For centuries, people have long relied on home cures, rural healers, and traditional medical expertise to address their health and wellbeing. Some people believe that traditional medicine is pre-scientific and that modern, more effective science-based medicine should take its place in terms of procedures and therapies. However, less well known are its contributions to contemporary science as well as the numerous instances in which traditional goods and methods have been successfully used to cure medical ailments.
Herbal medicine is the use of medicinal plants to prevent and treat illnesses. It can take many forms, from the usage of standardised herbal extracts to more traditionally used medicines from around the world. It is estimated that 80% of the world’s population use herbal medicines in some capacity within their primary healthcare. As their use around the world expands, public health issues related to their safety are also increasingly recognised. They may produce negative effects such as allergic reactions, rashes, asthma, headaches, dizziness, agitation, dry mouth, seizures, fatigue, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Utilising a herbal remedy might not be appropriate for:
individuals using hormonal contraceptives, such as the combination pill, in addition to other medications.
those suffering from severe illnesses, such as kidney or liver damage.
individuals undergoing surgery.
those who are nursing or pregnant.
or children - herbal medications should be kept out of children's sight and reach, just like any other medication.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical practice, dates back approximately 5,000 years. The system uses diet, exercise, and other lifestyle adjustments to support emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. According to practitioners of Ayurveda, we are composed of three components called “doshas”:
Space and air (vata dosha), which permit mobility.
Pitta dosha, the combination of fire and water, governs digestion and metabolism and permits transformation.
Earth and water (kapha dosha), which provides cohesiveness or structure.
The body's organs can function in harmony thanks to these three doshas. They also shape how you interact with the outside world and the cosmos. The proper balance of all three is essential for good health, according to Ayurvedic practitioners.
Certain herbs and spices such as Ashwaganda, Shatavari, Turmeric and Neem play a major role in Ayurveda in increasing vigour, promoting mental health, increasing digestion, assisting in weight loss, cleansing and detoxifying the body and blood, enhancing skin tone and lessening the effect of cancer.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM has evolved over thousands of years but its fundamental idea is that the body is filled with Qi, a vital life force. Illness and disease can arise from any Qi imbalance. The most widely accepted explanation for this imbalance is a change in the complementary and opposing forces that comprise Qi. We refer to this as yin and yang. The ancient Chinese held the view that people are connected to nature and subject to its influences, seeing themselves as microcosms of the greater cosmos. The idea of balance between illness and wellness is crucial. TCM therapy uses individualised care to try and bring this equilibrium back.
Some treatments include:
Acupuncture - through the use of tiny needles inserted through the skin, acupuncturists stimulate particular spots on the body. Research indicates that acupuncture influences the brain regions involved in pain processing and triggers the body's natural painkiller production; yet, some studies indicate that acupuncture, whether real or fake, works just as well, suggesting a placebo effect.
Tai chi - Tai chi incorporates specific poses, soft motions, concentration, breathing, and relaxation.
Cupping: applying suction to specific body parts using heated glass jars.
Unani - Tibb
Unani-Tibb is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practised in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern-day Central Asia. It is based on the teachings of Hippocrates, Galen, and Ibn Sina. All living things are made up of components, such as food, other living things, animals, and humans. In humans, this physical makeup that determines a person's bodily type, personality, and mental capacity is referred to as temperament (mijaz). In Unani medicine, disease results from disruptions in the balance quantity and quality of akhlat, or humours, in the body. Following a correct diagnosis of a disease, a workable treatment plan is developed, and an appropriate course of action is taken to cure the illness. Three main therapy courses comprise the course of treatment.
Ilaj Bil Tadbeer, or therapeutic recreation
Ilaj Bil Dawa (medication)
Ilaj Bil Yad (treatment through surgery).
Traditional vs Modern medicine
The question of modern versus traditional medicine has been debated for many years. Many individuals have been listening to and preaching about traditional medicine and its holistic ways employing natural herbs and religious beliefs and all of that, so they have not been ready to accept the existence of modern medicine. However, they have been treating a wide range of ailments, infections, and symptoms with the same herbs. For instance, they have been employing the same plants in their herbal remedies for toothache once and high blood pressure another time!
The primary distinction between modern and traditional therapies is in their respective standards and predetermined dosages for common illnesses. In contrast to traditional medicine, which is a passive treatment with no guarantee of efficacy and needs trial and error, modern medicine quickly delivers the pharmaceuticals we need in the dosage that we need.
Because traditional medicines have been used successfully for many generations and have virtually no negative side effects, they are sufficiently demonstrated. Moreover, traditional remedies are derived from natural methods and herbs that not only treat a particular illness but also restore health to the body as a whole. On the other hand, scientific evidence for modern medicine has been gathered not just from theories but also from actual test findings and hypotheses. Because modern medicine exclusively targets that location with tested chemical formulations, it offers immediate relief from the targeted symptoms.
The conclusion is that, despite contemporary medicine's greatest efforts, there are still aspects that it fails to take into account, some of which may be vital to the patient's health or the effectiveness of the therapy. The aim should not to determine which one is better than the other, each has advantages and disadvantages of its own. Instead they should be used to complement each other as they both aim to achieve the same goal: the wellbeing of humankind.