Nowadays, maintaining hope in the patient-doctor conversation is a challenging subject, (1) so that some practitioners may be afraid of encouraging hope, (2) whereas Persian medical leaders has advised using hope as a therapeutic tool.
Rhazes, Avicenna and Jorjani, pioneers of Persian Medicine in the 9–12th century AD. (3-5), counted psychological factors as essential in maintaining health and as an effective tool in treatment. They believed in the stronger and faster effect of moods and feelings on illness compared with other physical states including nutrition, sleeping and physical activity; and in the same way they preceded psychotherapy in their therapeutic plan. (6) There are some historical documentations of successful psychotherapy approaches by Rhazes and Avicenna. (7) It has been mentioned by Rhazes that the physician should always encourage hope in patients, although he is not so confident about that, since "body temperament follows soul state". (8) In this regard, expressing condolences and sympathy to the patient, encouraging hope and downplaying the problem are listed as psychological techniques needed to deal with tremors secondary to feared situation exposures in Persian Medical sources. (9)
Despite the evidence of a positive role of hope on adolescents' life satisfaction in literature (10) and a proposed protocol in this context (1), there is scarce evidence about the therapeutic role of hope. In this regard, it seems that more attention should be paid to the therapeutic uses of hope in treatment of diseases in clinical practice and approach.
1. Cooper RS, Ferguson A, Bodurtha JN, Smith TJ. AMEN in Challenging Conversations: Bridging the Gaps Between Faith, Hope, and Medicine. Journal of Oncology Practice. 2014 05/06;10(4):e191-e5. PubMed PMID: PMC4870587.
2. Bressan RA, Iacoponi E, Candido de Assis J, Shergill SS. Hope is a therapeutic tool. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2017 Dec 13;359:j5469. PubMed PMID: 29237595. Epub 2017/12/15. eng.
3. Moattar F, Shams Ardekani MR, Ghannadi A. The Life of Jorjani: One of the Persian Pioneers of Medical Encyclopedia Compiling: On the Occasion of His 1000th Birthday Anniversary (434, A.H. - 1434, A.H.). Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal. 2013;15(9):763-6. PubMed PMID: PMC3929806.
4. Zargaran A, Mehdizadeh A, Zarshenas MM, Mohagheghzadeh A. Avicenna (980-1037 AD). Journal of neurology. 2012 Feb;259(2):389-90. PubMed PMID: 21887514. Epub 2011/09/03. eng.
5. Zarshenas MM, Mehdizadeh A, Zargaran A, Mohagheghzadeh A. Rhazes (865-925 AD). Journal of neurology. 2012 May;259(5):1001-2. PubMed PMID: 22302275. Epub 2012/02/04. eng.
6. Jorjani SE. Zakhireye Kharazm Shahi (Treasure of Kharazm Shah) [In Persian]. In: Moharreri MR, editor. Tehran: Iranian Medical Academy.
7. Nizami Arudi. The Four Discourse (Chahar Maqala). Tehran: Amir Kabir; 2012.
8. Razi M. Al-Havi (The Large Comprehensive). Beirut: Dare Ehia Attorath Al Arabi; 2001. p. 14.
9. Arzani MA. Teb-e-Akbari [Akbari's Medicine]. Qom: Jalaloddin; 2007.
10. Marques SC, Lopez SJ, Mitchell J. The Role of Hope, Spirituality and Religious Practice in Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction: Longitudinal Findings. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2013 March 01;14(1):251-61.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
21 January 2018
Amir Mohammad Jaladat
Faculty member of Department of Persian Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran.
Fatemeh Atarzadeh, Majid Nimruzi
Department of Persian Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran.
Rapid Response:
Re: Hope is a therapeutic tool
Dear Editor,
Nowadays, maintaining hope in the patient-doctor conversation is a challenging subject, (1) so that some practitioners may be afraid of encouraging hope, (2) whereas Persian medical leaders has advised using hope as a therapeutic tool.
Rhazes, Avicenna and Jorjani, pioneers of Persian Medicine in the 9–12th century AD. (3-5), counted psychological factors as essential in maintaining health and as an effective tool in treatment. They believed in the stronger and faster effect of moods and feelings on illness compared with other physical states including nutrition, sleeping and physical activity; and in the same way they preceded psychotherapy in their therapeutic plan. (6) There are some historical documentations of successful psychotherapy approaches by Rhazes and Avicenna. (7) It has been mentioned by Rhazes that the physician should always encourage hope in patients, although he is not so confident about that, since "body temperament follows soul state". (8) In this regard, expressing condolences and sympathy to the patient, encouraging hope and downplaying the problem are listed as psychological techniques needed to deal with tremors secondary to feared situation exposures in Persian Medical sources. (9)
Despite the evidence of a positive role of hope on adolescents' life satisfaction in literature (10) and a proposed protocol in this context (1), there is scarce evidence about the therapeutic role of hope. In this regard, it seems that more attention should be paid to the therapeutic uses of hope in treatment of diseases in clinical practice and approach.
1. Cooper RS, Ferguson A, Bodurtha JN, Smith TJ. AMEN in Challenging Conversations: Bridging the Gaps Between Faith, Hope, and Medicine. Journal of Oncology Practice. 2014 05/06;10(4):e191-e5. PubMed PMID: PMC4870587.
2. Bressan RA, Iacoponi E, Candido de Assis J, Shergill SS. Hope is a therapeutic tool. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2017 Dec 13;359:j5469. PubMed PMID: 29237595. Epub 2017/12/15. eng.
3. Moattar F, Shams Ardekani MR, Ghannadi A. The Life of Jorjani: One of the Persian Pioneers of Medical Encyclopedia Compiling: On the Occasion of His 1000th Birthday Anniversary (434, A.H. - 1434, A.H.). Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal. 2013;15(9):763-6. PubMed PMID: PMC3929806.
4. Zargaran A, Mehdizadeh A, Zarshenas MM, Mohagheghzadeh A. Avicenna (980-1037 AD). Journal of neurology. 2012 Feb;259(2):389-90. PubMed PMID: 21887514. Epub 2011/09/03. eng.
5. Zarshenas MM, Mehdizadeh A, Zargaran A, Mohagheghzadeh A. Rhazes (865-925 AD). Journal of neurology. 2012 May;259(5):1001-2. PubMed PMID: 22302275. Epub 2012/02/04. eng.
6. Jorjani SE. Zakhireye Kharazm Shahi (Treasure of Kharazm Shah) [In Persian]. In: Moharreri MR, editor. Tehran: Iranian Medical Academy.
7. Nizami Arudi. The Four Discourse (Chahar Maqala). Tehran: Amir Kabir; 2012.
8. Razi M. Al-Havi (The Large Comprehensive). Beirut: Dare Ehia Attorath Al Arabi; 2001. p. 14.
9. Arzani MA. Teb-e-Akbari [Akbari's Medicine]. Qom: Jalaloddin; 2007.
10. Marques SC, Lopez SJ, Mitchell J. The Role of Hope, Spirituality and Religious Practice in Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction: Longitudinal Findings. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2013 March 01;14(1):251-61.
Competing interests: No competing interests