Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2015 Winter; 4(4): 162–166.
PMCID: PMC5087098
Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence
to: Dr Elham Emaratkar PhD, Department of Traditional Medicine, School
of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran, E-Mail: Emaratkar
@shahed.ac.ir
Abstract
The
Persian Traditional Medicine (PTM) system pays special attention to
disease prevention. In PTM, physicians believe that overeating may cause
accumulation of unhealthy substances in the body and diseases called
“Emtela.” With respect to ocular health, foods can be categorized as
beneficial and harmful. Harmful foods such as beef, geese, eggplant,
cauliflower, and cheese can cause reduced vision. Dehydrating foods such
as walnut and salty fish and hot foods such as garlic, onion, and
pepper can cause dry eye. Food items that have beneficial effects on
ocular health include thyme and saffron and fruits such as grape, fig,
apple, plum, and berries. PTM stipulates that one should not drink water
with meals or immediately afterwards, since drinking cold (icy) water
causes difficulty in absorption of nutrients. Gulping water may have
harmful effects on the eyes; therefore, PTM physicians recommend
drinking water at a suitable temperature. It is not safe to drink water
first at the morning. Sleeping right after eating is harmful too.
Avicenna believes that sleeping on one’s belly after a full meal is very
harmful for the eyes. Galen says that old people need deep and
continuous sleep more than others. From the view of PTM, moving eyes in
different directions, making delicate expressions, trying to look at
delicate and find pictures and reading small letters would remove ocular
fatigue. There have been mentions of local medicine for improving
vision as well; for instance, fennel extracts, pomegranate juice, and
honey which are suitable for vision improvement. Local administration of
pomegranate blossoms is suitable for treating inflammatory reactions.
Key Words: Persian Traditional Medicine, Ocular Health, Vision
INTRODUCTION
The modern medicine emphasis on different aspects of of preventive medicine (1).
In Persian Traditional Medicine (PTM), special attention is paid to
preventing diseases and in the resources of this medical scheme, taking
necessary measures to keep organs healthy prior seeking medical
treatment (2, 3).
From
the viewpoint of PTM, the human body is composed of four groups of
substances, which are called the four humors (Akhlat): yellow bile
(Safra humor), blood humor (Dam), phlegm humor (Balgham), and black bile
humor (Sauda) (2,4-6, 8).
Depending on the quantity of each humor, the human body shows a
dominant quality of one of the four humors, i.e., hot cold, dry, and
moist, which are called temperaments (9). Changes in the quantity or
quality of each of the humors would cause unnatural changes in the four
qualities, which are called “sue mizaj” (5, 10-12). Sue mizaj (ill temperament) is a kind of disease in traditional medicine and could cause disorders in natural activities (2,6,8).
The increase in dry eye (dry sue mizaj) caused by consumption of foods
such as walnut or pepper leads to itching and a burning sensation in the
eye and/or coldness of eye tissues (cold -sue mizaj), which causes an
increase in tearing (13-14).
Maintenance of eye health requires good health in other parts of the
body, especially the brain. This is because eyes are affected by the
brain and other parts of the body (15), while an increase in the levels of some substances in the brain could cause ocular disease (16-17).
This manuscript discusses the general principles of traditional
medicine related to improving vision and preventing ocular diseases in
view of PTM.
METHOD
In
this review, manuscripts related to “ophthalmology and PTM” published
from 1995 to September 2015 were searched in Pubmed and Scopus. By using
the comprehensive library of traditional medicine of Shahed University,
Tehran, Iran, University of Tehran and the software used by Noor
Digital Library, Tehran, Iran, manuscripts and related publications such
as Al-Qanon fi al-Tibb, Noor al-Oyoun, Gameo al- Fonoun were searched
carefully. General traditional Persian medical books that discussed
ophthalmology, such as Al-Qanon fi al-Tibb and Zakhireh Kharazmshahi,
and Qanoun of Avicenna were also studied.
RESULTS
Although
during Islamic civilization, ophthalmology was relied on Greek
resources, it has shown significant progress in the lapse of time. Some
specialized and independent books on ophthalmology were written in this
era. These books contained valuable recommendations to maintain ocular
health. The recommendations generally focus on foods, beverages,
medicine, activities, sleep, removal of extra substances from the body,
and stability of the mental states (2, 17).
1- Foods
Physicians of PTM believed that if a person overeats or
eats foods before full digestion of the last meal, the frequency of
this practice could cause accumulation of substances in the body and
diseases called Emtela (2,17). The foods discussed in connection with eyes are divided into beneficial and harmful substances.
•Foodstuffs that harm eyes
A- Concentrated foods such as beef, geese, eggplant, cauliflower, and cheese (7,18) that produce concentrated blood and slow blood flow in body organs are harmful for ocular health (17).
In addition, digestion of concentrated foods is more difficult and is
associated with indigestion; therefore, they cause accumulation of
substances in the body and consequent impairments in vision (7, 19).
B-
Dried foods such as walnut, salted fish, and saline cause dryness in
body tissues including the eye, and may cause poor vision in the future (17).
C-
Flatulence and vapor-causing foods such as peas, beans, lentils,
vegetables, and horseradish cause excessive gas and steam that are
harmful for eyes (17).
•Beneficial foods
Thyme and saffron are among the foods that may improve ocular health (2,5).
In addition, foods such as grape, fig, apple, plum, and berry are
useful for the eye. PTM physicians recommended that after intense
physical activity, moisture-containing fruits such as apple, grape, and
fig must be taken to increase body moisture levels and compensate for
the dryness caused by the exercises (17).
2- Beverages
Drinking water is necessary for digestion, absorption,
and distribution of substances; therefore, according to Avicenna, the
body requires water for processing food in the stomach (2,17). To prevent ocular diseases, one must pay attention to the following recommendations:
A.
It is not recommended to drink water with food and immediately after a
meal because it causes disorders in food digestion and subsequently
leads to several diseases
B. Drinking icy water is harmful since it may affect digestion.
C.
It is not recommended to drink water immediately after strenuous
physical activity because this causes severe weakness of various organs,
including the eyes.
D. Gulping water is harmful for
the eyes because it rapidly reduces the temperature of the internal
organs and leads to weakness of the organs, including the eye (2,12, 17).
3. Sleep
In PTM, proper sleep is recommended. Adequate sleep
causes improvement of the body and various organs. Sleeping immediately
after eating food and with a full stomach is harmful for different
organs, including the eye (2,11).
Avicenna believed that sleeping with a full stomach is the most harmful
habit. Proper sleep is a sleep which is suitable and balanced in terms
of duration. Oversleeping and insufficient sleep are both harmful for
ocular health. Oversleeping causes concentration of substances in the
eye tissues and poor vision (2). Staying awake for a long time diminishes the levels of substances in the eye and harms the eye by causing dry eye (12,17).
Galion believed that old people need deep and suitable sleep more than
others; therefore, these individuals should use sleep-improving
substances such as lettuce every night in order to have appropriate
sleep (17).
4. Physical activities
According to PTM, physical activity reinforces
digestion, opens the pores inside the body, discharges additional
substances, causes tissue reinforcement, and thus increases the body’s
ability to perform its functions (2, 17).
Movement of eye in different positions, performing delicate work,
looking at fine and delicate objects and pictures, reading small
letters, and gazing to a point are considered ocular muscle activities (2, 17).
Specialized activities exercising each organ will cause better
absorption and discharge of substances from the organ and prevent
fatigue. In contrast, lack of exercise would cause closure of the body’s
pores, accumulation of substances, and the feeling of fatigue (12).
5. Cleaning
PTM physicians believe that accumulation of excessive amounts of substances in the body causes poor vision (12).
Urination, excretion, perspiration, and vomiting are the processes that
the body uses to clean itself. The health of organs, including the eye,
is maintained when the discharge systems maintain the internal balance
of body by discharging excessive substances (17).
In
PTM, vomiting can sometimes improve vision. However, too much vomiting
causes dryness and is harmful for the eyes. In addition, if vomiting is
accompanied by intense movement, it might cause harm to the eye and
ocular hemorrhage (12).
6. Taking baths
Baths usually cause an increase in the heat and
moisture in body organs. Extended baths can cause excessive perspiration
and dehydration, including dry eye and poor vision. Individuals who use
a sauna for losing weight suffer from dehydration due to too much
perspiration and show impaired vision. PTM believe that taking a bath at
the beginning of the day in the morning and in hunger causes thinness
and is harmful for vision (17). Dipping one’s head in cold and clean water and opening eyes under water causes ocular refreshment (2,17). From the viewpoint of PTM, using cold water following exercise may be useful in freshness and improve vision (17).
7. Psychological factors
PTM believes in the effect of psychological factors on
substances in the body. While mental conditions such as depression and
anxiety cause changes in the quality and quantity of substances in the
body, the same conditions also cause changes in substances inside the
body (17,20).
Too much sorrow, crying, and stress are factors that physicians believe
to be the cause of dryness and dehydration of the body and eyes (2,17). Joy and happiness can improve vision. Enjoyment improves body strength and improves the five senses, especially vision (17).
8. Medications
In PTM, other dissolved local
medicines are recommended for improving vision such as fennel juice,
pomegranate juice, and honey, which are prepared using a special method
and are useful for improving vision (2, 6, 19). Local administration of pomegranate blossoms is suitable for treating inflammatory reactions of the eye (17). Local use of saffron or consumption of saffron Sherbet prevents various ocular diseases and improves vision (5).
The climate conditions are also effective in the ocular health. Dust,
cold and too much heat are harmful for the eye and cause irritation and
burn of eye (2).
Discussion
The
importance of protecting eyes and preventing ocular disorders and
complications is evident from the role of eyes in people’s lives. The
recommendations of PTM for preventing ocular diseases can be grouped
with respect to the mechanism associated with the harmful effects on
eyes:
1. Dry eye: Some of these factors directly cause
dry eye and if they continue, they might cause dehydration in the body
as well; these include gazing in a fire for a long time, too much
crying, or gazing at bright objects. However, some factors cause dry eye
following dehydration of body. These factors include edible substances
such as salty and hot foods, lack of sleep, too much sexual activity,
too much perspiration, and repeated vomiting.
2.
Factors that cause flatulence and gas: Peas, beans, vegetables and
horseradish, and drinking cold water with foods cause excessive vapor
inside the body, including eye tissues, and impair the natural functions
of the eye.
3. Factors that cause Emtela: Lack of
physical activity, insufficient exercise, incomplete digestion of food,
overeating, or eating foods before digestion of the previous meal can
cause accumulation of wastes in the eyes and result in ocular fatigue
and poor vision.
4. Concentrating factors: Oversleeping
or eating beef can cause concentration of moisture inside the body.
These factors slow down blood flow inside the ocular tissue canals and
are followed by poor vision.
In conclusion, we recommend consideration of these valuable inputs for preventing ocular diseases after clinical trials.
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