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P05.40. Traditional medicine and primary health care: leading examples from around the World
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine volume 12, Article number: P400 (2012)
Purpose
This paper will draw on recent ethnographic fieldwork to present and discuss leading examples of how traditional/indigenous medicine (TM) is used as primary healthcare (PHC) – or first point of contact – for diverse international communities. For the past 30 years, TM has been identified by policy-makers such as the WHO as essential for successful PHC, yet international development programs have yet to fully engage with TM projects “on the ground”.
Methods
Data in this paper will draw on extensive ethnographic fieldwork within the identified countries under discussion.
Results
Two different and recent case studies will be presented to highlight the discussion: (1) Home Herbal Gardens (HHGs) in Bangalore, South India; and (2) TM practices in South East Asia (Indonesia). The data presented will focus on TM practices that enhance PHC along with social capital and community health. Using visual footage of TM practices, the presentation will conclude by demonstrating the vital importance of TM for PHC and community health worldwide.
Conclusion
Drawing on the presentation and the data under discussion, an arguement for validating and extending the role of TM in PHC will be made.
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Hollenberg, D., Torri, M. P05.40. Traditional medicine and primary health care: leading examples from around the World. BMC Complement Altern Med 12 (Suppl 1), P400 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-12-S1-P400
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-12-S1-P400
Keywords
- Public Health
- Health Care
- Internal Medicine
- Social Capital
- Development Program