Abstract:Background: There is a need for comprehensive, holistic care because the menopausal transition is a complicated physiological phase that is frequently treated in modern medicine with a symptom-centric approach. By controlling environmental, nutritional, and lifestyle factors, unani medicine, which is based on the fundamental premise of Asbab-e-SittaZarooriyah (The Six Essential Factors), provides an organised framework for maintaining health and managing disease.
Objective: This review compares traditional Unani wisdom with current scientific findings in order to critically evaluate the philosophy of Asbab-e-SittaZarooriyah and investigate its potential as a comprehensive model for addressing menopausal symptoms.
Methods: A narrative review was carried out, combining data from contemporary biomedical literature obtained from sources like PubMed and Google Scholar with material from old Unani texts (such those by Al-Razi and Ibn Sina). Among the most important search terms were "unani medicine," "menopause," "Sinn al-Yā's," "Asbab-e-SittaZarooriyah," and "holistic care."
Results: The analysis shows that the Unani conceptualisation of menopause (Sinn al-Yā's) as a condition of sūʾ al-mizāj (morbid temperament) with predominance of Khilṭ-i-saudāʾ (black bile) and BaridYabis (cold-dryness) offers a unifying etiological explanation for its varied symptomatology. To mitigate vasomotor symptoms, psychological distress, sleep disturbances, and metabolic changes during menopause, each of the six essential factors—Hawa-e-Muheet (Air), MakoolwaMashroob (Food and Drink), Harkat waSukoon-e-Badani (Physical Activity and Repose), Harkat waSukoon-e-Nafsani (Mental Activity and Repose), NaumwaYaqza (Sleep and Wakefulness), and EhtibaswaIstifragh (Retention and Elimination)—offer prescriptive guidelines that exhibit remarkable concordance with evidence-based lifestyle medicine.
Conclusion: For comprehensive menopausal care, the Asbab-e-SittaZarooriyah offers a complex, methodical, and patient-centered framework. Its tenets, which support an integrated approach, are in perfect harmony with contemporary preventive and lifestyle medicine. To empirically evaluate this model's effectiveness and standardize its therapies for broader use, more clinical research is necessary.
