Traditional Medicine in Asia

Traditional Medicine in Asia
Bodily Movement and Repose
To maintain perfect health and a trim body,
exercise and rest are essential. All forms of
activity – whether vigorous, prolonged, mild
or slow – produce heat in varying degrees
but moderately vigorous activity differs from
prolonged mild and slow activity in that it
produces more heat and less dispersion.
On the other hand, prolonged activity, even
though mild, produces greater dispersion
rather than heat. Prolonged activity of any
kind leads to dispersion of the innate heat
and thus produces cold and dryness in the
system. The presence of some additional
factors may hinder or enhance the effect
of the activity. Rest is always cooling and
moistening. It is cooling because there is
no excitation of heat and there is an inward
collection and aggregation of matter which
suppresses the heat. It is moistening
because it hinders the proper disposal of
wastes.
Psychic Movement and Repose
Unani physicians maintain that certain
diseases like hysteria and mental disorders
are caused, in most cases, by emotional
strain and maladjustment and therefore,
while dealing with such cases, these factors
are taken into account. The curative effect
of music, pleasant company and beautiful
scenery is also recognized by Unani
physicians.
Sleep and Wakefulness
Normal slumber and wakefulness are
essential for health. Sleep resembles rest
while wakefulness is akin to activity. Sleep
directs the innate heat inwards and
strengthens the physical faculty. It weakens
the nervous faculty by relaxing and
moistening the passage of impulses and
by making the vital force dense by stopping
dispersion produced by wake-fulness.
Sleep removes all types of fatigue and stops
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the excessive flow of excretions promoted
by activity. Sleep takes up the digestion and
maturation of food and converts it into
blood. Wakefulness has the opposite effect
of sleep. When it is excessive it disturbs the
brain by producing dryness and weakness
and thus causes confusion and also dulls
the nervous and mental faculties and
makes the head heavy. Wakefulness
increases the desire for food and stimulates
appetite by dispersing the waste. It,
however, impairs digestion by dissipating
the strength of faculties. Sleep which is
restless and disturbed is harmful.
Evacuation and Retention
Natural means of excretion are diuresis,
diaphoresis, vomiting, faeces, excretion
through uterus in the form of menstruation,
etc. Proper and normal functioning of the
excretory process must be ensured in order
to maintain perfect health.
Curative Treatment
Definition of Disease
Disease is an abnormal state of the human
body which, primarily and independently
but not secondarily, disturbs normal
functions. Disease may thus be a disorder
of temperament or of structure.
Stages of Diseases
A disease generally has four stages, viz.,
onset, increment, acme and decline.
Stages of onset and acme are not just the
beginning and the end of disease, but
definite periods of onset and acme, during
which special rules of management have
to be observed.
Onset
The stage when the disease has just
appeared, remains stationary and does not
advance to any appreciable extent.