Cabrera, Edwin II A.
Celestial 12
Traditional Healing Practices
Since ancient times traditional healers have been treating diseases using
native plants, traditional knowledge, beliefs and values. Traditional medicine has
contributed to science through the traditional or indigenous knowledge about
herbs, science have taken that knowledge or added value to it, traditional healing
become one of its stepping stone. Traditional healing practices and the science
of modern medicine deals with diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illnesses,
promotion of wellness and health. Traditional healing includes the healer to
personally assess the patient, with the aim of knowing the cause and treating the
disease, but the source of illness is often considered to be cause by some
supernatural force while modern medicine, diagnose the illness before treatment.
Just like modern medicine, traditional practices adjust the dosage of herbal
medicine that the patient needs, but it cannot be totally accurate and will only be
estimated.
Traditional healers possess medical knowledge that can be recorded,
develop and improved over time. The traditional healing practices are considered
as devoid of science because they cannot be tested and verified. Science which
is intimately tied to western biomedicine is embedded in scientific evince,
empiricism and the legitimization of the healing and medical practices (Shizha, &
Charema, 2011). Traditional explanations of diseases and the related healing
practices are either not acknowledged because it lacks scientifical basis and
evidence. Healing and medicine are cultural practices thus, the process of
interpreting illness and healing reflect the cultural meanings of the phenomenon.
The use of traditional herbal medicines is not random rather based on actual
medicinal properties. This relationship between traditional medicine and
medicinal properties confirm that their use is consistent and reflective of their
bioactive properties. Indeed, traditional medicine provides crucial guidance for
pharmacological explorations (Aderibigbe, 2015). There are a lot of herbal
medicines that have been utilized without any adverse side effects. Since the
experimentation with traditional herbal medicines, it has evolved and was able to
established efficacy.
In conclusion, there are some element of science in traditional healing
practices. Science should not be used as the standard to test whether other
medical traditions are scientific or not. Even the western medicine has its own
limitations. This is not to deny the fact traditional healing knowledge is without no
knowledge gap or completely effective and safe for all people (Mukherjee, 2015).
Numerous new ideas from biomedicine are being incorporated into traditional
healing practices. To maintain a more coherent healing approach, traditional
healing practices often synthesize newly developed and borrowed ideas.
Cabrera, Edwin II A.
Celestial 12
Performance Task:
Traditional healing is done by personally assessing or diagnosing the
patient, with aim of knowing the cause and treating the disease. It can be
performed anywhere as long as it is sheltered and well ventilated. According to
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), the Chinese healer may use any
of a staggeringly large array of traditional remedies. The patient may be treated
with acupuncture or acupressure, moxibustion (moxa treatment), or cupping (in
which hot glass cups are placed on the patient to draw blood to the skin). The
Chinese healer may prescribe a brew prepared with one (or some combination)
of thousands of medicinal plants or dried animal parts (e.g., snakes, scorpions,
insects, deer antlers) in the Chinese pharmaceutical armamentarium. While
Modern medicine is done by diagnosing the illness before treatment, the
treatment may vary on the illness, it may be a prescription, a surgery or a
therapy.
Modern medicine specialized in detecting and treating a large number of
different types of medical conditions, especially diseases caused by bacteria,
viruses, and other sorts of infectious. While traditional medicine methods have
been around much longer than modern medicine and they were an important part
of healthcare for civilizations throughout recorded history, and most likely before.
The difference between modern and traditional medicine is the way they observe
both human health and the diseases people can fall victim to.
