Tibb and the Breath of Life

Transcription

1 Tibb and the Breath of Life Dr John P Glynn and Prof Rashid Bhikha June 2016 Contents: Abstract Overview Breathing and Life Breathing and Disease The Miasmic Theory Tibb and Breathing Better Breathing, better Health Breathing Exercises Health and the Climate Air Pollution Practical Measures Summary Sources Further Reading Abstract The importance of breathing in maintaining good health was acknowledged centuries ago by Hippocrates and it remains true to this day perhaps even more so. Ibn Sina, another pioneer of Tibb had a lot to say about the importance of good quality air and the environment in the health scenario. In fact, in the hierarchy of Lifestyle Factors, environmental air and breathing occupies the number one spot. This is especially pertinent to these times, where the cause of numerous illnesses may be laid at the door of environmental pollution. There are two distinct aspects to this: one, the necessity to breathe properly and effectively, and two, to ensure that the air taken in is of the best possible quality. The former can be addressed by information on correct breathing, and in the use of a series of breathing exercises which deal with different people with different temperaments and affected by one or other ailment. The latter deals with tactics to avoid poor quality air domestically or in the workplace, and how to reduce exposure to natural toxins present in the environment. It also covers the additional toxins which have entered our biosphere due to industrialisation, specifically large scale fossil burning, agrochemical spraying and modern transport systems. Overview Ibn Sina, the Prince of Physicians, identified our environment, especially the air we breathe in different climates and seasons as a major influence on our state of health. In his time there was little air pollution compared to ours. It did exist of course, but was not as pervasive, intense or continuous as in our present time: no cars, no chemical emissions or leakages, no crop spraying, and no cigarette smoking. Even so the ancient philosophers were aware that the stale, foetid air around swamps, open sewers and rotting carcases was the source of many diseases. True to their convictions, they had the marshes drained, hospitals placed on higher ground where the air was deemed The word malaria literally means "bad air" in Latin. purer, and human waste disposed of effectively. Hippocrates ( BCE), regarded by most as the founder of scientific medicine, said that our health cannot be separated from the natural environment. He stressed the importance of equilibrium between our inner world, defined as our constitution and temperament, and the outer world. The contact between the two came about mainly from the diet, the exercise we take, and the air we breathe. Adjusting these to deal with a changing environment was the key to maintaining good health. Before the Industrial Age the main changes to the air came from variations in the weather. As the seasons rotate, so does the nature of the air we breathe. If these changes are extreme, or occur too

2 quickly for our body to adapt properly, then we become more vulnerable to various ailments. For example, when the season becomes cold and wet, then Physis, our power of self-healing, is less able to deal with hostile microbes, and down we go with colds, flu, bronchitis, etc. Breathing and Life What does a newborn baby do first? It takes a deep breath, before greeting the world with a piercing cry. This is because the environmentʼs air is the most essential factor in maintaining life. Most of can live without water for a few days, and without food or sleep for a several days longer. But without air to breathe we will scarcely survive for a couple of We draw air into our lungs, and exchange its oxygen for carbon dioxide, a waste product of the energy process. or social venues, is the basis of most public health programmes. minutes. Even in times long gone by, the quality of air our ancestors breathed was important to the health conscious. Nowadays, good air quality, at home, work We are generally unaware of the air which surrounds us. This is because it is invisible, free, and rarely noticed, unless it is really polluted and offensive. So we tend to take this vital, indispensible substance for granted. However, our state of health depends to a surprising degree on the quality of the air we breathe in, and the various agents good (like oxygen) or bad (like toxins), it contains. It also depends on the changes in air which occur from season to season, from place to place, and whether is pure or laden with dangerous particles or hostile microbes. Our nervous system, especially the brain, demands a high intake of oxygen for its many metabolic activities. This it must obtain from the air we breathe in. If this air is polluted the brain will ultimately suffer greatly, and mental clarity and thinking, for example, will be impaired. Breathing and Disease In the revered tradition of the founders of Tibb Hippocrates, Galen and Ibn Sina illness was viewed as a deviation from the normal state of health, caused by a serious and continuing lack of balance in environmental, physical and mental influences the so-called Lifestyle Factors. The six major ones are the air we breathe, our food and drink, physical activity and rest, whether we slept well, the state of our mind, and how effectively we disposed of our natural waste. If disharmony arose between these factors and our physical nature (labelled as temperament), then ill-health ensued. Poor quality air, for instance, was seen as the source of many common but serious diseases. How did this happen? Disturbances to one (or more) Lifestyle Factor upset the balance between the various body fluids (humours). This led to abnormal or excess of one of the humours, which expressed as a particular ailment. The Miasmic Theory of Disease This popular theory of disease, held for hundreds of years, held that many diseases, such as tuberculosis, cholera and malaria were caused by miasmas, or a poisonous form of air or water containing toxic particles which emanated from swamps, refuse dumps, rotting carcases and sewers. Some doctors considered it was the cause of other conditions like rheumatism and obesity. It held sway until superseded by the germ theory of disease in the late 19 th Century. Even so, it provided the incentive to improve local waste removal and better hygiene. The theory did not allow for diseases being spread by touch, food or infection. Today, the miasmic theory takes a different form. Instead of the traditional miasma, we now have particles from cigarettes, automobiles, aeroplanes and factories which trigger various respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis. We have toxins from chemical factories and crop spraying, and present in water supplies which are thought to lead to various cancers and neurological diseases like autism spectrum disorders.

3 Breathing as a Tibb Lifestyle Factor Tibb regards environmental air and breathing as one of the primary Lifestyle Factor. It is the essential component needed to provide nutrition for the Vital Faculty, which is the source of life for our body. In a nutshell, our health is determined to an important degree by the quality of the air we breathe, and how we breathe it. Foremost of the Lifestyle Factors, according to Ibn Sina, was environmental air and breathing. This encompassed the quality of our air, its origin, the effect of the seasons and climate, how well (or badly) we breathed. As part of any therapy, these were evaluated, and corrective measures advised. If he were alive now, he would no doubt include the menace of airborne toxins and particles. In the world we now live in, a major, insidious and increasing threat to good health is air pollution. It may come from cigarette smoke, vapeing, car exhausts, paint fumes, or mosquito coils. When severe, the toxins breathed in will irritate our mucous membranes, especially in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. This invariably leads to allergies, and makes us more vulnerable to infections from microbes. Our breathing can be badly affected, leading to respiratory disorders. Even when only mildly polluted, toxins can wreak havoc on the brain, leading to headaches, tiredness, muddle-headedness and irritability. Generally, our immune systems will be affected, resulting in greater risk of infection, cancers and auto-immune diseases like arthritis. Tibb accepts that the air we breathe and its vital ingredient pneuma, as the primary source of nutrition for our living body. Without pneuma (or oxygen), the body would shut down quickly, and totally. Oxygen is required, directly or indirectly, for all biological processes in our bodies, especially providing energy. Tibb also accepts that our environmental air is influenced by other related factors, such as seasonal variation, local climate, geographic location and environmental changes. These may have substantial effects, positive or negative, on our digestion, quality of sleep and body waste removal. Hippocrates, a pioneer of Tibb, advises homes to be kept free from foul, noxious odours and vapours. Poor air quality leads to disturbed harmony within our bodies. Normally, Physis, or our ʻdoctor withinʼ, which is responsible for inner healing, ensures that our body remains in harmony. This is despite changes to the climate, seasons of the year, and the quality of air being breathed. It acts effectively to restore balance. Breathing also is the vehicle by which carbon dioxide is removed from the body. It is a natural waste product, formed from biochemical respiration during the myriad of metabolic processes that life entails. Ibn Sina also mentioned two minor Lifestyle factors which also involved the need for optimum breathing practice. These are the personʼs occupation, and whether he or she was exposed to toxic airborne toxic substance or pathogenic microbes. Better breathing, better health What can we do about this threat to our wellness? The obvious approach is to avoid areas of poor air quality at home or work, keep away from smokers, maintain the car in good condition, etc. Tibb goes along with this, having maintained for centuries that what we breathe in can have a profound effect on our health. Our lungs work better, and so breathing improves, if we take up regular physical exercise or become more active. It also encourages better breathing, as this is arguably as important as the quality of the air. Shallow breathing leads to fatigue and muscle tension. Learning to breathe properly is a good, cost-effective way of improving in our health. It is even more valuable when used in harness with other Tibb Lifestyle Factors. The benefits you feel will take your breath away!

4 We can select a particular breathing exercise which will help in the treatment of raised blood pressure, anxiety and panic attacks, certain digestive ailments, and other stress-related disorders. Deep breathing exercises are especially valuable in hyperactive children, as it calms down restlessness and helps channel excess energy. Breathing Exercises There are several breathing exercises which are promoted to improve general health, reduce stress and find calm, increase vitality, mental alertness, etc. Ultimately they revolve around varying the rate Therapeutic breathing helps our body and mind work optimally. It relaxes us, so reducing stress and promoting calmness. and degree of inspiration and expiration, focus on the diaphragm, whether or not combined with meditation or other activity, and time, location and posture. The Tibb breathing exercises are simple, suitable for people of all ages, and not likely to result in over-exertion. They include chest and diaphragmatic breathing, and different types of rhythmic breathing, according to the ailment affecting us, and our temperament. The exercises are especially valuable when combined with meditation as a way of relieving stress, or during periods of strong emotions like anxiety, anger and grief. Health and the Climate We usually take for granted the air we breathe, as it is free, invisible and unobtrusive. In South Africa we are fortunate to live in a country with a (generally) stable, temperate and amenable climate, not too cold in winter, or too hot in summer. We avoid the oppressive heat, unbearable cold, excessive wetness and damaging dryness that less fortunate countries endure. These inflict, over time, intolerable stresses on a personʼs inner harmony, often leading to one ailment or another. They also encourage inflammation in exposed tissues, making us more prone to infection, for example. People living in hot and humid climates tend to be prone to infections, and energy levels are low. At the other extreme, people in cold and dry places tend to suffer from rheumatic ailments and dry skin. For these, dehydration can be a serious medical problem. For Europeans, living in cold and moist surroundings for much of the year, respiratory disorders like asthma, bronchitis, colds and flu. Our response to seasonal weather changes is coordinated by the Vital Faculty through the respiratory, circulatory and immune systems. However, the climate has been changing inexorably over the last few decades, due to intense industrialisation, burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. We can expect more health problems due to an increase in toxins released into the atmosphere from heat-stressed plants. Ibn Sina in particular was very concerned about the health aspects of travelling to different regions: A hot climate is prone to dry us out. This may be therapeutic for those of us with phlegmatic disorders like chronic bronchitis, weeping eczema, or rheumatism. A Hot and humid climate tends to be oppressive, energy-sapping, with our breathing often difficult. They promote infectious diseases and, in the past, epidemics. Strict cleanliness and personal hygiene are important in such climes and seasons. A Cold and moist climate aggravates chronic phlegmatic disorders like rheumatism and asthma. The high level of coldness and dampness lowers Physisʼ ability to protect against respiratory and musculo-skeletal disorders. A Cold and dry climate encourages melancholic disorders like arthritis, rheumatism and skin problems. This occurs in windy regions like mountains and desert, which promote disorders of the nervous system. Regular re-hydration is essential in these regions.

5 Sources For the Tibb Breathing Exercises refer to the Tibb website link: Other Breathing Exercises: Further reading Bhikha, R. and Haq, M.A. (2000). Tibb Traditional Roots of Medicine in Modern Routes to Health. Mountain of Light. South Africa. Abu-Asab, M, Amri, H, and Micozzi MS. (2013). Avicennaʼs Medicine. A new Translation. Healing Arts Press (Rochester, USA) Chishti G M. (1991). The Traditional Healerʼs Handbook. A Classic Guide to the Medicine of Avicenna. Healing Arts Press. Bhikha, R and Saville, J. (2015). Healing with Tibb. ********************** (ends) **********************