The International Congress on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Objectives: In this study, in order to review the semiology of traditional medicine and apply it to current medical terminology, traditional and classic medicine resources on the subject of convulsion were reviewed. The connotative meaning of the term “convulsion” in traditional medicine is “the twitch of a non-specific part of the body, prepared for an expansive movement in a consistent, rapid and involuntary manner”. Materials and Methods: This review study was conducted by searching keywords such as “convulsion” and “fasciculation” in traditional Iranian medicine literature, i.e., Canon of Medicine, Al-Hawi, Bahr al-Jawahir and Summary of Wisdom, along with some reliable books on the nervous system (e.g., Bradley). Results: Based on the definition of fasciculation (subcutaneous twitches, not causing joint movements around the muscle), we can parallel the concept of convulsion in traditional medicine with fasciculation. Little attention has been paid to fasciculation in classic medicine. In fact, this sign can predict some diseases only in case of consistence and occurrence alongside other symptoms (e.g., muscle atrophy). Also, no treatments have been introduced for the sole incidence of convulsions. However, in traditional medicine literature, we can find details about the causes of convulsion and its classification. In these resources, the occurrence of convulsion in each part of the body can be a sign of a specific disease. In addition, lots of treatments have been proposed for alleviating this sign. Conclusion: As the results indicated, we can adopt the concept of convulsion in traditional medicine to fasciculation and apply the proposed treatments in traditional medicine resources.