Is indigenous health knowledge converging to herbalism? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Tropical Medicine and International Health, 1997
Traditional medicine in Africa is contrasted with biomedicine. Most traditional medical theories have a social and religious character and emphasize prevention and holistic features. Traditional medical practices are usually characterized by the healer's personal involvement, by secrecy and a reward system. Biomedical theory and practice show an almost opposite picture: asocial, irreligious, curative and organ-directed; professional detachment, public knowledge and -until recently -'free of charge'. It is suggested that local communities do not expect that basic health care will improve when traditional healers become integrated into the service. They ask instead for improvement of basic health care itself: more services with better access, more dedication and respect from doctors and nurses, more medicines and personnel. Fieldwork needs to be done at the community level to arrive at a better understanding and assessment of the community's opinion concerning a possible role of traditional medicine in basic health care.
Globalization and cultural interaction, new lifestyles, the diffusion of ''modern medicine'', the transformation of traditional religious practices and beliefs, have profoundly challenged and modified indigenous health systems. This paper questions whether due to these changes traditional healing systems are to some extent converging into ''herbalism'' and losing ties with their original cultural systems. By analyzing the healing practices of two communities (Maasai and Meru) in the rural ward of Ngar-enyanyuki (Northern Tanzania), the paper explores how traditional and modern health knowledge circulates , changes, and evolves. Evidence from the case study shows that herbal remedies play an increasingly key role in traditional healing practices. Nevertheless, Maasai and Meru health knowledge emerges as a rich and challenging mix of evolving practices. The paper discusses these ongoing processes and inputs into the debate on health provision in African countries by underlining the need for a policy transition to more holistic healing systems which may provide highly desirable options in the current context of health reforms.
Background: African Traditional Medicine continues to strive and contribute to health care for many indigenous people in Africa. Within this system, Traditional Health Practitioners are the custodians of traditional health, knowledge and practices and play various roles such as counselling and teaching. There are unique ways to name, diagnose, treat, and manage ill-health in African Traditional Medicine, which makes this system unique. However, most concepts are loosely used or translated literally by researchers and scholar without their proper application and contextualization. This study was undertaken to explore and describe how Traditional Health Practitioners define African Traditional Medicine, in their own accord and understanding.Methods: Qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Data was collected from eighteen (18) Traditional Health Practitioners who were sampled using snowball technique. Individual semi-structured interviews were done and audio record...
Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
Open Access Journal of Oncology and Medicine
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
UPINE PUBLISHERS Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
The Place of Traditional Medicine in the African Society: The Science, Acceptance and Support
American Journal of Health Research, 2014
Traditional medicine (TM) has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the surest alternative means to achieve total health care coverage of the world's population. In most African societies, traditional medicine plays an important role in the lives of millions who cannot access western medicine. In some areas, TM is part of the first set of response mechanisms for medical emergencies whilst in others the whole health system of the community is hinged on medicines rooted in local practice and belief. Although the relevance and values of TM is begining to gain recognition, African traditional medicine (ATM) still faces some challenges which underscore its scrutiny. This paper thus analyses the issue of science, acceptance and support for successful implementation of ATM and present the contemporary measures that are being taken to raise its standard to the level of western medicine.
Social Science & Medicine, 1987
Many years of ethno-medical research in Africa have increased our knowledge of different aspects of indigenous medical systems. Like any other cultural system, indigenous medical systems have been undergoing changes over the years as African countries continue to experience tremendous alterations in their ecological systems, socio-economic activities, political and cultural life. These changes have had some impact on the practice of indigenous medicine in many parts of Africa. Compared with bio-medical services, ethno-medicine is usually characterized as more available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable. This paper seeks to draw attention to the need to re-examine these attributes as applied to ethno-medical practices in contemporary Africa in view of the present rate of social change in most African countries.
Journalism and Mass Communication, 2015
Whereas global medicine and health care practices have improved the quality of people's lives, especially in the developing countries data abounds that local communities have been crippled by the same medical practises. Some societies in developing countries have become sources of specimen for clinical trials of biomedicine which is unaffordable to their citizens. This paper explores the neglect of traditional African medicinal innovations and research in favour of imported Western medicine perpetuated by the developed countries. The paper argues that global medicine and health care have neither utilized nor recognized the African Traditional Medicine (ATM) fully, despite the fact that cultures in developed world used and continue to utilize the indigenous medical knowledge. The paper further argues that instead of neglecting African Traditional Medicine, ATM and biomedicine can be more beneficial by blending them into a single system, through what we would call in this paper High-Performance Medical Research (HPMR). This would allow participation of communities to achieve both socioeconomic and medical knowledge growth rather than being a monopoly and preserve of developed organizations in the North. This paper proposes that HPMR should be a systematic and scientific approach for enhancing local people's participation in the development of medical ventures. This paper draws on secondary data on traditional African therapeutic practices by some local communities in East Africa combined with literature review on medical practice in Western societies.
Trends and Challenges of Traditional Medicine in Africa
African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 2011
Prior to the introduction of cosmopolitan medicine, traditional medicine used to be the dominant medical system available to millions of people in Africa in both rural and urban communities. However, the arrival of the Europeans marked a significant turning point in the history of this age-long tradition and culture. This paper examines the trends and challenges of traditional medicine in Africa. The impact of colonialism on African traditional medicine is also examined. Although the paper is on Africa, references are drawn around the world to buttress the growing demand for traditional medicine. The paper concludes that to minimise the current distrust between modern and traditional doctors and to achieve the objective of regulation, standardisation and cooperation, both traditional and modern doctors must acknowledge their areas of strengths and weaknesses from which they operate and be genuinely concerned about the difficult but necessary task of being human.