Traditional Medicine Practices And Traditions

There are some methods of healing that are outside traditional medicine. For many cultures, including Mexican culture, having a shaman or medicine healer is very common. In Mexico they call this person a curandera or curandero. A curandera can help anyone who is having bad luck to suffering from a long-term illness like cancer. These sessions usually consist of one or a combination of the following prayer, medicinal plants, eggs, floral waters, spiritual cleansings known as Limpias, along with massage, indigenous acupuncture, and/or ceremony bring about internal and external balance (Sesma, 2014).

In the Dominican culture, when it comes to illness and health, there is no real explanation as to why people get sick. Some believe illness is caused by natural factors such as a dysfunction in the body; others believe illness is due to supernatural causes such as punishment from evil ancestral spirits or somebody sends the evil spirits after them to harm them. When asked about views of health and illness, she stated that most Dominicans interpret health as being up, active and not being in bed where one is unable to take care of his or her self. Many Dominicans believe that if you are not in bed, therefore you are healthy. Many Dominicans believe in folk practice to promote health, for example: a problems that are seen as natural and spiritual are treated with prayer and ritual. Problems that are believed to be supernatural are treated with the help of a witch, healer, or a voodoo priest. For instance, the Catholics practice Spiritism and Santeria by praying the saints to grant them favors and heal them. Some may consult a healer who usually enters in contact with the saint spiritually to ask the saints

Appalachian folk medicine is a system of healing made up of beliefs and practices that are transferred by oral tradition through families and communities. It was developed in response to a lack of access to modern medical care and combines homemade remedies with superstition and religious beliefs. A general definition of folk medicine is a collection of cures that are handed down by oral tradition and other similar means of heritage and are considered outside of mainstream medicine. Appalachian folk medicine sprung up from the need for health care. In pre-industrial Appalachia, doctors and modern medicine were rare and inaccessible as well as expensive, so people relied on traditional home remedies and superstitious practices to alleviate pain and to cure disease. Practices such as using turpentine and brown sugar to cure worms and the use of magnetism to stimulate the body to heal itself are common for many minor illnesses. The most common aspect of Appalachian folk medicine, however, is the widespread use of herbal and homemade medicines that are believed to have healing powers. It relies on local roots, flowers, fruits, bark, leaves, and seeds that could be gathered and then combined or treated to make them suitable for healing.

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

Everyone has their own belief when it comes to health and healing. Some people may believe in power of pray with no conventional medicine. Others believe western medicine can cure what ails them.

Native American traditional medicine and spiritual healing rituals go back for thousands of years, these traditions often focus on different variations of alternative medicine. This knowledge is passed on throughout generations, many of the tribes learn that by mixing natural plants such as herbs and roots they can make remedies with healing properties. It is believed that being healthy is when people reach a state of harmony not only spiritually, mentally but physically. To be able to overcome the forces that cause illness people must “operate in the context of relationship to four constructs —namely, spirituality (Creator, Mother Earth, Great Father); community (family, clan, tribe/nation); environment (daily life, nature, balance); and self (inner passions and peace, thoughts, and values)” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.453). In this research paper I am going to show evidence of the tremendous influence that Native American medicine and spiritual healing have over modern medicine in the course of healing

Nowadays, medicine is tested and approved before it hits the market. Back in the days a person would pass treatments through word of mouth and could seriously injure or make the disease worse. People in historical times would believe that illnesses involved certain spiritual, psychological and social aspects of a person. This was back in the time where there was no scientific evidence that traditional medicine could aid an affected person. Traditional medicine has been around much longer than modern medicine and they were an important part of recorded history. People back in the old days had to dispel and challenge folklore with scientific evidence. Doctors back in the old days had to not only find a way to dispel folklore, but also get ordinary people to listen to them and to help them believe in their practices. Without all of these people, medicine would be nowhere near as it is

In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.

The cultural values, beliefs, and practices of the AI/AN, influence health care practices within their community. For example, healing is sacred work, the spiritual aspect of the individual needs to be considered to be effective. Contemporary Indians might use “white man’s medicine” to treat “white man’s disease” such as diabetes, cancer, and gallbladder disease and “native medicine” was used to treat “native problems” such as pain, family relationship issues, mental illness and alcoholism aka “sickness of the spirit” (Alvord, 1997; Hendrix, 1999). Many Western medicines were based on Indian herbal medications. For instance, aspirin is derived from willow bark (Alvord, 1997; Hendrix,

Humanity’s approach to medicine, illness, and disease have been changing over time. Early use of medicine was discovered in Ancient Egypt, Babylonia, India, China, Greece, and Rome. Prehistoric medicine incorporated plants, animal parts, and minerals as a source of medicine. In most cases, these materials were used as magical substances by priests and shamans. Some spiritual systems include animism, spiritualism, shamanism, and divination.

In every culture there is a different kind of cure or medicine. Some cultures use burning to cure many illnesses while others depend on herbs as a cure. When I was a kid, every time I say that something burns me, my grandmother then directly apply some Vaseline on the area, and the pain fades away. When I complain of a stomach ache, my grandmother again just puts Vicks all over my body very well to let the cold leave my body. Those are some examples of traditional medicines that my family used. An essay that caught my attention is “Navajo Sand Painting” in which they use sand painting as a cure.

In addition an article I found reiterated that folk medicine has been implemented by Mexicans for many generations and is intertwined in their country’s history. The areas in Mexico that are urbanized use modern health treatment methods to treat ill residents and in contrast locations that are categorized as rural are more prone to depending upon folk medicine to aid sick individuals. I perceive that global countries which are highly industrialized would not regularly implement this form of medical treatment and instead prefer to use contemporary health care to treat illnesses. Therefore people within the United States that may reside in a rural area and do not have instant accessibility to affordable health care options and believe in alternative care options could facilitate the usage of folk medicine to help varying forms of sickness. “Contrary to those beliefs, however, traditional medicine has proven to be quite effective in treating both chronic diseases and psychological problems, especially those associated with stress, which frequently stem from social alienation, anxiety or loss of self-esteem. In light of the benefits of traditional medicine, many Asian, African and South American countries have allowed the development of a dual system of medical care in which individuals can

Some of the key components of the Pan African model of health revolve around the way that they explain illness. While it's true that disease is universal, the manner in which traditional African culture explains disease and where disease comes from is strikingly different from the perspectives of modern medicine and contemporary culture. "For example, traditional African medicine views the cause of disease differently from the scientific form of medicine practiced in hospitals"¦ For example, the scientific medical view defines tuberculosis (TB) as an invasion of the body by a specific strain of micro-organism. Most traditional African cultures believe that TB is a source of witchcraft or sorcery, caused by jealousy. They believe the body is invaded by a poison. Traditional treatments usually aim to cause vomiting or diarrhea to clear out the poison (Kyriacos et al., 2008). It is incredibly common for illness to be viewed as something which is directly connected to the realm of the spiritual or the supernatural. Other components of this model of health are that balanced health is a gift from God and that illness

There are different beliefs and behaviors represented that deviate from my culture relating to medical and health practices. Belief systems that include rituals being performed to obtain healing or abstinence from certain medicine, prohibition of surgery and social relationships that hinder access of medical care due to ones gender are very different form our culture. There are some beliefs that certain people embrace that can result to beneficial medical outcomes. These include recreational activity, for example when the old engage in singing and healthy interaction it keeps them away from stress and depression and enables them to relax and find peace by engaging with others in the same situation as they are in.

Traditional medicine, also known as conventional medicine, relies on scientific principles, contemporary technologies as well as scientifically proved methodologies for purposes of preventing, diagnosing, and treating adverse medical conditions (Treweek &Heller, 2006). Health care professionals within conventional medicine believe that diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses