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Importance of traditional medicines
Disadvantages of traditional medicines
Importance of traditional medicines
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What is Traditional Medicine
What is traditional medicine? Traditional medicine is the total sum of all the knowledge, skills and practices that are based on the theories, beliefs and experience that are indigenous to different cultures, and is used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. Traditional medicine may also be called alternative, complementary and non-conventional interchangeably in some countries.
Background
The philosophy and practice is composed of many different systems of traditional medicine, which are all influenced by prevailing conditions, environment, and geographic area within, where it first evolved into WHO (2005). Although it is a common
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philosophy is that a holistic approach to life is equilibrium of the mind, body and the environment. The focus on health, or on the overall condition of an individual, instead of the ailment or disease that an individual is suffering from. The core part of all the systems of traditional medicine are herbs. History: TCM An important example of how ancient and accumulated knowledge is applied in a holistic approach that is still used today in health care is the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and a history over 3,000 years. In China, about 2,000 years ago called The Devine Farmer’s Classic of Herbalism and is the oldest known herbal text in the world. From all the accumulated and methodically collection of herbs has developed over the years into various herbal pharmacopoeias and into many monographs on individual herbs. TCM: Holistic View Based upon a holistic view of diagnosis and treatment of a patients and their symptoms are expressed on terms of the balance of yin and yang. Yin is meant to represent earth, cold, femininity, while yang is meant to represent sky, heat, and masculinity. Influenced by the actions of yin and yang, interactions of the five elements composing the universe metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners try to control yin and yang levels through the 12 meridians, when they try to bring and channel energy (Qi) thought the body. Tradition Chinese medicine is growing in practice around the world and used for promoting health, also for preventing and curing disease. History: Egyptian Some of the earliest forms of intentional healing practices has been shamanistic in nature. In the scientific-technology periods placebo effect came about from shamans had harnessed the beliefs of a sick individual in order to assist the body’s innate ability to heal itself. In Egypt, around 2000 B.C. there is evidence that some Egyptian herbalists understood that there was physical side effects from the plant material that they were applying and consuming. For instance, they knew that by chewing on blue lotus that was used as a sexual vitality for both men and women. In those days many of the people considered and believed that their herbalist-shamans were gods. American Herbal People from both North and South America used medicinal herbs, they had such a vast collection of botanical and medical knowledge that when the European explorers came over to conquer they were quite impressed with the Americas. In fact, the Aztecs were expert herbalists. Two Native American students in the early rule of Spain attended College of Santa Cruz in Tlaltilulco. The boys Martinus de la Cruz and Juannes Badianus made a list of herbs that had been used as medicine for thousands of years by the Aztecs and they called it Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis, Latin for “Little Book of Medicinal Herbs of the Indians”, more commonly called Badianus Manuscript is of the oldest known American herbal. The English Physician Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) was a Puritan and Parliamentarian who popularized astrological herbalism. As one of the most influential writers in the history of herbalism, in which, his most famous work The English Physician (1652), where his descriptions of herbs and how the uses of herbs are tightly intertwined with the readings of stars and planets, has had over 40 editions have been printed since its original production. In the 1810 Ebenezer Sibly edition added illustrations into Culpeper’s book. Development and Mass Production In the development and mass production of chemically synthesized drugs in the past 100 years have revolutionized health care in most parts of the world, but in developing countries large sections of the population still depend on traditional practitioners and herbal medicines for primary care. Even though it is more prevalent in other countries it is not just limited there, in the past two decades the public interest of natural therapies in industrialized countries has greatly increased because of the expanding the use of ethnobotanicals. The Reasons Some of the most common reasons why an individual would choose to use traditional medicine: more affordable, corresponds a patient’s ideology more closely, eases an individual’s fear of adverse chemical reactions and effects from synthetic drugs, allows an individual the satisfaction of having a personalized health care specifically for that individual, and allows for greater public access for health information.
The major use for herbal medicines is for the promotion of health and for therapy for chronic conditions, instead of being used for life-threatening conditions; except in the event of say advanced cancer or new infectious diseases when conventional medicine practices no longer are working an individual may use traditional remedies. While traditional medicines are often mistaken that because they are natural that they are safe, non-toxic, which is not always the case. In cases when an individual is taking herbs with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or other herbs that may cause some adverse side affects. As a flourishing commercial enterprise, it doesn’t matter why an individual uses traditional medicines, it provides important health care services for individuals that have access physically or finantually to allopathic
medicine. Applications of Herbs Today herbs are applied for a treatment of chronic/acute conditions and various of other ailments. An herb is a plant or a part of a plant that is used for its flavor, scent, or therapeutic and medicinal properties. The crude material of a plant such as the leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, stem, wood/bark, roots, rhizomes. These parts of a plant can either be found whole, fragmented, or powder. Other plant parts could also be used such as fresh juices, gum, fixed oils, essential oils and resin. A finished herbal product may include but not limited to powered herbal material, extracts, tinctures, and fatty oils. The extraction processes could be seeping, fractionation, purification, concentration, or by other physical/biological processes. From the plants and plant material the products from those to be used in the forms of syrups, ointments, salves, and tablets just to name a few. Europe Expansions In Europe, it is very common place that an individual would be using herbal medicines, in fact Germany and France leading the sales of over-the-counter. The ethnobotanicals market just can’t simply be ignored in its total commercial value. An annual worldwide market for the herbal medicines estimated to approached the United States currency of 60 billion dollars. Conclusions As this goes to show that though out history traditional medicine has been there and well remain in use. From America to Europe, from Europe to Asia, and anywhere else traditional medicine will have a significant roll in health and the economy. Every day there is always something new is discovered or something is confirmed about traditional medicine.
pp. 41-84. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Pigg, Stacy Leigh. (1997) "Found in Most Traditional Societies: Traditional Medical Practitioners between Culture and Development.”
Alternative medicine is often related to medical care. By definition, medicine is that the medical techniques that area unit typically not accepted or practiced by standard medical practitioners. Most various medicines
The nature of traditional medicine and its intimate relationship with Aboriginal culture explains the inadequacy of Western medicine as the primary model of health care for the Aboriginal community. I believe the preservation of the Aboriginal culture is the only true cure for the Aboriginal people. Society today must work on developing an understanding towards each other, and realize that the Aboriginal people are not rebelling against the “White man” or his ways, rather Aboriginal’s are trying to help their people by going back to what has worked for their ancestors for centuries; and what they feel comfort in.
Through showing the different definitions of health, the authors explain how those different understandings affect patterns of behavior on health depend on different cultures. In addition, an analysis of the models of health demonstrates even western medical approaches to health have different cognitions, same as the Indigenous health beliefs. The most remarkable aspect is a balance, a corresponding core element in most cultures which is an important consideration in Indigenous health as well. From an Indigenous perspective, health is considered as being linked, and keeping the connection is a priority to preserve their health. Consequently, health is a very much culturally determined. Health practitioners should anticipate and respect the cultural differences when they encounter a patient from various cultures. In particular, this article is good to understand why the Indigenous health beliefs are not that different than western medicine views using appropriate examples and comparative composition, even though the implementation the authors indicated is a bit abstract, not
Native Americans have a long history of using native plants, berries, herbs, and trees for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. Native Americans have been using these methods for thousands of years.
Folk medicine is an important aspect of the Appalachian region. According to Mathews, folk medicine is known in involving diseases or illnesses “which are the products of indigenous cultural development and are not explicitly derived from the conceptual framework of modern medicine” (Mathews 1). Folk or traditional medicine is found in all societies, throughout in history, and predates innovation of modern medicine. Folk medicine also explains roles for “indigenous practitioners”(1) who treat and restore health for the individual and community. Folk medicine beliefs and practices serve for the treatment and prevention of aliments and are resistant to change even when the cultural tradition may have gone extinct.
Both the folk healing and biomedical practices strive to help heal patients, improve lives and end suffering. Each practice has developed and utilizes its own traditions and specific methods to serve its community. They are strongly similar as they both rely on the authority of the healer/doctor to heal patients. However, they do differ widely in procedure and in developing social and cultural authority. In studying and analyzing the differences, medical anthropologists are able to develop preventative systems and identify solutions to epidemic outbreaks that best fit within the cultural context of different communities. Programs and resources that are complementary to the traditions and cultures of communities served have proven more effective.
Of all the controversies over medicine, alternative medicine is one of the biggest. Some say alternative medicine is not medicine at all because it hasn’t been scientifically proven or it is not part of the conventional teachings. Why are so many people seeking alternative medicines? Alternative treatments are not being recognized or considered enough for children with serious medical conditions. There are many different types of alternative medicine. Acupuncture, herbal supplements, medical marijuana, manipulative therapy, reflexology, and yoga are a few different types of alternative medicines. There are several reasons why the conventional medical community is often dismissive of alternatives. There has been little scientific research into such medicine, so there is very little evidence to support the claims of their supporters.
Every year, approximately 230, 000 to 400. 00 deaths are caused by iatrogenic deaths ( in other words, these are deaths caused by wrong medical treatments). Two of the prominent yet some what contrasting types of medicine are, Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine, and Modern (aka western) medicine. Both of these have their own processes and methods of healing, which over the years have created their own followers. While Ayurveda addresses the root causes of the disease through identifying the imbalances in the elements, called “Doshas”, it also emphasizes on a spiritual lifestyle which for most people in today's world is a sea change. On the other hand, western medicine addresses the symptoms and provides instant albeit temporary relief for suffering. Needless to say there are more followers of the western medicine due to its immediate impact on subsiding the pain. Out of lack of awareness to the significance of traditional medicine, especially Ayurveda, many doctors and researchers are against the use of Ayurvedic and traditional medicines, which limits the potential of curing certain ailments of patients without additional side effects.
Modern medicine mixes chemicals and does extensive testing, while herbal remedies come from naturally grown herbs. For every argument there is two sides, herbal remedies lack dosage instructions, regulations, and may interact with current medication, as well as modern medicines also have improved treatments. With improvements made on information and studies of herbal remedies, they would prevail over modern
Tradition medicine almost exclusively on shamanic arts, the tradition system of healing that’s work in tandem with the provision of western medicine it works for the people in Australia and better than real medicine in the
Traditional medicine is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.
In conclusion, holistic medicine is a healing process that heals the body, mind, and spirit as a whole. It opens a person to the natural healing abilities of the human body. I feel that the practices of holistic medicine are not a very stable decision. With holistic medicine having a poor turnout, patients in need should turn to traditional medical techniques. Even though the traditional medical techniques may be the most costly, they produce the best results. Holistic medicine is the last option when all else fails. It brings you to a new mind set spiritually. It gives the patient a clear mind before their time comes. The holistic methods are very diverse and some may be ineffective. A holistic practitioner takes all aspects of a patient’s life into consideration in order for them to help the patient reach an optimal health.
Herbal medicines are sold in different ways from tablets, teas, extracts, capsules, powders, and fresh or dried plants. Many consumers believe that these products are safe and free of harm due to the labeling of the product with words such as “all natural.” The downside of taking these “natural” medicines are some ingredients can cause harm to a consumer’s health. According to the U.S .National Library of Medicine, some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. It is also reported that herbal