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. 2012 Mar;14(3):133-8.
Epub 2012 Mar 1.

Relation between Body Humors and Hypercholesterolemia: An Iranian Traditional Medicine Perspective Based on the Teaching of Avicenna

M Emtiazy  1 , M Keshavarz, M Khodadoost, M Kamalinejad, S A Gooshahgir, H Shahrad Bajestani, F Hashem Dabbaghian, M Alizad
Affiliations

Relation between Body Humors and Hypercholesterolemia: An Iranian Traditional Medicine Perspective Based on the Teaching of Avicenna

M Emtiazy et al. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are among the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. One of the important risk factors of cardiovascular disease is hyperlipidemia especially high levels of serum cholesterol. Due to the importance of hypercholesterolemia, being a serious condition, various treatments are used to control it, regardless of the cause, most of treatments, focused on reducing the level of serum lipids. This study aims to determine various view points for hypercholesterolemia in Iranian traditional medicine.

Methods: We used several Iranian traditional medicine resources and literatures; then based on these texts; a pilot study was designed to assess their effects in 10 patients with high plasma cholesterol. The sign and symptoms in main digestive organs (Stomach and liver) were also evaluated.

Results: Some patients showed hepatic temperament but all patients had gastric temperament.

Conclusion: With reference to Iranian traditional medical texts and literatures, the organs involved in the process of digestion, particularly the stomach and the liver play the most important role. Yet the proper function of stomach as the first step involved in the digestion chain should be emphasized.

Keywords: Digestion; Hypercholesterolemia; Iranian Traditional medicine; Liver; Stomach.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Four stages of digestion
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Different pathways of causing abnormal blood composition (including hypercholesterolemia).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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