Toward a holistic model of personalized and integrative medicine: The distinctive role of Persian medicine

Modern personalized medicine is transforming healthcare by customizing treatments based on individual genetic, environmental, and lifestyle profiles. However, its application remains complex and often technologically intensive. Traditional systems, particularly Persian Medicine (PM), offer distinctive frameworks that align with and can enrich contemporary personalized care. Unlike other traditional systems, PM is grounded in a unique philosophical concept of health governed by Nature (Tabi'at)-an intrinsic healing force-and operationalized through the concept of temperament (Mizaj). In this article, we systematically review both classical sources and contemporary clinical research to explore how PM offers structured diagnostic methods, preventive principles, and therapeutic modalities. We present a descriptive comparative overview of PM, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and provide practical models of integration into modern healthcare. We propose that PM provides a philosophically coherent and empirically grounded model that complements genomic medicine while fostering truly patient-centered, integrative care. However, the evidence base remains nascent, and further high-quality research is needed to validate its integrative potential.