Avicenna's View on Optimal Daily Water Intake

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• History of Medicine
• Physiology

Background:

• Homeostasis relies on adequate fluid intake, but daily water needs for healthy individuals remain debated.
• The common recommendation of eight glasses of water daily lacks robust scientific support.
• This study explores water intake perspectives from Avicenna and Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate historical and traditional viewpoints on optimal daily water intake.
• To challenge the universal recommendation of a fixed daily water intake.
• To highlight the personalized nature of fluid requirements based on individual factors.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed Avicenna's "Canon of Medicine" for insights into water intake.
• Conducted a literature search across Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, IranMedex, and SID databases.
• Utilized keywords: "traditional medicine", "water intake", "fluid", and "complementary and alternative medicine".

Main Results:

• Avicenna recognized that daily water demand varies significantly among individuals.
• Factors influencing water needs include temperament (mizaj), health, age, sex, season, location, habits, and occupation.
• Excessive water intake can disrupt basal internal heat (hararat-e-ghariezi), crucial for homeostasis and metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Individual water requirements are multifactorial and cannot be standardized.
• A universal recommendation for daily water intake is scientifically unsound.
• TPM principles offer valuable guidance for personalized fluid consumption to prevent health issues.