Saed News: The head of the Iranian Traditional and Complementary Medicine Center, on the occasion of World MS Day, explained the role of traditional Iranian medicine in helping improve the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
According to SAEDNEWS, Hossein Rezaei-Zadeh, while describing the approach of traditional Iranian medicine to this disease, said that its contribution to MS patients is focused on improving quality of life and reducing some symptoms and side effects of the disease. Based on this approach, standard medical treatments must continue.
Emphasizing that traditional Iranian medicine is not a substitute for conventional treatments, he stated that discontinuing standard therapies is not recommended under any circumstances. Instead, with the knowledge of the patient’s main physician—neurologists or MS subspecialists—traditional approaches may be used alongside standard treatments to help reduce complications and improve quality of life.
He added that lifestyle plays a crucial role in the condition of MS patients, noting that many patients appear to struggle with lifestyle-related issues, which can contribute to symptoms and complications.
The head of the center explained that these lifestyle problems are broad, including psychological issues such as perfectionism or excessive idealism, obsessive tendencies, mental stress, heavy workload, lack of sleep, insomnia, poor sleep quality, digestive problems, weight issues, and more.
He emphasized that correcting lifestyle is a major part of recommendations for these patients, and that such improvements can be based on an Iranian lifestyle model.
Regarding physical activity, he said exercise should be moderate and help improve energy circulation in the body. It should neither cause extreme fatigue nor deplete energy excessively, but rather improve the patient’s overall condition and make them feel better.
On nutrition, he noted that many questions are raised by MS patients and that extensive research has been conducted in this field.
Rejecting common labeling of patients based on temperament theories, he said MS cannot be attributed to a single temperament or an imbalance such as extreme cold, heat, or “black bile dominance,” and such classifications are not scientifically valid for all patients.
He added that research shows people with all temperaments can develop MS, and patients come from all temperament groups, so dietary prescriptions should not be based on such generalizations.
He also criticized strict and restrictive dietary recommendations, saying that absolute bans—such as completely avoiding dairy or “cold foods”—are not supported.
The main recommendation, he said, is a balanced diet using healthy, traditional Iranian foods, while avoiding overeating, food combinations that are not suitable together, and unhealthy eating habits.
He stressed the importance of proper digestion and regular bowel function.
He further rejected extremes in diet, saying patients should neither overconsume “hot” foods and spices nor completely eliminate “cold” foods or dairy products.
Explaining the core principle of dietary selection, he said the key is “compatibility”: any food that agrees with the patient’s body in its proper season and form, and makes the patient feel well, can be considered suitable.
He defined compatibility as the absence of negative effects within six hours after eating, such as anxiety, agitation, heat, irritability, or conversely lethargy, fatigue, or drowsiness.
If a food causes no such reactions, it is considered compatible with the body and can be consumed safely.
