Methods of Prophylaxis and Therapy for Emporiatrics: New or Ancient

Replying message to interesting letter “Emporiatrics: The Traveler Medicine’’, published in Iranian J Publ Health, which has recommended that traveler medicine will be characterized by new methods of therapy and prophylaxis (1), it may be interesting that there are some resources in Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) which include this topic and even some books pertain exclusively to this subject. “Zadolmosaferin”, which means: “Supplies for Travelers”, is one of the traveler medicine books in ITM. This book is divided to two chapters: Chapter1 gives travelers some hygienic recommendations in order to prevention from diseases; for example, Clearing of body from “humors” before travelling, Having onion and garlic together with food and some instruction else about nutrition, preventive guideline for thermal injuries, and similar subjects. Chapter 2 includes some treatments of common diseases during travelling, which may be necessary and could be performed by everyone; for example: smelling of rose water and rubbing of red rose oil on head are effective for headache caused by environmental heat increasing (2). Although travelling has been too different during past years, numerous methods of therapy and prophylaxis for travelers according to ITM, give us a lot of new, issues which could be introduced as easy and cheap methods of therapy and prophylaxis so, study about these instructions seems to be sensible.