duration has been experimentally assessed in male rats. Materials and Methods: In experimental studies, the methanolic extract of Plantago major's leaf was used as an ointment. To make a wound model, a circular ulcer was made on the back of animals. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: animals in the control group were treated once a day only with the ointment's eucerin base, and the rats in Plantago major's group were treated with the ointment containing the plant extract. Ulcerous areas were measured on days 0 and 14. The durations of complete wound healing processes were determined too. Results: The difference between the mean duration of wound healing was statistically significant using independent samples t-test (20.7±0.4 days in control vs 19.1±0.4 in plant extract group, p=0.022). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the mean wound surface area on the fourteenth day (p=0.014) despite the fact that there were no significant differences in day 0 (p=0.69). Conclusion: There is a long history of using Plantago major's leaf for wound healing in Persian medicine text books. It was determined, in the experimental studies conducted on rats, that P. major's leaf extract could accelerate wound healing process. This capability justifies its application not only in Persian medicine but also in some other traditional medicines

Mizaj assessment and data analysis methods in Amirkola health and aging project (AHAP cohort)

Background: One of the principles of Persian medicine (PM) is the individualized approach that is presented with the concept of Mizaj. In this viewpoint, Mizaj is determined for every person based on 10 criteria, which is a result of the Mizaj of the main organs, including the brain, liver, and heart. There is no standard diagnostic tool for Mizaj assessment in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to explain the method of Mizaj assessment and data analysis in the elderly in the second phase of the Amirkola health and aging project (AHAP) in Iran. Methods: In this study, a novel Mizaj assessment method in two phases is presented. In the first phase, 1541 elderly were assessed by a PM expert and typical diagnoses were determined. At the second phase, an expert panel including 5 PM experts evaluated the cases. The paraclinical and metric data of the elderly whose Mizaj agreed in the expert panel was used to assess its correlation with Mizaj. Conclusion: In the lack of valid and reliable questionnaires to assess the personalized viewpoint of PM, a new expert-based method has been introduced that can be used in similar studies. The result of the Mizaj assessment in this way will be used to obtain objective values for the Mizaj assessment

مفردات دارویی مؤثر بر خروج جنین از رحم از دیدگاه طب سنتی ایران

Introduction: The pain of labor and its stress has caused an increasing tendency to delivery via caesarean. Using procedures and methods of decreasing the pain of labor can facilitate it and causes more tendencies toward natural childbirth. Traditional Persian Medicine’s (TPM) Physicians proposed and used some managements and medications to decrease childbirth pain. Method: In this literature review research, we searched materia medicas that were used in reducing the pain of delivery (normal and non- normal) in nine reference books of TPM including: Almansoris (Rhazes), Al-Qanon (Avicenna), Al-Abnieh a Haghayegh al-Advieh, Zakhireye Kharazmshahi (Jorjani), Tohfeh al-Momenin. Teb e Akbari, Makhzan-Al’Advieh and Eksir A’azam, Mokhtasar tazkerate emam alsovidi Fit-teb. This work has been done in eight steps (finding the keywords, searching in the references, providing the single list, sorting out and deriving single things in compounds, concluding, scoring and categorizing). Results: Eighty one materia medicas have been found that 6 of them (Castoreum, Donkeys hoof, the Stone of "Magnet", Crocus sativus, Opopanax chironium, Ferula gummosa,) obtained the highest scores. Fifty-one materia medicas in dystocia treatment, 27 in delivery, 1 in reducing the pain of child birth and 1 in expedite of delivery had been proposed. Discussin and Conclusion: Although it is not concluded that these materia medicas are the best choices, it can mean that they have been used more commonly in the centuries of 10 to 20 AD in TPM for facilitating labor. This result can be used as choices for clinical researches.مقدمه: درد زایمان و استرس ناشی از آن، سبب گرایش روزافزون به زایمان از طریق سزارین شده است. با اتخاذ تدابیری در جهت کاهش درد‎‎‎‎های زایمان، می‌توان به تسهیل زایمان کمک و گرایش به زایمان طبیعی را بیشتر کرد. اطبا و حکیمان طب سنتی ایران برای کاهش درد زایمان تدابیر و درمان‌هایی توصیه نموده‌اند. روش: در این مطالعه که با روش کتابخانه‌ای و بررسی متون انجام شده است، مفردات دارویی مؤثر در خروج جنین از رحم (طبیعی و غیر طبیعی) در 9 کتاب مرجع (المنصوری فی الطب، قانون فی الطب، الابنیه عن حقایق الادویه، ذخیره خوارزمشاهی، مختصر تذکره الامام سویدی، تحفه المؤمنین، طب اکبری، مخزن الادویه و اکسیر اعظم) مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. این کار در 8 مرحله شامل یافتن واژگان کلیدی، جستجو در منابع، تهیه لیست واحد، دسته‌بندی، خروج مفردات در ترکیبات، جمع‌بندی، نمره‌دهی و مرتب‌کردن انجام شد. یافته‌ها: 80 مفرده دارویی (تک دارو) یافت شد. 6 مفرده مهم (جندبیدستر، سم حمار، حجرالمغناطیس، زعفران، جاوشیر و حلتیت) بیشترین نمره را کسب نمودند. 51 مفرده در درمان عسر ولادت، 27 مفرده در خروج جنین، 1 مفرده در درمان کاهش درد زایمان و 1 مفرده در تسریع زایمان کاربرد داشته است. نتیجه‌گیری: اگرچه نتیجه این کار الزاماً به معنی بهترین مفردات در این زمینه نیست، ولی می‌تواند به این معنا باشد که این مفردات از قرن 3 تا 13 هجری، بیشترین استفاده را در تسهیل خروج جنین از رحم (زایمان یا خروج جنین مرده) داشته‌اند. لیست مفردات دارویی حاصل‌شده در این مطالعه می‌تواند مبنای انجام مطالعات آزمایشگاهی و بالینی قرار گیرد

Al-Zahrawi, The First Physician who Described Dysmenorrhea

Menstrual period is one of the girl’s puberty stages, in which any change can expose a woman’s sex life to natural fertility or infertility. Dysmenorrhea is a kind of pelvic pain that 50-90% of reproductive women experience during their lives. It is the greatest cause of lost working and school days among young women that decreases the quality of life. There is a great trend to use Traditional Medicine recommendations and prescriptions in the world. As a result, searching the literature and finding common points in Traditional Medicine and Gynecology is necessary. This way, opening up new avenues in the treatment and control of dysmenorrhea, possibly avoids wasting time and community’s investment and enhances the quality of life of women. While searching ancient PM texts during 9th -19th A.D., there are many overlapping conditions, which may mimic this disorder. There are not any particular terms and definitions for dysmenorrhea, while, it is mentioned in Persian Medicine literature under different names such as Oja-e Rahem (Uterus pain), Osr-o Tams (dysmenorrhea) and Oja-e Zahr (back pain). There are many management lines for women in the TPM literature which have been of great interest to physicians throughout the history, but among menstrual changes, dysmenorrhea is not the earliest concern. First explanation of dysmenorrhea was found in the Al-Zahrawi‘s masterpiece of Al-tasrif in detail. It can be helpful to test these suggestions as ideas for clinical researches

The Role of GIS Mapping Program in Evaluating the Geographical Distribution of Patients with COVID-19 during the First Wave of the Epidemic in Babol

Background and Objective: One of the first cities that announced the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran was Babol, in the north of Iran. Geographic Information System (GIS) is an important tool in tracking and dealing with the spread of diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the weekly GIS reports on the spread of the disease in controlling COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted for two months, from the third week of the beginning of the epidemic till the end of the first wave of COVID-19. The geographic address of hospitalized patients was extracted and pinned on the map of Babol. Coding was done in the Python program (python 3.7.6) and the information was placed in an online map that can be enlarged and separated to show the alleys and houses. Moreover, the information was entered into the GIS software and the weekly output was obtained in HTML and PNG formats. The output results of the maps were used as the basis for follow-up in the deputy health department, and after the creation of operational teams, the follow-up of points with high prevalence was done on a weekly basis until the end of the first peak of the COVID-19 epidemics. Findings: The number of hospitalized patients in hospitals of Babol had an upward trend from the beginning of the disease until March 12, 2020. After that, according to the measures taken (including the preparation of patient distribution maps), at first a steady trend and after ten days, a downward trend was observed. A total of 174 pollution points were found in Babol city and Babol county, of which 60 pollution points were related to Babol city. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the preparation of distribution maps of COVID-19 patients in Babol and targeted follow-ups helped to control the first peak of this outbreak within 10 days

The Review of Indices of Mizaj-e-Damagh (Temperament of Brain) Identification in Persian Medicine

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In Persian medicine (PM), total physical, physiological and psychological properties of individuals are known as “general Mizaj (temperament)”, whereas particular signs of each organ is known as “organ Mizaj”. 9 categories of Mizaj (temperament) have been introduced and each individual belongs to one category according to dominance of a specific quality. To present proper health care directives for each individual, it is necessary to identify his general Mizaj or the Mizaj of important organs of body such as brain, liver and heart. The purpose of this study is to survey and summarize the views of PM references regarding diagnostic signs of Mizaj-e-Damagh (temperament of brain). METHODS: In this review article, we searched online databases such as SienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Magiran as well as PM references for some key words such as “brain”, “termperament”, “Mizaj” and their Persian equivalent. Articles related to Mizaj-e-Damagh were surveyed and summarized. FINDINGS: Out of total 181 articles, 170 articles were related to psychological views on personality types and only a few articles were dedicated to Mizaj in PM. No article was found to be directly related to indices of Mizaj-e-Damagh. Various signs were noted in these books regarding Mizaj-e-Damagh identification, but no reference has been made to the accurate methods of evaluation and their role in Mizaj identification. Condition of touch and hair, condition of sleep and wakefulness, nasal secretions level and psychic functions were the common points in these references regarding intended indices. CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this research, conducting clinical studies to identify the extent and intensity of relationship between diagnostic signs of Mizaj-e-Damagh and Mizaj from the viewpoint of PM scholars is advised