Traditional Medicine: Background and Characteristics

Traditional medicine is the ancient and culture–bound medical
practice which existed before the application of modern science to
health. The practice of traditional medicine varies widely, in keeping
with the societal and cultural heritage of different countries. Every
human community has responded to the challenge of maintaining
health and treating diseases by developing a medical system. Thus,
traditional medicine has been practised to some degree in all cultures.
A workshop on development of national policy on traditional
medicine organized by WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific
in October 1999 defined traditional medicine as the sum total of
knowledge, skills and practices of holistic healthcare, which is
recognized and accepted by the community for its role in the
maintenance of health and the treatment of diseases. Traditional
medicine, based on the theory, beliefs and experiences indigenous to
different cultures, was developed and handed down from generation
to generation1.
In some countries, remedies used by traditional medicine have
re–emerged. Such techniques are usually known as “alternative” or
“complementary” medicine, which as a form of medicine has evolved
recently as a reaction to high technology medicine2.
A traditional medicine practitioner is a person who is recognized
by the community where he or she lives as someone competent to
provide health care by using plant, animal and mineral substances
and other methods based on social, cultural and religious practices.
Traditional medicine practitioners are also recognized as experts on
community attitudes and beliefs related to physical, mental and social
well–being and the causes of disease and disability. Traditional
medicine practitioners include traditional healers, traditional birth
attendants, herbalists and bone–setters.
There are many traditional systems of medicine. However, many
traditional systems of medicine have some common characteristics.
• Traditional medicine is based on a belief that health is
a state of balance between several opposing aspects in
the human body. Illness occurs when an individual falls
out of balance, physically or mentally. The “causes” of
imbalance could be change of weather, intake of certain
food; external factors, such as magical or supernatural
powers; mental stimulation and societal reasons.
Traditional medicine tries to restore the balance using
different therapies.
• Traditional medicine is based on the needs of
individuals. Different people may receive different
treatments even if they suffer from the same disease.
Traditional medicine is based on a belief that each
individual has his or her own constitution and social
circumstances which result in different reactions to
“causes of disease” and treatment.
• Traditional medicine applies a holistic approach. It
considers a person in his or her totality within an
ecological context and usually will not only look after
the sick part of the body. Besides giving treatment,
traditional practitioners usually provide advice on
lifestyles and healthy behaviour.
• Traditional medicine precedes modern medicine. Most
traditional remedies have not been evaluated by sound
scientific methods. This means that, at this stage,
traditional medicine is not easily understood by modern
medicine. However, traditional remedies have been
“field–tested” by tens of thousands of people for
hundreds of years.
• Traditional medicine covers a wide scope and its
practices vary widely from country to country. In the
Region, the main therapeutic techniques are medicinal
plants and acupuncture.

Source: http://www.who.int