Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis Based on Unani Perspectives

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A Holistic Review of the Etiology and Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis Based on Unani and Modern
Perspectives.
Jannat Khan, Hkm Tanwir Alam, Saddam Husain Ansari, Mohammad Mashkur Ahmad, Md. Naeem Arafat,
Atiya Farhee
Sch J App Med Sci, 2025 Aug 13(8): 1620-1624

 

According to chatGPT:
Unani medicine, also known as Greco-Arabic medicine, is a traditional system of healing rooted in the teachings of Hippocrates, Galen, and later developed by Arab and Persian scholars like Avicenna (Ibn Sina). Its principles are based on balancing the body’s natural temperament and humors. Here are the core Unani principles:
1. Theory of Humors (Akhlat)

Unani revolves around the concept of four humors, each linked to a specific temperament:

• Dam (Blood) → Sanguine (hot & moist)
• Balgham (Phlegm) → Phlegmatic (cold & moist)
• Safra (Yellow bile) → Choleric (hot & dry)
• Sauda (Black bile) → Melancholic (cold & dry)

Health = balance of humors
Disease = imbalance or corruption of humors
2. Temperament (Mizaj)

Every person, organ, and disease has a mizaj (temperament). For example, someone may have a "hot-dry" temperament. Treatment is aimed at restoring equilibrium by using opposites (e.g., cooling remedies for hot diseases).
3. Vital Organs (Aza-e-rae’sa)

Unani considers three organs as central to life:

• Heart (Qalb) – source of vitality and spirit
• Brain (Dimagh) – seat of sensation and movement
• Liver (Jigar) – responsible for formation of humors

4. Six Essential Factors (Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya)

These are natural requirements for health:

1. Air (Hawa)
2. Food & Drink (Makool wa Mashroob)
3. Sleep & Wakefulness (Naum wa Yaqza)
4. Rest & Movement (Harkat wa Sukoon-e-Badani)
5. Mental State (A’raz-e-Nafsani)
6. Excretion & Retention (Istifragh wa Ihtibas)

Imbalance in any of these leads to disease.
5. Theory of Tabiat (Physis/Nature)

The body has an inherent self-healing power called Tabiat Mudabbira-e-Badan (the body’s healing faculty). The physician’s role is to assist nature, not to overpower it.
6. Preventive and Curative Approach

• Prevention: Maintaining balance through diet, lifestyle, and moderation.
• Cure: Gradual approach — from lifestyle changes and diet (Ilaj bil-Tadbeer, Ilaj bil-Ghiza) → to medicine (Ilaj bil-Dawa) → to surgery (Ilaj bil-Yad).

✅ In short: Unani is about balance — of humors, temperament, environment, and lifestyle — guided by the body’s natural healing force.