Article Details

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases are strongly influenced by diet, physical inactivity, poor sleep, psychosocial stress, harmful exposures, and environmental conditions. Lifestyle medicine addresses these determinants through structured behavioral and preventive interventions. The Unani framework of Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya, or six essential factors, offers an older and culturally grounded account of the daily conditions required for health: Hawa; Makool wa Mashroob; Harkat wa Sukoon Badani; Harkat wa Sukoon Nafsani; Naum wa Yaqza; and Istifragh wa Ihtibas. This narrative review examines these six domains alongside contemporary preventive medicine. Classical sources, including Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, Kamil al-Sana'ah al-Tibbiyah, Kitab al-Kulliyat, and Kitab al-Mansuri, were considered with literature from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Clear areas of convergence include clean air, healthy dietary patterns, regular activity with adequate recovery, psychological regulation, restorative sleep, and orderly elimination. The systems differ in explanatory language: Unani medicine uses Mizaj, Akhlat, and Tabiyat, whereas contemporary lifestyle medicine relies on epidemiology, physiology, behavioral science, and clinical trials. These concepts should therefore be compared functionally rather than treated as direct biomedical equivalents. Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya may provide a useful culturally acceptable structure for preventive counseling, but the integrated model itself requires prospective evaluation using measurable behaviors and clinical outcomes.