The Unani system of medicine is a comprehensive part of the Indian Medicine System. It was put together many centuries ago by the renowned scholar Hippocrates. Over time, it was further developed by several of his followers, which is why it has come to be recognized as a science. Like any other scientific discipline, it operates under various principles and concepts. The doctrine of the natural Unani system strongly emphasizes the importance of nature and its healing abilities. It holds that health is a state achieved when all bodily functions are performed correctly and completely. Therefore, wholeness and balance are essential for human beings. Another guiding principle for Unani practitioners is the six factors of health. These six factors are crucial in assessing a person's health status. The primary six factors are analyzed in relation to health and disease.
HISTORY:
Unani medicine is a type of alternative medicine that seeks to find the best ways for a person to live a completely healthy life without any illness or sickness. It has its roots in Greece and translates to "Greek Medicine." Unani medicine is based on the teachings of Hippocrates, a Greek physician. Hakuin lbn Sina developed Unani medicine into a healing system in his medical encyclopedia, the Canon of Medicine.
Unani medicine employs treatments in the form of dietary changes, beverages, and other practices like codes of conduct that help maintain and promote good health while also preventing and curing diseases.
According to Unani medicine, using clean and fresh water, breathing pure air, and consuming fresh foods can help prevent many diseases. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of balance between the body and mind to facilitate smooth metabolic processes and the removal of waste from the body. Unani medicine is founded on the idea of four humors, namely...
1. Balgham (phlegm)
2. Dam (blood)
3. Safra (yellow bile)
4. Sauda (black bile)
The human body's ability to protect itself and keep a proper balance of these humors is known as Quwwat -e- mudabbara. Unani medicines help the body restore this balance. When these four humors are balanced, it leads to good health, but any imbalance or change in them can cause diseases and sometimes even death.
According to Unani medicine, the basic structure of the body is divided into seven main groups. These seven natural and essential components are called Umoor -e -tabiya and are crucial for maintaining a person's health.
The seven basic components of Unani medicine are:
1. Arkan (elements)
2. Mizaj (temperament)
3. Akhlat (humors)
4. Aaza (organs)
5. Arwah (vital forces /spirits)
6. Quwa (faculties)
7. Afaal (functions)
The Unani medical system includes various therapeutic methods like venesection, Turkish baths, massages, leeching, exercise, and cupping, among others. For musculoskeletal issues like back pain and arthritis, treatment involves puncturing specific reflex points to release a few drops of blood.
Dietotherapy is another treatment method in Unani, which involves following specific diets or changing the quality and quantity of food to restore health. In pharmacotherapy, medications derived from plant and mineral sources are used.
A unani physician (hakim) begins treatment with a low dosage during the early stages.
The patient is also advised to follow specific dietary and lifestyle restrictions.
The unani physician diagnoses by checking the pulse.
The changes in the pulse are detected by the fingers to determine which humor is either dominant or out of balance, aiding in the diagnosis.
Other diagnostic methods include examining urine and stool.
The color and thickness of the urine and stool are analyzed, and the diagnosis is based on these observations.
TREATMENT:
Unani is recognized by various names such as Greco-Arab medicine, Arab medical unanian medicine, and oriental medicine.
According to the unani system, diseases are seen as natural processes, and symptoms are the body's responses to them.
To diagnose a disease, the unani physician feels the rhythmic expansion of the patient's arteries (nubz).
There are mainly four key types of unani medicine treatments available.
1. Ilaj bil tadbeer: (Regimental therapy)
This is a detoxification method that enhances the body's constitution by eliminating waste materials.
It also safeguards health and boosts the body's defense mechanisms.
Key techniques include:
Massage (dalk, malish)
Turkish bath (hammam)
Exercise (Riyazat)
Leeching (Taleeq-e-alaq)
Venesection (Fasd)
2. Ilaj-bil-ghiza: (diet therapy)
Diet therapy focuses on adjusting both the amount and quality of what you eat. An Unani doctor might suggest that you eat more of certain foods that can help reduce the symptoms of your illness.
3. Ilaj bil dawa: (pharmacotherapy)
In the Unani system, natural drugs derived from plants, minerals, and animals are utilized. The effectiveness and nature of these drugs are key factors in Unani treatment. They are believed to work based on their characteristics, which can be hot, cold, moist, or dry. Unani medicines come in various forms, including tablets, decoctions, infusions, jawarish, majoon, khamira, syrup, and powder.
4. Javahat (surgery):
The ancient physicians of the Unani system were regarded as pioneers in surgery. However, nowadays, only minor surgical procedures are commonly performed within this system.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF UNANI SYSTEM:
The core principles include:
1. Umoor-e-Tabaiyak (Natural/basic components)
2. Mawaleed-e-Salasa (Trimatter theory)
3. Asbabe Sitta Zarooriya (6 essential factors)
4. Tabiyat (Medicateix naturae)
5. Theory of Akhlaet (Humoral theory)
Umoor-e-Tabaiyak:
According to the Unani system, the human body consists of 7 natural and fundamental components known as Umoor-e-tabaiyak, which play a key role in maintaining health.
1. Arkaan - elements
2. Mizaj - temperature
3. Akhlaat - humors
4. Aaza - Organs
5. Arwaah - spirit/vital force
6. Guwa - faculty/energy
7. Afaal - functions/action
Mawaleed-e-Salasa:
The whole universe is created from 3 types of matter. In the same way, the human body is also made up of these. They are:
1. Solid
2. Liquid
3. Gaseous
Asbaabe Sitta Zarooriya:
These 6 crucial factors are vital for both health and illness in the body. They include:
• Hawa (air)
• Maakool wa mashroob (food and drink)
• Physical movement and bodily response (Harkat wa sokoon-e-badani)
• Mental movement and response (Harkat wa sokoon-e-nofsani)
• Sleeping habits (Naum wa yagza)
• Retention and evacuation (Fhtebas wa Istifragh)
Tabiyak:
The Unani system of medicine holds that the true healer is the body's intrinsic ability to heal itself and maintain its health, known as tabiyak.
Tabiyak oversees all the body's physiological functions when in good health; it helps prevent illness and treats diseases by eliminating their causes. If tabiyak is robust, a person is less likely to fall ill.
Theory of Akhlaat:
This theory states that the human body is made up of three types of materials:
1. Solids, referred to as organs (azaa)
2. Liquids, known as humors (akhlaat)
3. Gaseous substances called arwaah (pneuma)
Akhlaat are categorized into four groups:
• Blood (Dam)
• Phlegm (Balgham)
• Yellow bile (Safra)
• Black bile (Sauda)
Dam - warm and moist
Balgham - cool and moist
Safra - warm and dry
Sauda - cool and dry
