Mutual Influence of Mental and Physical Health in Islamic Teachings and the Six Principles of Iranian Medicine

The mutual influence of the body and the mind and the dependence of the health of one on the other is among the most important topics of attention in the Holy Quran, religious texts, and the six principles of Iranian medicine. The realization of this matter is the result of several factors which are related to the physical and mental dimensions of human beings. The Quran has provided various recommendations to remind to pay attention to the health of the body and soul, to maintain health, and to prevent diseases; in the same vein, the Iranian medical scholars proposed six principles that converge with Islamic teachings. The present study, using a descriptive and analytical method, aimed to investigate the mutual influence of physical and mental health in Islamic teachings and the six principles of Iranian medicine in the Quran, religious texts, and reference books of Iranian medicine. According to research findings in the Quran and Islamic teachings, nutrition, exercise, faith, Islam, marriage, prayer, and many other components have an effect on physical and mental health, and in Iranian medicine, the six principles of sleep and wakefulness, air, food and drinks, Movement and stillness, retention and vomiting, and emotional symptoms are considered to be the most important factors affecting physical and mental health. Iranian medical scholars by adhering to the verses of the Quran and traditions, put forward complete and comprehensive six principles to maintain health, prevent diseases, and improve lifestyle, which there may not be principles as comprehensive in other schools as this one, due to the fact that Islam is the most complete religion and it has given the best instructions.