Ilaj bil Ghiza (Dietotherapy): A Core Mode of Unani Treatment
Keywords:
Ilaj bil Ghiza, Dietotherapy, Unani medicineAbstract
The physical and mental health of a human being is largely dependent upon good nutrition. The carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals are considered as nutrients that are consumed from vegetable,
animal and mineral sources. A well-balanced diet with adequate intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins and minerals, is necessary for good nutrition and for maintaining health and preventing diseases.
Many Unani physicians such as Hippocrates, Galen, Rhazes, Ibn Zohar, Ibn Sina etc have compiled several
books on dietetics. The makool va mashroob (food and drink) is one of the vital factors among the six
essential prerequisites for preservation of life as described in Unani medicine. All the forms of diet have
been classified according to the nutritional value and chyme viz. light and soft diet, attenuated highly
nutritious, attenuated less nutritious, attenuated highly nutritious and good chyme forming diets etc. Some
modified diets viz. barley water, mutton soup, whey, honey water, nabeez, vinegar, aabkama, murabba,
halwa, gulqand etc are recommended alone or as adjuvant for the treatment of several body ailments.
Selective diets are also advised according to the diseases viz. massor dal (red lentil) along with vinegar
in headache, mutton of young sheep in melancholia, goat’s milk in tuberculosis etc. The dietotherapy is
widely acceptable, accessible and above all affordable to the patients with near nil adverse reactions. In
present scenario, several life style disorders viz. hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and other diseases
viz. anaemia, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency etc can be managed by selectisng appropriate diet either
alone or as adjuvant with pharmacotherapy. Therefore, the study of clinical nutrition and dietetics is in
vogue since centuries and the same is now scientifically validated with precision. This mode of treatment
is widely prescribed by Unani physicians in various disorders successfully provided the basic fundamental
principles of Unani medicine is judiciously followed, i.e. Ilaj biz Zid (antagonistic treatment). Hence the
dietotherapy an integral mode of Unani treatment if adopted prudently will go a long way in alleviating
the suffering of humanity.
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