The effect of music on the improvement of sleep quality: a report from the viewpoint of Jorjani.

Insomnia is one of the most, if not the most, common complaint in neurology clinics. A review of historical medical manuscripts shows that the use of music in sleep hygiene and the management of sleep disorders has a long history. Jorjani, a prominent Islamic Golden Age physician (1042-1137 AD), suggested using music in sleep hygiene. In his book, the Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi, he recommended listening to slow, pleasant music and natural sounds such as running water. In the chapter on head diseases, Jorjani has introduced different types of insomnia together with neurological and neuropsychological disorders. In treating one type of insomnia, Jorjani has also advised prescribing a piece of music and describing its musical characteristics (including rhythm and mode). He recommended using music-associated relaxation as a non-pharmacological intervention, light exercise, bathing, sleep-inducing foods before bedtime, and appropriate herbal medications to treat insomnia. In this historical article, we presented the prescribing music for the management of insomnia, according to Jorjani's viewpoint.

Evaluation of the effect of carrot seed (Daucus Carota) in women of fertile age with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is a common sexual problem of women which has negative impacts on their health and quality of life. Given the side effects of pharmacologic interventions, it would be beneficial to patients trying to find new options based on herbal medicine. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate efficacy of carrot seed on sexual dysfunction of women with HSDD compared with placebo. METHODS: In this randomized double-blind clinical trial, 68 participants randomly assigned to the intervention group which took 500 mg carrot seed three times a day for 12 weeks versus placebo. Participants in two groups filled Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire at baseline, week six and 12. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Thirty women in carrot seed group and thirty women in placebo group completed 12 weeks of the study. In general, carrot seed compared to placebo improved the total score of FSFI 7.329 ± 0.830 (p < 0.001), desire 4.1±0.7 (p < 0.001), lubrication 4.7±0.4 (p = 0.019), arousal 4.1±0.08 (p < 0.001), satisfaction 4.8±1.1 (p < 0.001), orgasm 3.9±0.9 (p < 0.001) and pain 5.4±1(p < 0.001). No adverse event was reported in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Women with HSDD may benefit from six weeks' treatment with carrot seed for improvement of sexual dysfunction. Further large clinical studies are warranted to confirm efficacy of this herbal drug.

Uterine epilepsy: a historical report from Avicenna's point of view.

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder, the history of which dates back to thousands of years ago. Avicenna (980-1037 AD) is a famous Persian scholar who considered different types of epilepsy and their specific treatments. His book Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb was taught in Europe for several years. Along with explaining the diseases occurring in various body organs, the book describes neurological and neuropsychological conditions such as epilepsy METHODS: This article is a review of the book Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and some of the traditional Persian medicine sources, including Kamil al-Sinaa al Tibbiya and Makhzan-O-L Advieh, on uterine epilepsy, its etiology, clinical manifestations and treatments. Also, articles related to this topic in the field of traditional Persian medicine or historical articles have been searched for in Google Scholar search engine or PubMed database. RESULTS: Avicenna categorizes the causes of epilepsy into two main groups: those caused by brain diseases and those associated with the diseases of other organs. He believed that the stomach, the spleen, the maraqq, the uterus, or other body organs influence the brain and can cause epilepsy. In uterine epilepsy, the primary pathology lies with the uterus and can affect the brain. This condition occurs due to the retention of the menses or semen. CONCLUSION: In this historical article, we intend to explain Avicenna's viewpoint on uterine epilepsy. We suggest further studies on this topic, for example, to evaluate the frequency of epilepsy in patients with the retention of the menses or the semen.

The comparison of fennel infusion plus dry cupping versus metformin in management of oligomenorrhoea in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomised clinical trial.

Oligomenorrhoea treatment with hormone therapy and Metformin is not usually well tolerated and is associated with a broad range of side effects. In Persian medicine, the management of oligomenorrhoea can be done with fennel and dry cupping. A clinical trial was conducted on 61 patients with oligomenorrhoea. The patients randomly received treatment for 6 months in two groups: fennel infusion plus dry cupping (Group A); versus treatment with Metformin (Group B). On the days between the two periods, the patients' BMI, pain levels and side effects were assessed. Thirty-one patients (mean age: 26.68) in Group A, and 30 patients (mean age: 28.90) in Group B were enrolled. The mean numbers of days between the two periods after 3 and 6 months in Group A was, respectively, 32.59 and 30.69, versus 40.66 and 431.22 in Group B. The mean pain severity dropped significantly in Group A. Fennel seed infusion plus a dry cupping uses a safe and effective therapeutic intervention in the management of oligomenorrhoea. IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women. Some common clinical manifestations of this syndrome include menstrual disorders such as oligomenorrhoea and amenorrhoea. The recommended therapeutic interventions include oral intervention, as well as metformin, which are associated with an increased risk of vascular thromboembolism, digestive complications such as nausea, and dizziness, and vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore, the use of complementary medicine in controlling and treating PCOS is considered a valuable intervention in conventional medicine. In Persian traditional medicine, medicinal fennel (with the scientific name of Foeniculum Vulgare Mill) is commonly used in this regard. The practice of dry cupping during the monthly period that ends with ovulation is also recommended. What do the results of this study add? The present study concludes that fennel seed infusion plus a dry cupping therapy is effective and safe in reducing the days between two menstrual periods and manages oligomenorrhoea. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? A clinical study is suggested for assessing the effect of fennel seed infusion plus dry cupping on oligomenorrhoea, with a large sample size and a longer follow up time.

Tribulus terrestris for treatment of sexual dysfunction in women: randomized double-blind placebo - controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Tribulus terrestris as a herbal remedy has shown beneficial aphrodisiac effects in a number of animal and human experiments. This study was designed as a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Tribulus terrestris in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder during their fertile years. Sixty seven women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder were randomly assigned to Tribulus terrestris extract (7.5 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks. Desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks after the end of the treatment by using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Two groups were compared by repeated measurement ANOVA test. RESULTS: Thirty women in placebo group and thirty women in drug group completed the study. At the end of the fourth week, patients in the Tribulus terrestris group had experienced significant improvement in their total FSFI (p < 0.001), desire (p < 0.001), arousal (p = 0.037), lubrication (p < 0.001), satisfaction (p < 0.001) and pain (p = 0.041) domains of FSFI. Frequency of side effects was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tribulus terrestris may safely and effectively improve desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Further investigation of Tribulus terrestris in women is warranted.