Chapter Eleven: Signs of Illness and Health Assessment Tests

The primary indicators that a healthy body, and consequently a healthy mind, are under assault by disease-causing agents include the following, which require continuous self-care: common cold, diarrhea, constipation, dizziness, headache, nausea, tremors, bloating, bad breath, stomach odor, and skin and hair disorders. These symptoms may signal various illnesses, and self-care practices, such as maintaining a proper diet and monitoring symptoms, play a crucial role in prevention and early diagnosis.

By observing these indicators, one can establish a standard measure of physical health. An individual who does not frequently suffer from colds, diarrhea, or constipation is considered to have a healthy body. The model of physical health is defined by the absence of these major factors.

The human body, akin to a vehicle, possesses self-regulatory and self-immune capacities, endowed with a lawful mechanism inherent in its self-care structure. Any issue within this system is accompanied by warnings, recovery, and resilience. A balanced and healthy body and mind never experience chronic diseases or persistent disturbing dreams.

In the self-care system, when an individual occasionally catches a cold, experiences diarrhea, constipation, headaches, or abdominal pain, there is no immediate need to consult a physician. Instead, one should first attempt informed self-treatment, unless the condition persists beyond three to four days or the individual is unable to confidently diagnose the illness, in which case consultation with a specialist is necessary.

First Test: Common Cold

It is essential to note how many times an individual contracts a cold within a year. Frequent colds may result from bodily weakness or infections. A cold signifies weakness, stress, or excessive pressure; otherwise, a robust individual who maintains strength and engages in physical activity does not catch colds. Recurrent colds, flank pain, or frequent headaches are undoubtedly linked to poor nutrition and hygiene. The common cold is both a cause and a symptom of illness, which, if neglected, can lead to severe outcomes, including death.

A strong individual, despite exposure to viruses, remains unaffected. Through exercise, specific nutrient-rich foods, and spiritual practices such as recitations and worship, one can eliminate weakness, lethargy, and infections from the body. Even a single cough may indicate an infection.

If an individual catches a cold in summer, it may prevent infectious diseases in winter, indicating a healthy body. The origin of a cold may lie in the brain, cerebellum, spinal cord, ears, neck, or feet.

Inhaling the smoke of donkey dung (ambergris) is beneficial for alleviating colds, sinus-related headaches, and strengthening the nervous system. Properly processed sheep and goat dung can be effective in treating allergies and boosting immunity. Consuming thyme tea with honey, known for its immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, along with adequate rest, can relieve cold symptoms and enhance the immune system. The antimicrobial properties of thyme for colds are well-documented.

Second Test: Diarrhea

The second test involves assessing the frequency of diarrhea episodes within a year, as well as their duration and treatment period. Diarrhea may stem from infections, poor diet, or a weakened digestive system. It occurs in weak individuals whose absorptive and retentive capacities have diminished. A healthy, strong individual with stable absorption rarely experiences diarrhea, just as a person with strong willpower and expulsion capacity seldom suffers from constipation or difficult bowel movements.

Diarrhea and constipation primarily affect the stomach more than other organs. Diarrhea depletes the body and weakens the stomach, as if pulling the stomach and intestines out of the body. Its cause lies in bodily infections, and its onset signals a battle within the body that, if not addressed promptly, can lead to death. Poisoning is a form of infection, and the stomach must be cleared of infection for recovery.

A mixture of ground jujube and roasted chickpeas with ice is effective for rapid diarrhea relief. Cotton-like jujube has numerous benefits. Including cucumber and lettuce in the diet afterward can accelerate recovery. Consuming kashk (dried yogurt), thick yogurt, roasted chickpeas, bread with meals, and dark carbonated beverages can reduce or improve diarrhea. Additionally, ripe bananas, by providing potassium and aiding digestion, are beneficial for diarrhea.

Healthy and clean breathing is also critical. Even in winter’s cold, one should not avoid fresh air, as breathing in enclosed spaces with stagnant air transfers infectious diseases, especially in crowded environments. Sneezes generate high-speed air currents, a significant factor in disease transmission. Dust and fine particles threaten the lungs and stomach. While carpets may be vacuumed on the surface, their undersides often harbor disease-causing microbes, a detail frequently overlooked. Infections can subtly transfer from carpets to the body.

Infectious and contagious diseases are more prevalent in public gatherings, such as mosques, religious centers, schools, and hospitals, affecting a larger number of people. A single contaminated breath can pollute a wide area, particularly in enclosed spaces or in the presence of fine dust particles.

Third Test: Constipation

If the diet is unsuitable, causing the body, stomach, intestines, and digestive system to suffer from constipation, delayed excretion, or heaviness, it can lead to stress, anxiety, fatigue, impatience, and irritability, rendering the individual unable to complete tasks calmly and efficiently. Constipation is associated with stress and digestive issues.

If the body cannot initially cleanse itself, eliminate fat and residues, and achieve relative ease and tranquility, it cannot turn toward inner spirituality or divine perfections. Constipation, weak excretion, obesity, and excess weight are a gradual death, stifling the inner spirit, grounding the body, and rendering it incapable of elevation or transcendence.

The more accumulated residues, impurities, fat, and dead cells in the body, and the less willpower and ability to excrete them, the greater the risk of deviation from inner truth and attachment to superficiality. If the body suffers from constipation, intestinal infections, or stomach ulcers, it must first address these issues, rooted in weak willpower, as accumulated residues weigh heavily on the spirit, impeding its movement and progress.

An individual’s weak willpower manifests in their actions, leading to delays, sluggishness, and inefficiency. Even if such a person exerts the effort of countless prophets and saints toward inner elevation, the lack of bodily agility yields no results, resulting in weakness, delays, and destruction in every endeavor, ultimately leading to despair and regret.

Spiritual depth resides in a healthy, robust body. Overloading the diet with diverse foods exacerbates constipation, sometimes leading to bloody stools, just as untreated diarrhea, if aggravated by increased food intake, causes intestinal irritation and severe, bloody diarrhea. Constipation is more destructive than diarrhea, as it involves the stomach and body grappling with hard, harsh, and domineering food, preventing the body from properly excreting waste. Food compatible with the body is soft.

While diarrhea can be acutely fatal, constipation kills gradually. If the thinness caused by diarrhea is a disease, the obesity caused by constipation is equally so. Constipation is the root of many digestive disorders, impairing brain function and causing cognitive deficits or misunderstandings, similar to overeating.

Constipation darkens and dulls the complexion, makes the body odorous, and gradually causes hair loss, inducing anxiety and stress in those afflicted. Blood sugar, lipids, and pressure are tied to blood quality and may result from constipation. High blood sugar typically leads to obesity and, in some cases, thinness.

An obese individual, due to improper excretion, suffers from constipation, which further exacerbates obesity and excess weight, contributing to numerous diseases. Those with constipation are also prone to subcutaneous infections and pus, necessitating attention to bathing and body massage for skin hygiene.

Constipation, which leads to high blood pressure and sugar, arises from excessive consumption of bread, meat, overeating, living in dry climates, and, most notably, weak willpower in excretion. Consuming zucchini and jujube slows the excretory system, causing constipation, which requires pepper to counteract. Green zucchini is unsuitable for spiritual growth, whereas pumpkin is beneficial.

Constipation varies among individuals, with distinct causes and treatments, often discovered through self-care and personal experience. For some, a mixture of apricot, milk, and pepper can relieve constipation, while peaches and sour cherries may help others. Mint, carrots, or turnips can also be effective.

When consumed appropriately, mint improves digestive function and reduces the likelihood of constipation. It stimulates the intestines, facilitating excretion, and acts as a sedative, reducing intestinal inflammation and constipation-related pain, while also treating diarrhea. Combined with honey, it effectively reduces gas and bloating. However, mint is unsuitable for children with weak immune and digestive systems and pregnant women, as it negatively affects fetal development. Excessive consumption can cause stomach irritation and burning.

Apricot, when mixed with milk and pepper, stimulates excretion. Consuming plums and increasing dietary fiber can enhance bowel movements and prevent chronic constipation. Plums and fiber reduce constipation by stimulating peristalsis. Apricot must be consumed fresh under its tree to retain its potent properties, as does pear. These fruits, imbued with divine delicacy and grace, lose their potency when consumed outside their orchard, becoming vulnerable and losing their protective shield, rendering them less effective. In contrast, apples, grapes, cucumbers, turnips, and cabbage can be stored for days without losing their primary benefits.

Enemas with almond oil can act as a laxative, preferable to oral medications, as they avoid aggressively burdening the stomach and body with adverse drug effects. Treatment should be gentle, accompanied by care and affection, to be naturally acceptable to the body.

Constipation, bodily dryness, nervous rigidity, and lack of willful agility can be alleviated by spending months near the sea, swimming, and breathing its air, which softens and balances the temperament. Digesting wheat bread, especially barley bread, is heavy and constipating, requiring ample vegetables and compatible fruits. Consuming large amounts of lettuce, alone or with cucumber in some individuals, softens bread in the stomach and prevents constipation. Excessive lettuce and cucumber may cause erectile issues in men, which can be balanced with cabbage.

One method to treat constipation is inducing sudden, controlled stress, such as unexpected news of tragic or joyful events, provided it does not cause fear, weakness, or further illness. Constipation and the inability to cleanse the stomach, intestines, and other organs, leading to accumulated residues, are among the greatest obstacles to spiritual growth.

An individual with constipation, akin to one with excessive mental rumination or obsession, experiences disturbed dreams, such as falling into a ravine, reflecting the condition of constipation. Lack of self-discipline and weak willpower are significant factors in constipation.

Fourth Test: Dizziness, Headache, Nausea, and Tremors

The fourth test for common ailments involves dizziness, headaches, nausea, and tremors. Most bodies experience tremors, the extent of which indicates illness. Tremors arise from nervous issues or an imbalanced temperament. In traditional medicine, the concept of “temperament” refers to the unique constitution of each individual, where health, strength, and balance are defined by specific bodily conditions. However, humans share certain common characteristics, collectively termed “temperament” in ancient medicine.

It is necessary to determine how often an individual experiences dizziness or nausea. The presence of these four indicators suggests an unhealthy, desiccated condition indicative of disease. Tremors and headaches signal bodily illness. Headaches typically originate from the spinal cord or stomach, while some, such as certain migraines, stem from the brain and remain medically unexplained. Resting in a calm environment can alleviate neurological symptoms and headaches. Consuming ginger, with its anti-nausea properties, can reduce nausea.

Nausea, bloating, abdominal cramps, and pain are linked to the stomach. Morning sickness in pregnancy indicates the body’s unpreparedness to nurture a fetus. The less severe the morning sickness, the healthier the mother’s body. Timely detection of fetal disorders or improper pregnancies can partially prevent the birth of unhealthy or disabled children with somatic or psychosomatic conditions.

Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause sleep disorders in the child, transferring maternal issues and predisposing the child to hidden ailments not yet included in neonatal care protocols.

Fifth Test: Breath and Stomach Odor

Odor is a key indicator of health. Foul breath or stomach odor from enzymatic activity can signal a specific illness. Odorous urine, feces, hands, feet, armpits, or feet one day after bathing indicates bodily weakness or dysfunction, serving as a warning sign in self-care.

Consuming mint, with its antimicrobial properties, and rinsing the mouth with saltwater improve oral hygiene and reduce digestive issues. Mint and saltwater eliminate oral bacteria, alleviating bad breath. Bad breath (halitosis) may result from digestive or oral issues.

Attention to bodily odor is essential. One aspect of purification is drinking water upon waking, even before morning prayers, which cleanses the stomach and intestines. Stomach purification is as critical as external cleanliness. Drinking several glasses of water on an empty stomach is recommended. Pain in the stomach upon drinking water indicates illness. A healthy individual should experience no discomfort from drinking multiple glasses of water on an empty stomach.

Water is the body’s best diagnostic tool. To detect a tire puncture, it is inflated and submerged in water. Gas pipes are pressurized to identify leaks. A dormant or dead stomach can be diagnosed and revived by drinking water on an empty stomach. If consuming six glasses of water in the morning causes discomfort, one should seek a diagnosis.

Drinking water on an empty stomach is a vital self-care practice for preventing or detecting illness early. The stomach is a foundational component of the body, serving as a diagnostic laboratory for health or illness. Some anxieties and worries stem from a weak stomach or nervous system exacerbated by stomach issues, which are notable in self-care.

Self-care is economically beneficial for individuals and families, reducing doctor visits and balancing diets by minimizing expensive foods. Meat, one of the costliest foods in our country, should be reduced, while affordable vegetables and fruits promote health. Meat and bread consumption should be balanced with twice as many vegetables and fruits, which prevent bad stomach odor and cleanse the stomach, counteracting dryness and constipation. The affordability of vegetables may reflect their underappreciation.

Saliva is another warning sign of illness. Sour, dry, tasteless, or odorous saliva indicates disease. One should assess whether saliva is dry or fluid, sour or tasteless, watery or frothy, and whether it is secreted first during nausea.

An individual with a refined body, close to spiritual purity, exudes a pleasant rosewater-like fragrance from their body and stomach, as if a heavenly breeze caresses the senses, enhancing their allure. Conversely, an individual with polluted, restless internal energy has an unpleasant odor, leading to bad breath and nervous weakness. The body and spirit are interconnected, influencing each other through this subtle internal energy.

Sixth Test: Skin and Hair

The skin reflects the body’s condition, like a laboratory test result. Many diseases, including cancer, have cutaneous origins. Signs of illness include skin itching, acne, boils, pustules, and colored skin spots. Acne and itching may indicate skin or internal issues, which are treatable or preventable.

Self-care for the skin involves regularly examining it in a mirror. Having multiple mirrors at home facilitates self-care. Those who avoid mirrors experience deficiency, lethargy, despair, and distortion. Frequent mirror use signifies hope, vitality, and freshness. Individuals accustomed to mirrors appear more beautiful and radiant than those indifferent to self-observation.

Mirrors are self-care tools, essential in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms. Diverse mirrors and frequent gazing are invigorating. One should look in the mirror multiple times daily, fostering a desire for exercise. Cultivating the habit of mirror use is crucial.

Close bodily observation allows for inner self-assessment. Mirrors reveal lip conditions, their freshness or wilting, skin brightness or dullness, paleness, posture, or developing hunchback, enabling posture correction through exercise to prevent spinal curvature. A smooth body indicates a healthy spirit, a rare trait.

A hairy body cannot achieve genius. Hairy women’s skin has large pores and excessive follicles, sometimes due to infections. Less body hair in women indicates better health. Hairy women lack deep understanding, focusing on appearances rather than inner insight. Men should have hair proportionate to masculinity, not excessively, which suggests animalistic traits. Consuming hormone-treated poultry increases body hair, distinct from natural hairiness.

Body hair should be studied for its texture, thickness, quantity, and color. Skin derives nourishment from diet. Women require more self-care than men, as cancer is more prevalent in women unable to prioritize hygiene and appearance due to life pressures. Posture and facial features distinguish humans from animals, with upright animals closer to human consciousness. Those with downward gazes consume more meat products.

Most skin diseases result from excessive meat, rice, and bread consumption, which are not the body’s primary foods but have become staples through dietary habits. Skin, follicles, and hair must be consistently monitored. Certain areas, like armpits and genitals, require hair, while others, like the perineum in men, should be hairless. The body is like a garden, with skin varying in smoothness, firmness, and hair growth.

Skin prone to acne, boils, opacity, or roughness indicates excessive consumption of meat, bread, rice, or high-calorie foods. Infections, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, lipids, and strokes stem from caloric excess and high-pressure lifestyles. Some individuals must avoid such foods entirely. Boils signal a serious bodily disturbance. Itchy skin suggests addiction, notably to opium, which causes constipation, dryness, and erectile dysfunction post-addiction. Cucumbers, unlike opium, are not drying and promote sleep, while opium disrupts it. Observing an addict’s appearance and bodily signs can precisely determine their usage history.

Fruits and vegetables enhance skin health and vitality. Those who avoid vegetables and excessively consume meat live shorter lives, becoming aggressive like wild animals. Complete meat avoidance for about two months can induce rabies-like symptoms.

Consuming coconut oil and biotin-rich foods, providing fatty acids and vitamins, improves skin and hair health.

Blood Test

The body floats in its blood, which fuels this remarkable structure. Many diseases arise from poor-quality blood, requiring continuous purification. Numbness, tingling, heaviness, or sluggishness in physical activities may indicate unhealthy blood. The heart and brain’s capacity depends on blood quality.

Regular blood tests are essential for detecting deficiencies and enabling early disease diagnosis, improving health management. Blood donation refreshes and purifies blood, surpassing traditional cupping, which lacks modern medical precision.

Adequate water, pomegranate juice, or pomegranates thin, purify, and cleanse blood. Pomegranates boost metabolism, reduce appetite, and promote weight loss. Blood quality impacts health, and pomegranates’ antioxidants may enhance blood health.

Headaches

Regular, quality sleep is crucial for headache management. Most headaches are alleviated by proper sleep hygiene, including a suitable bed, dark environment, avoiding prolonged daytime sleep, prioritizing nighttime sleep, and limiting continuous sleep to three hours.

Massaging temples with mint essential oil and adequate hydration improve blood circulation, relieving headaches. Some headaches are treated by disinfecting with burning esfand (wild rue) smoke inhalation. Migraine headaches are sometimes confused with arthritis-related headaches. Headaches triggered by scents, like perfume, or sunlight are migraines, not arthritis-related.

Diagnostic Tests for Illness

Self-care requires general recognition and predictive diagnosis of illnesses through continuous monitoring of bodily activities and early diagnostic tests before pain or disease manifests. When symptoms and complications eliminate the scope for self-care, conventional medical systems and urgent treatments become necessary.

The tests outlined here are for healthy individuals without current illnesses seeking to detect latent conditions. Sick individuals should avoid these tests and consult a physician. Examples of predictive tests include:

1. Limited Food Abstinence Test
   Short-term fasting or food abstinence over consecutive days enables the prediction of certain bodily ailments, revealing hidden conditions like headaches, meningitis, migraines, fractures, weakness, infections, and allergies. Minimal water is consumed at the start and end of the fasting period, with no food or drink except small amounts of water for up to five days, such as at dawn. Short-term fasting identifies food sensitivities, digestive triggers, and improves gut health.
2. Unconventional Eating Test
   Consuming food or drink excessively beyond habit in successive meals can reveal conditions like weak willpower, vascular degeneration, nervous weakness, intestinal torsion, or organ dysfunction. The ability to eat unconventionally without adverse effects indicates better health. Inability to consume large amounts of water or liquids, resulting in water intoxication or other issues, suggests hidden illness. This test is unsuitable for those with heart conditions, as excessive fluid intake can raise blood pressure and strain the heart. Observing bodily reactions to unconventional foods, like melon causing tremors, reveals latent ailments. Testing new foods identifies allergies and improves diets. Strong individuals can test various foods through unconventional overeating, but must restore bodily health afterward to avoid harm.
3. Physical Stress Test
   Applying physical stress through heavy exercise reveals hidden ailments. Examples include prolonged pull-up bar hanging, long jumps, or rope skipping. Sustaining a pull-up for ten minutes indicates a healthy body, free of eye or heart issues. Successfully performing inverted hanging with assistance signals a healthy heart valve, while failure suggests future issues. Individuals with astigmatism cannot perform backflips or stand inverted against a wall. These tests identify bodily weaknesses, enabling prevention. Heavy exercise evaluates endurance, identifies weaknesses, and enhances physical fitness, but fasting or prolonged sleeplessness requires medical supervision.
4. Temperature Exposure Test
   Exposure to cold or hot conditions for about an hour reveals conditions like osteoporosis or tremors. A healthy body does not tremble, clatter teeth, or experience goosebumps in cold environments. Maintaining stability in such conditions predicts a long lifespan, while issues emerging after an hour indicate illness. A healthy body tolerates hot air or water, with nerves and vessels adapting to external conditions. Temperature tests assess tolerance thresholds, enhance resilience, and strengthen immunity.
5. Unconventional Sleep Deprivation Test
   Enduring prolonged wakefulness without napping, without adverse effects, and easily waking after deciding to sleep indicates standard health. Frequent daytime naps signal illness, requiring diagnosis to prevent hallucinations, fears, insomnia, and obsessions. Sleep deprivation tests identify sleep issues and improve sleep hygiene.

Personality Assessment Test

Does an individual enjoy benefiting others or causing them trouble? One who abhors injustice, cannot tolerate oppression, avoids illicit consumption, feels reverence toward God, and embodies dignity and nobility carries a trace of righteousness in their character. Does one enjoy cruel or negative film characters, wishing to emulate them, indicating a disposition not aligned with goodness, or do they feel distressed by such characters and aspire to emulate positive ones? Emotional indifference to good or evil suggests a condition of apathy. Personality traits like benevolence are linked to mental health.

Key personality dimensions in the NEO-PI test for marriage compatibility and mental disorder diagnosis include extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience.

• Extraversion: Promotes excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and strong emotional expression. Dominant extraverts enjoy attention, initiating conversations, meeting new people, and find socializing energizing.
• Agreeableness: Fosters interest in others, empathy, and enjoyment in helping, favoring cooperation over competition. However, dominant agreeableness may lead to manipulation for personal gain.
• Openness to Experience: Emphasizes imagination, insight, creativity, adaptability, and interest in new challenges and abstract thinking. Excessive openness can activate negative traits like carelessness.
• Conscientiousness: Involves high-level thinking, organization, attention to detail, impulse control, clear planning, and prompt task execution.
• Neuroticism: Encompasses positive traits (calmness, easygoing nature, confidence) and negative traits (irritability, anxiety, moodiness). Neurotic individuals easily experience stress, sadness, depression, and emotional instability.

Negative personality traits include aggression, arrogance, coldness, deceit, selfishness, intolerance, judgmentalism, moodiness, negligence, and withdrawal. Positive traits include adaptability, consideration, cooperation, friendliness, dignity, humility, insight, impartiality, respect, stability, and inclusiveness.

Personality is not solely determined by genetics or isolated traits but requires a holistic approach, considering personal, familial, cultural, environmental, educational, innate, and divine factors, alongside appearance, intelligence, social skills, wit, athletic abilities, general knowledge, unique talents, confidence, presence, posture, attire, physical attractiveness, self-love, humility, politeness, vibrancy, friendliness, purity, sincerity, groundedness, gratitude, positivity, patience, ease, body language, modernity, courage, education, and independence.

This complexity underscores the challenge of understanding personality. For instance, overweight individuals may exhibit low self-esteem, poor self-control, mood swings, depression, or anxiety, increasing the likelihood of obesity, though not universally. Personality traits significantly correlate with career success, intimate relationships, and health.

Conventional Lifestyle Test

An individual with unconventional appearances, such as a man with long braided hair or excessive makeup, lacks a healthy personality. A balanced, moderate lifestyle reflects intellectual maturity.

Self-Knowledge Test Without Retribution

A self-care exercise for assessing the psyche involves imagining a world without God, religion, or consequences, where one is free from fear or guilt. Would such an individual refrain from immoral or inhumane acts and uphold human dignity? If they remain humane, their essence aligns with the path of prophets and divine saints.

Handshake and Embrace Test

Humans possess three natural diagnostic tools: eyes, tongue, and hands. The sense of touch in the palms is a powerful laboratory, as if the heart, containing awareness and connected to the hidden self, resides in the hands. Touching palms reveals the degree of affection toward others. Handshakes distinguish friends from foes, the indifferent, the honest from liars, and the loyal from traitors.

Handshakes provide a natural gauge of others’ inner states, with touch sensing emotions like love. Embraces reveal an individual’s character and proximity. Eyes offer unique insights, with a single glance penetrating another’s essence, revealing emotions like anxiety, depression, or misplaced anger. Those with heightened respiratory awareness can assess others through embraces.

Hand Interlocking

Habitually interlocking fingers or hands indicates bodily disturbance. Hands have opposing reflexes, and their entanglement disrupts mental clarity. Individuals using excessive hand gestures while speaking lack control over their thoughts and expressions, unduly relying on their hands.