Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and costly disease that, though not fatal, significantly affects social, economic, and psychological well-being. Although there are several treatments for the disease, none is still suitable and without complication; therefore, in this study, we used methods of Iranian traditional medicine and its thousands of years’ experience. To find a proper definition for UI in T.M., we studied bladder diseases in five reference books (The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna, the Exir-e-Azam by Hakim Azam Khan, Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi by Zayn al-Din Gorgani, Makhzan ul Advia by Hakim Gilani, and Teb Al-Akbar by Hakim Muhammad Arzani) and selected post-void dribbling and urinary incontinence (both means involuntary leakage of urine). After examining the causes and symptoms of the disease, we collected some of treatments provided by the Iranian traditional medicine (since from the perspective of Iranian medicine, treatment is first done by changes in diet and lifestyle, then medications and finally by practical methods). Then, we found different treatments, among which we examined the most common herbs in hope of introducing a new treatment for the disease relying on the traditional medicine. Involuntary leakage of urine and urinary incontinence were used interchangeably in old medical books, in which overactive bladder followed by uninhibited contractions of the detrusor muscle was the main cause. In the present study, causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of the disease were thoroughly investigated.

Key words: Urinary incontinence, Selselolbol, Taghtirolbol