Treatment of traumatic brain injury from the viewpoint of Avicenna (Ibn Sina): A historical review

Abstract

Since the edifice of conventional medicine is built on the pillars of past achievements, review or re-investigate the old medical manuscripts may lead to significant achievements. Avicenna was a famous Persian medieval physician and one of the pioneers of neuroscience. The aim of this study is to evaluate Avicenna's approach to traumatic brain injury (TBI), based on his main book on medicine, “Canon of Medicine”. Avicenna divided the TBI treatments into three categories: topical therapies, oral therapies, such as diets and medications, and manipulation therapies including phlebotomy, enema, foot bath, cupping, and massage. Although some of these recommendations are supported by current knowledge, many of them are still unknown and need scientific investigation to expand our knowledge of TBI treatments in the medieval period.

Keywords

• Traumatic brain injury
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
• Persian medicine
• Avicenna