Dietotherapy

 

Dietotherapy aims to restore the imbalance in the body due to errant lifestyles. The Unani system of Medicine lays rules for a balanced lifestyle, which revolves around six essential factors. Noncompliance with these principles leads to an errant lifestyle and ultimately leads to disease. Diet is an important component of these essential factors. The Unani system of medicine believes that a physician is not the healer but a facilitator to the nature/ physis of the body (Tabiyat), which is the true healer hence the diet should be in accordance with it. Diets have been mentioned according to various stages of life to maintain the digestive system at its best.

All substances consumed by humans are divided into the following categories:

1. Diet (Ghidhā’) – Diet is described as a substance that does not cause any change in the body but is changed by the body in a form, which is readily acceptable to it, for the nutritional value.

2. Therapeutic food (Ghidhā’ Dawā’ī) - These are the diets which have medicinal properties e.g. Onion, Garlic, Almond, etc.

3. Dietary medicine (Dawa-e-ghidhā’ī) - These are the medicinal substances which have some nutritional value along with the medicinal benefits.

4. Drug (Dawa) - Drugs are defined as substances that cause changes in the body and are not affected by the body itself.

5. Poisons (Sammiyat) - Poisons are substances that cause harmful changes in the normal functioning of the body and in extreme cases may lead to the death of an individual.

Instructions for diet with regard to treatment: -

1.  Abstinence from diet (Tark-i-Ghidhā’): This is a type of treatment wherein complete abstinence from diet is prescribed to facilitate nature/ physis of the body (Tabiyat) in combating disease. This method is adopted when the patient has enough stamina during the severe stages of the disease.

 

2.  Reducing dietary intake (Taqlīl-i-Ghidhā’): The quantity of the diet is reduced either in amount or quality, so that the patient’s energies are maintained and tabiyat is aided in the process of eliminating waste material (Madda-e-fasida) and eradicating disease from the body.

        This is further divided into two categories:

 

3.  Qualitative reduction of dietary intake (Taqlīl-i-Ghidhā’ ba I‘tibār-i-Kayfiyat) – Prescribed diet is rich in cellulose and less in nutrition. This type of diet does not distract the tabiyat from digestion, when it is busy in the process of healing. On the contrary, it aids in healing by satiating hunger. This type of diet includes vegetables, melons and watermelon, etc.

 

4.  Quantitative reduction of dietary intake (Taqlīl-i-Ghidhā’ ba I‘tibār-i-Kammiyat) – Prescribed diet that is high in nutrient content and is less bulky. These provide energy to the tabiyat and are given in cases of extreme debility to patients who cannot digest bulky diets as well as in hypervolemic conditions. These are usually given in cases of acute diseases. For instance, half-boiled egg.

 

With respect to absorption, the diet has been classified into the following categories and while planning a diet for the patients these points are into account:

1.  Rapidly absorbed diet (Saree-un-nufuz) – This type of diet after digestion, is easily absorbed by the body e.g. honey, and alcohol. This is administered in cases of excessive debility and during illness as the body can readily utilize them.

2.  Slowly absorbed diet (Batee-un-nufuz) – This type of diet takes much time to absorb due to its complex and lengthy metabolic process. For instance, spinach, radish, carrot.

Based on chime (kaimoos), which ultimately affect the viscosity of blood, diet is again classified into the following categories:

1.  Liquid diet (Ghidhā’-e-Raqeeq) – This type of diet produces less viscous blood after metabolism. Examples include juice, soups, and wheat porridge.

2.  Solid diet (Ghidhā’-e-Ghaleez) - This type of diet produces more viscous blood after metabolism. Examples include solid/semisolid preparations of meat and vegetable. This type of diet is beneficial to those doing physical labour.

Food items like any other substance, too possess a temperament hence the diet of individuals should be planned accordingly. For instance, people with phlegmatic temperament (Balghami Mizāj) should take hot and dry foods like chicken, egg, onion, garlic, bitter gourd, fenugreek, grapes, walnuts, cloves, saffron, alcohol, etc., while those with melancholic temperament (Sawdā’vi Mizāj) should take hot and moist food items like mutton, liver, ginger, spinach, mangoes, almonds, pistachios, peaches, banana, wheat, milk, cheese, honey, sugar and salt. People with sanguine temperament (Damvi Mizāj) should take cold and dry food items like cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, potato, beans, all sour fruits, apples, coconut, peanuts, maize, corn, peas, egg white, yogurt, tea, coffee, pickles, tamarind and vinegar; while people with choleretic temperament (Ṣafrā’vi Mizāj) should take cold and moist foods like cucumber, ladyfinger, lettuce, beetroot, pear, fig, watermelon, lychee , rice, milk, coriander, cardamom, sugar cane juice, citrus fruits ice creams and milkshake.

 

There are certain principles as to ‘how foods should be taken’; these include:

• The food items which are easily digestible should not be mixed with the food items which are digested slowly by the body e.g. milk and fish, pulses and mutton.
• At the time of taking food, the person should not mentally engage in other activities.
• Food should be eaten in a quiet and settled atmosphere. It is better to sit down and eat and abstain when the stomach is upset.
• Food should be taken only when hungry with at least a 5-6 hrs interval. Nothing should be eaten between meals.
• The food should be chewed properly.
• Water should not be taken in large quantities just after meals but after a gap of two hrs, water can be taken in reasonable amount.
• After lunch, a short nap (Qailoola) is advisable for better digestion and restoration of energy.
• Physical labour should be avoided immediately after meals.