All Muslims take part in the month-long dawn-to-sunset fast that is the hallmark of Ramadan. Eating and drinking (including water) is prohibited during daylight hours, and the day’s abstinence is offset by a nightly meal known as Iftar.

The month also honors the time when God, via the angel Gabriel, revealed the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

For 30 days, followers of Islam pray and refrain from smoking, bad behavior — including cursing, gossiping or fighting — and impure thoughts.

Muslims believe that fasting cleanses the body, and the practice reminds them of the suffering of the poor.

Physically speaking, the month also requires some strength to abstain from eating and drinking for long hours and for those who are healthy enough to observe fasting there will be benefits.

The Iranian traditional medicine has come up with a number of advices to feel better and experience better fasting days during this month.

How to avoid constipation

To prevent constipation it is recommended to consume lettuce, cucumber, and plum- especially for those with warm Mizaj- at Suhur meal.

Make sure to have Suhur

Not having Suhur is a huge mistake. The human digestive system converts food into nutrients that the body needs and once there is no food digestive acids eat away at the lining tissues of the stomach and lead to stomach ulcer and painful sores in the stomach lining or small intestine. 

Do not insist on eating too much

Generally, fasting would shrink the stomach, decrease the appetite, and result in losing weight. Therefore, insisting on eating as much as one used to eat before Ramadan might cause nausea, excessive throat mucus and Acid reflux.

Seyed Mahdi Mirghazanfari, MD, holds a PhD degree in medical physiology and is an Iranian-Islamic traditional medicine researcher. He is also an assistant professor in AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.

MQ/MG