Unani

[[File:Nizamia Unani Hospital.jpg|thumb|right|165px|A rather large Unani clinic in Hyderabad, India. If you want [[Time travel|to see what medicine was like in the 16<sup><small>th</small></sup> century]], just have a look in there.]]
{{altmed}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with the unrelated terms [[umami]], {{wpl|Unami||,}} [[onanism]], and [[Jonanism]].}}
'''Unani''' (meaning "Greek" or "Ionian" in Arabic<ref>http://www.greekmedicine.net/history/Unani_Medicine.html</ref>), a.k.a. '''yunani''' or '''unani tibbi''', is a form of [[alternative medicine]], which is based on the belief that the human body contains four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile),<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030219193308/http://lifepositive.com/Body/traditional-therapies/unani.asp Unani Medicine &mdash; Effective, Inexpensive, Easily Available], Lifepositive.com.</ref> and that imbalance of these four humors is the cause of disease. It's an example of the [[heroic medicine|theory of Four Humours]] created by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, which later spread to the Islamic empires of the Near East during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20060418014651/http://www.plantcultures.org/themes/medicine_unani.html</ref> While this belief has [[pseudoscience|no scientific basis]], contemporary [[quack|adherent]]s still try to propagate these beliefs as [[science]].

You know how prescientific medicine was big on [[bloodletting]], [[leeching]], [[cupping]], and died out? Well, it didn't die out. This is it.

Worryingly, Unani has quite a large infrastructure in south Asian countries such as [[India]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101124122716/http://indianmedicine.nic.in/faqdet.asp?fid=54&lang=1 What schemes have been formulated by Govt. of India for the development of Unani?]</ref> and [[Pakistan]], because [[Avicenna]] was quite a fan of it. But he lived a thousand years ago and so had an excuse. In the present day, it is taught in government-recognized universities. It also has a limited presence in the Western world.<ref>[http://www.unani.com/ American Institute of Unani Medicine]</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090608073848/http://london.enquira.co.uk/health-medecine/medicines-therapies/a-m-i-ayurvedic-unani-health-l78473.html</ref>

==Humors==
The theory which underlines Unani considers the following to be relevant to health:<ref name=unani>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130928101757/http://www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102332:unani-system-of-medicine-practice&catid=116&Itemid=186  Unani System of Medicine Practice], Globinmed.com.</ref><ref>[http://www.unani.com/heating.htm Hot Foods], Unani.com.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071227060611/http://www.aponline.gov.in/apportal/departments/UnaniFaqs.html Unani Faqs]</ref>
*{{wpl|Classical elements|The four elements|:}} air, water, fire, and earth.
*The four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Imbalance of these causes diseases.
*The nine temperaments
*The three faculties: natural, [[psychic]], and [[Vitalism|vital]]
*The Arwah/Pneum/Spirit (vital force)
*The organs
*The functions

According to Unani, most diseases are the result of phlegm imbalance.<ref name=diagnostic>[http://www.unani.com/unani_diagnostic_process.htm The Unani Diagnostic Process], Unani.com.</ref> Conditions supposedly resulting from blood humor imbalance include headache, delirium, lethargy, weak limbs, nose itching, poor vision, enlarged tongue, canker sores, swollen palate, trembling lips, loose teeth, tooth spaces, slackness of uvula, diphtheria, coughing, pleurisy, swelling of liver, hemorrhoids, constant erection, swollen testicles, convulsion of penis, and cracked nails.<ref name=diagnostic/>

==Diagnosis==
To determine the humoral balance of the body, Unani diagnosis can include pulse, urine, and stool analysis.<ref name=pulse>[http://www.unani.com/unani_pulse_diagnosis.htm Unani Pulse Diagnosis], Unani.com.</ref> [[Pulse diagnosis]] is very complex and involves detecting ''extremely subtle'' variations of the pulse, including factors such as rhythm, duration of pulse, and the pause, moisture, and regularity.<ref name=pulse/> Males' pulses are measured on their left hand, while females' are measured on their right hand.<ref name=pulse/>

[[Waste analysis]] is also quite complicated and requires scrutinizing urine and feces in detail. The color of the urine is very important. For example, viscous and semen-like urine, among other kinds, indicate excess blood and blood humor inflammation, respectively.<ref name=cycle>[http://www.unani.com/cycle_completed.htm The Cycle Completed], Unani.com.</ref> Feces should ideally be more or less homogenous and somewhat yellow.<ref name=cycle/> If the quantity of waste excreted exceeds that of food consumed, that indicates there is too much humor, and if it's less, that means there is too little.<ref name=cycle/> Black feces indicates a black bile problem, green feces indicates lessened "innate heat", and yellow feces can be either bad or good depending on whether it's at the beginning or end of a disease (if at the beginning, it means the yellow bile's out of whack).<ref name=cycle/>

Also, tasting may be involved:

{{quotebox|[The urine's] colour, taste, viscosity, whether it has froth on its surface, if the bubbles formed are large, indicating balgham, or small, indicating safra are scrutinised. The stool is also examined in a similar way.<ref name=doctors>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040315094349/http://www.unanidoctors.com/unanimedicine.htm Unani Medicine], UnaniDoctors.com.</ref>}}

==Standard of care==
It would appear Unani has no consistent standard of care. For example, sources differ on whether bloodletting can be used during pregnancy.<ref name=articles>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140729043601/http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/fasd-venesection-introduction-uses-5230927.html Fasd (venesection): introduction], articlesbase.com.</ref>

Some sources say tasting is a part of urine analysis, while others make no mention of it.<ref name=doctors/><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20040820185827/http://www.roymedical.com/english/unani.htm</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131013175339/http://medpk.com/tib_yunani.php</ref> It's possible that Unani practice varies widely from practitioner to practitioner (much like [[naturopathy]] is a hodge-podge made up of the individual naturopath's beliefs).

==Treatments==
Unani has a variety of ways to treat supposed humoral imbalances. Treatments are part of one of four groups:<ref name=doctors/>
*Regimental therapy
*Dietotherapy
*Pharmacotherapy (meaning [[Herbal supplement|herbs]] and animals, not pure drugs)
*Surgery

===Regimental therapy===
====Bloodletting and leeching====
{{main|Bloodletting}}
Unani and [[Ayurveda|Ayurvedic]] practitioners consider bloodletting (also known as venesection or ''fasd'') to be a valid method of removing "excess" blood and restoring the humoral balance. Some sources also say it purifies the blood by letting "waste" and [[toxin]]s drain out.<ref name=wellbeing>[http://completewellbeing.com/article/a-unanimous-choice/ The Unani approach to medicine]</ref><ref name=diagnostic/> (What the "waste" and "toxins" actually are is unclear, but naturally, "[n]aming such things is not so important as removing them.")<ref name=diagnostic/> For serious or acute diseases, specific reflex points are punctured, in order to drain ''a few'' drops of blood.<ref name=doctors/> (Hey, [[Homeopathy|less is more]], right?)

Unani bloodletting is claimed to be good for things like headaches, migraines, eczema, conjunctivitis, cataracts, asthma, angina (!), pneumonia, ulcers, tonsillitis, and glaucoma.<ref name=articles/> Oddly enough, hypertension is not on the list. Venesection is also claimed to be useful for preventing disease in those with too much blood<ref name=fasd/> (since, you know, having too much blood is bad).

Unani bloodletting may also use leeches;<ref name=unani/> leeching is claimed to be good for baldness and pneumonia.<ref name=wellbeing/><ref>[http://www.gyanunlimited.com/health/unani-therapy-ilaj-bil-tadbir-to-cure-diseases/883/ Unani Therapy (Ilaj-bil-Tadbir) to Cure Diseases]</ref>

(To be fair, leeching and bloodletting are used in real medicine and are known to be effective for some things. But in medicine, they're used only in ''very specific situations'', while Unani uses them as [[panacea]]s for irrelevant and completely inappropriate diseases.)

One CAM magazine has this to say:
{{quotebox|Venesection is a general eliminant for humors. It removes excess of humors in the same proportion as is present in blood vessels. Venesection is carried out when there is excess of blood in the body and patient is either exposed to the risk of developing a disease or has actually developed one. In both cases, the idea is to remove the general excess of humors, or the abnormal humor of both.<ref name=herbal/>}}

Unani is promoted in the important naturopathic (and [[America]]n) ''Textbook of Natural Medicine''.<ref>[http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/naturopathy-embraces-the-four-humors/ Naturopathy Embraces the Four Humors], Jann Bellamy, [[Science-Based Medicine]].</ref> So, bloodletting is actually a feasible naturopathic treatment in the U.S. In the 21<sup><small>st</small></sup> century.

====Cauterization====
Unani has two kinds of cauterization: external and internal. The first is used for "necrotic and gangrenous tissues, pain management and varicose veins while the internal cauterization is indicated for mouth ulcers [and] anal fissures."<ref name=unani/>

====Derivation====
This involves using poultices and herbal plasters which "cause drawing of excess blood and heat the skin's surface, this causes skin rashes or blisters on the skin’s surface and [[toxin]]s are expelled out of the body."

====Cupping====
[[Cupping]] is the practice of making a cup stick to the skin by using suction. One Unani resource says this can be done by "burning up an alcohol swab inside the cup or just by manual suction either by mouth or by a suction pump."<ref name=unani/> In Unani, cupping can be done together with bloodletting; this involves puncturing the skin before applying the cup. Cupping with bloodletting is used for "arthritis, skin diseases, pain management, female infertility, chronic migraines and hypertension management."<ref name=unani/> Other indications include liver diseases and [[malaria]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101015232320/http://www.indianmedicine.nic.in/index4.asp?ssslid=137&subsubsublinkid=9&lang=1 Regimental therapy], AYUSH.</ref>

====Massage====
There are five kinds of [[massage]] in Unani:
*Hard massage. For muscle injury.
*Soft massage. For depression and stress management.
*Deobstruent massage. For fat reduction. (Note that fat reduction through massage is a myth.){{fact}}
*Cloth Massage. For vasodilatation.
*Roller massage. This is just to make the patient feel good.

===Pharmacotherapy===
Pharmacotherapy involves giving the patient some herbal concoctions. These "drugs" are classed into one of four potency types: Hot, cold, wet, and moist.<ref name=unani/> Low-potency herbs are used first, and stronger ones are used as the disease gets worse.<ref name=unani/>

===Dietotherapy===
According to Unani, foods are broken down by the body's "heat".<ref name=diet>[http://www.unani.com/influence_of_food.htm Influence of Food], Unani.com.</ref> When enzymes come into contact with food, the enzymes supposedly release heat that breaks it down. How nutritious a particular food is depends on various factors, including how much of each humor it creates, what season it is, and the person's mood (or "temperament").<ref name=diet/> Forbidden foods include, but are not limited to, [[pork]], "scavengers" like [[dog]]s, [[cats]], vultures, and snakes; and [[alcohol]].<ref name=diet/><ref>[http://www.unani.com/avicenna%20story%203.htm Avicenna Story 3], Unani.com.</ref> This is probably due to the influence of [[Islam]], since Unani is predominantly a Muslim practice.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100612145704/http://imamreza.net/eng/imamreza.php?id=733 History of Islamic(Unani) Medicine], Imam Reza (A.S.) Network.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100408075601/http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/techniques/unanitibb.aspx Unani Tibb], Science Museum.</ref><ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3435100796.html Unani-Tibbi],  Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Urine therapy]]
*[[Feces therapy]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{altmedbox}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Indian medicine]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Indian medicine, Pseudoscience