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Urinary Incontinence (UI) is a significant reason for the decline in women's quality of life. The unexpected occurrence of UI and its high costs around the world are evident. Numerous methods are used for the management of UI; however, there is no worldwide agreement on any of these methods. Traditional medicines are a source of human medical experiences and this study is a review on the books of the most famous Persian medicine (PM) physician, Avicenna, to find about his approach to UI. Keywords such as: "female urinary incontinence", "lifestyle", and “nutrition” were selected. As a library research, Avicenna’s (980- 1037 AD) "the Canon of Medicine" (Al-Qanun Fi al-Tibb), was reviewed and coded. Some other PM famous books like "the Great Continens" (Al-Hawi fi Al-Tibb) of Rhazes (865- 925 AD) and "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine" (Al-Shamil fi Al-Sana'a Al-Tibbiya) of Ibn al-Nafis al-Qarshi (1213- 1288 AD) were used as a help to interpret the codes just in case it was required. Modern literature was searched with the same keywords at electronic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Magiran. Finally, the results were compared. Recent studies care on conservative and lifestyle management in the treatment of UI. In PM, principles of lifestyle management (Setteh-e-zarurieh) is one of the main characteristics of prevention and treatment with six essential principles including weather, eating and drinking, sleep and wakefulness, movement and rest, evacuation and retention, and psychological and mental reactions. In healthy people, these six axes are designed by temperament and personal characteristics. In this manuscript, we discussed five mentioned subtypes. These managements are appropriate for designing various pieces of clinical trials to survey their effects on female UI.

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Dysmenorrhea is known as painful menstruation with considerable effects on women's mental status and quality of life with some limits for treatment. The objective of this prospective case series was to evaluate effects of Saussurea Costus (Qost) oil, an Iranian Traditional Medicine (Persian Medicine) product, on the primary dysmenorrhea. In this case series, 13 patients were included to study and treated with local Qost oil for 6 weeks. The oil was rubbed (without massage) 15 drops every 12 hours to the sub-navel region until pubis. The improvement of dysmenorrhea, evaluated with VAS score based on the last periodic cycle before the study and the last cycle after the completion of the intervention, which continued 6 weeks (at least one period for each patient). Then, 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (equivalent to one period for each patient), the evaluation was performed. The mean VAS score of patients before intervention was 7.77. The score after the end of intervention up to 4 weeks after the end of intervention improved to 1.85. (76.191%). During this study, no side effects were reported in the patients, and no patient was excluded from the study. Due to easiness of use and low invasion of topical treatment, it can be suitable for dysmenorrhea controlling. Upon the beneficial effects of Qost oil on uterine diseases and pains in Persian Medicine sources, usage of that oil in double blinded clinical trial in the subject of dysmenorrhea is suggested.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the topical use of chamomile oil as a complementary method in the improvement of infantile colic symptoms. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was carried out on 74 infants with colic at Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences in Sabzevar, Iran. The infants were randomly allocated into two groups. In the intervention group, chamomile oil was applied topically on the abdominal region three times a day for 14 days. The placebo group received paraffin oil in a similar manner. A data collection form was daily filled out for all infants by their parents. Number and duration of crying episodes and duration of sleep were assessed at the baseline and on the 7th and 14th days of the intervention. Results: Results showed that there was a significant difference in the crying time of the two groups on days 7 and 14 as compared to that at the baseline (P=0.03 and P=0.002, respectively). There was a significant increase in sleep duration only on the 14th day of treatment as compared with that at the baseline (P=0.01). Although the number of crying episodes in both groups decreased, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.08). Based on the regression test, although the values obtained on days 1 and 7 were not statistically significant, compared to those at the baseline, the number of crying episodes decreased on the 14th day (95% CI: -115.39 to -15.04; P=0.012). Conclusion: Topical consumption of chamomile oil may be used as a complementary, safe, and cost-effective way to improve and reduce the symptoms of infantile colic.

Background and objectives: Traditional medicine could provide a hopeful area of research to mitigate the suffering of patients. “Qust” is one of the medicinal plants that are mentioned in Persian Medicine (PM) for treatment of neurological diseases. There is diversity within the scientific name of “Qust” in different references. Some have introduced Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. (Asteraceae), while others have presented Costus speciosus (J. Koenig) Sm. (Costaceae) as “Qust”. Since “Qust” is not endemic in Iran, there is difficulty to access to the whole plant for its identification. Hence, this study has aimed to identify available bitter “Qust” which is composed of roots of the plant in the Iranian market. Methods: Macroscopic characters and microscopic properties of powders and transverse sections of specimens with essential oil analysis of the Indian and one of the Iran herbal market samples using chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were investigated for identification of bitter “Qust”. Results: Microscopic evaluation showed presence of secretory cavities and their specific size, narrow radial rows of conducting tissue alternating with broad medullary rays in the secondary phloem and xylem, presence of inulin, absence of starch and calcium oxalate crystals in the bitter “Qust” particles. Further, positive response was observed to S. costus identifying test. In the analysis of essential oils, active components of S. costus, such as dehydrocostus lactone, were identified in the examined essential oils. Conclusion: According to the results, it could be concluded that bitter “Qust” in Iran herbal market most probably is S. costus.

Background and objectives: Urinary incontinence is a public complaint that causes discomfort, embarrassment and costs. Also, there are some limitations and insufficiencies of drug therapy and surgical complications. This study has compared the effect ofSaussurea costus (qost) oil as an Iranian traditional medicine product and other contemporary medicine treatment methods on female urinary incontinence. Methods: A parallel double blinded placebo-controlled study was conducted. Thirty to 70 years old women with urinary incontinence were allocated in placebo and intervention groups, 41 patients in each group.Intervention and placebo groups received qost oil and placebo, respectively by local application twice daily below the navel without massage. The results were evaluated with valid questionnaires (ICIQ-SF and I-QOL). For evaluation, Chi-square test, independent-sample t-test and repeated measure analysis of variance were used. Significant p value was Results: A significant decrease in mean scores of the questionnaires during the study was noted in the qost group compared to the placebo group (p

Congenital or acquired obstruction is the most common anomaly of nasolacrimal duct (NLD). NLD obstruction (NLDO) is one of the most common problems in pediatric ophthalmology. Some symptoms of NLDO are seen in 6-20% of infants. NLDO creates two problems; first is disruption in the flow of tears that is due to epiphora. Another is the infection leading to stasis of fluid in the lacrimal system. Surgery is the choice treatment of chronic congenital NLDO in the refractory infants to massage and antibiotics. Dam-e is a watery discharge of eyes that has different reasons in Persian Medicine (PM). Based on the symptoms which was seen in patients with NLDO, it could be one of the subgroups of Dam-e. Conforming to Persian Medicine, residue of materials that moves from brain to the eyes and sediments in the NLD, can be the main reason of NLDO. Our case is the thirteen-month-old infant with congenital NLDO unresponsive to antibiotics and massage and has been a candidate for surgery. In PM view, to open the lacrimal duct obstruction, we use the properties of Persian Medicine’drugs (including Honey, camphor, vinegar and sesame oil) such as fragmentation of excreta (are Moghatte in PM), anti- obstruction (Mofatteh in PM), cleansing (Monaghi in PM) and descaling (Jali in PM) effects, and the patient's symptoms were nonsurgically relieved. In the discussion of this paper, the properties of these drugs also check point of view of contemporary medicine’s viewpoints compared to Persian Medicine.

Avicenna`s Point about Bladder Gas as a Cause of Interstitial Cystitis

Bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis is a disagreeable feeling of pain, pressure and discomfort in the urinary bladder, along with lower urinary tract symptoms that may last more than six weeks with no infection or any other identifiable cause. Its etiology is still unknown. A significant percentage of women with chronic pelvic pain suffer from interstitial cystitis. However, there are some ambiguities in its diagnostic and therapeutic process. In this article, we survey the viewpoints of Persian Medicine scholars about bladder disorders that can fit with interstitial cystitis. Thus, we designed a qualitative content analysis study and investigated signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis in conventional medicine articles. Then, diseases of the bladder and the bladder gas was surveyed in the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (980-1037 AD) and the other literatures of Persian Medicine, in particular. Pain, lower urinary tract symptoms, beneficial reaction to dietary modifications and warming bladder up also the lack of infection and other urinary disorders are observable matches between bladder pain syndrome in contemporary medicine and bladder gas in Persian Medicine. Upon Persian Medicine scholars' viewpoints entrapped gas can cause pain by stretching of bladder tissues. In this opinion, “gas” may be one of the causes of pain and dysfunction in organs. We found reports of gas in some tissues in contemporary medicine, too. If we accept that bladder gas can be one of the manifestations or causes of interstitial cystitis, bladder gas treatment methods that are used in Persian Medicine, can be simple, low-cost preventive and therapeutic methods for its management.

Involuntary urination called urinary incontinence, is a worldwide major health problem with enormous negative consequences. Three large categories in women urinary incontinence are: stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence and mixed urinary incontinence. The diseases mechanism is seen as the muscle dysfunction of the bladder’s wall and sphincter. In Iranian Traditional Medicine literature, women urinary incontinence has two main reasons: cold and wet- temperament affecting the bladder muscle dysfunction, and relaxation of bladder sphincter. Both conditions occur due to cold-nature and humidity.We present a 53-years-old woman with chronic mixed urinary incontinence that has shown an acceptable response to simple topical heating treatments designed on the basis of Iranian Traditional Medicine to eliminate the mentioned cold and wet temperament based on relative questionnaire. After 4 weeks thermotherapy, score of disease severity improved significant. In follow of patient after 6 weeks the effect of treatment was indelible.