Health and Fitness

When Adam descended from Paradise, God  taught him the workmanship of everything including all necessary aspects for living on Earth as well as medicinal science. Adam taught some of this knowledge to his children, like the fact that there are four natures: hotness, coldness, wetness and dryness. He also taught that the herbal drugs are divided into these four natures.

Likewise, the science of the pulse, from which the condition of the interior major organs like the heart, the liver and the brain can be known, is also from the Prophets. As time progressed, people’s knowledge of this science increased.

Humoral medicine is the reference for all medical science. Humoral Medicine is based on the four natures: hotness, coldness, wetness and dryness. The balance and moderation of these natures is the cause for good health and the imbalance of these natures is the cause of illness.

Written by:
Doctor Khaled Hijazi and Doctor Hani al-Batal

According to what is substantiated in humoral medicine, the four humors are, in fact, the four fundamental components of blood.

This concept is endorsed in modern medicine by the Swedish doctor Fehraeus, the discoverer of Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) in 1921. To affirm the four humors, one observes coagulated blood in a transparent container that has been left untouched for about an hour.

Dr. Fehraeus said that four different layers can be seen in the coagulated form: 1) The bottom layer which is the “black bile humor”. 2) The layer above is a layer of red blood cells known as the “blood humor. 3) The layer above is a layer of white blood cells known as the “phlegmatic humor”. 4) The top layer is a clear yellow serum known as the “yellow bile humor”.

The effects of the four humors on the texture and form of the blood and the arteries vary according to its forms, quantity and its mergence with each other.

Written by:
Doctor Khaled Hijazi and Doctor Hani al-Batal

• The hot wet temperament diseases occur when the foods in their temperaments are hotter and wetter than they should be. If the stomach and liver of a blood humor predominant person receives foods which are in their temperament hotter and wetter than they should be, they will be transmuted into a blood humor which is hotter and wetter than it should be. This will cause the hot wet blood humor diseases type.
• The cold wet temperament diseases occur when the foods in their temperaments are colder and wetter than they should be. If the stomach and liver of a phlegmatic humor predominant person receives foods which are in their temperament colder and wetter than they should be, they will be transmuted into a phlegmatic humor which is colder and wetter than it should be. This will cause the cold wet phlegmatic humor diseases type.
• The hot dry temperament diseases occur whenever the foods in their temperaments are hotter and drier than they should be. If the stomach and liver of a yellow bile humor predominant person receives foods which are in their temperaments hotter and drier than they should be, they will be transmuted into a yellow bile humor which is hotter and drier than it should be. This will cause the hot dry yellow bile humor diseases type.
• The cold dry temperament diseases occur whenever the foods in their temperaments are colder and drier than they should be. If the stomach and liver of a black bile humor predominant person receives foods which are in their temperaments colder and drier than they should be, they will be transmuted into a black bile humor which is colder and drier than it should be. This will cause the cold dry black bile humor diseases type.

It becomes clear to us that the correlation between diseases and food in humoral medicine is strong and evident.

Diseases occur due to the four humors becoming non-moderate, either in their form, quantity or both. Subsequently, the material cause of diseases is when the four humors become non-moderate. Thus the non-moderate food in its form and quantity is the main cause of diseases.

This concept is endorsed by what is sometimes demonstrated in modern medicine. Many sufferers of diseases such as migraine diabetes and others have reported decrease of symptoms due to avoidance from certain food. Modern research considers, as well, that it is beneficial for individuals to avoid what has been a definite cause of diseases in relation to food.

Yogurt – Out of his extreme generosity, Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) would have 100,000 lambs and 30,000 cows slaughtered everyday and offered to the people. However, Prophet Sulayman, himself, ate barley bread and yogurt. It was related that yogurt aids in digestion and helps relieve dry stomach. Regular use of yogurt makes the skin and nerves healthy. It also protects the skin from harmful effects of the sun. Yogurt is beneficial for those who suffer from various stomach and intestinal diseases. The probiotics found in yogurt benefit the intestines by killing harmful bacteria.Yogurt doesn’t affect the acidity levels in the body, as some mistakenly think. Those suffering from insomnia should consume yogurt regularly and massage the scalp with it. Regular consumption of yogurt also helps to reduce the appearance of aging.