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On December 9, 1997, then the President Fidel V. Ramos signed into law Republic Act no. 8423
or the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act, which created the Philippine Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Health Care (PITACH), an attached agency of the DOH. This is government recognition of
the important role played by traditional medicine in providing cures to ailments and in contributing to the
health and well-being of the Filipinos. Traditional medicine is very important for the following reasons:
1. Medicinal plants are cheap alternatives to expensive medicines, particularly for the poor.
3. Traditional medicine is a more holistic approach to treatment. It is said that “Western medicine treats
the diseases while traditional medicine treats the person”
4. The albularyo and hilot play, to some extent, the role of doctors in rural areas.
In the hierarchy of healers and specialists in Philippine folk medicine, the albularyo may be
referred to as the "general practitioner," knowledgeable in most of the folkloric modalities,
usually especially versed in the use of medicinal herbs.
Most of these healers consider their healing craft as God-given, a calling from a supernatural
being, and consequently, their healing practices are profusely infused with prayers and religious
rituals, performed through mediation with the Holy Spirit.
Usually rural-based, they are also present in the urban and suburban communities, albeit in small
scattered niches, serving burgis alternative needs, the impoverished or the urban-transplanted
rural folk.
The Albularyo
In the rural areas, by tradition and because of chronic economic constraints, the albularyos are
the GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, the primary dispensers of health care.
Often lacking in formal education, his skills are based on and honed from hand-me-down
practices and lore, with a long period of understudy or apprenticeship with a family elder or a
local healer.
APPLICATION TO NURSING
A cknowledge
L isten
Understand the social and cultural reality of the client, family, and community, develop expertise to
implement culturally acceptable strategies to provide nursing care, and identify and use resources
acceptable to the client
E.g. eating raw garlic or onion to prevent illness or wear them on the body or hang them in the
home.
Religious Practices
Burning of candles, rituals of redemption etc..
Advise them and make friend with them for them to refer in case of untoward effects and reactions of
their practice.
Respect and appreciation for the individuality and diversity of patients beliefs, values, spirituality and
culture regarding illness, its meaning, cause, treatment, and outcome.
Open lines of communication between traditional healers and the medical community could
tremendously improve surveillance. Health officials must include traditional healers in their
educational outreach to doctors and must be trained to know what information they should
request from healers.
Traditional healers
Traditional healers are often the first and last line of defence against the most contagious and
debilitating diseases that plague their lives.
Practitioners such as Albularyo remain central to the lives of many. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 per cent of people regularly seek their services.
Yet healers, for the most part, are not officially recognized by governments.
Some patients, preferring the healers, may disregard their doctor’s advice or take herbal
medicines that could have dangerous interactions with pharmaceuticals. By working with these
healers, doctors would be gaining allies who live in the patient’s own community.
Traditional healing is linked to wider belief systems and remains integral to the lives of most
Africans. People consult traditional healers whether or not they can afford medical services
Doctors trained in the Western sciences largely focus on the biomedical causes of disease, while
traditional beliefs take a more HOLISTIC APPROACH
Unlike modern medicine that only heals the physical body, Hilot encompasses an internal method
that heals man from the inside to the outside; implementing a holistic approach and staying true to
their tradition that they heal, not just sickness, but man himself. Balancing the four elements that
affect both the physical and spiritual aspect of man plays a very large role in this.
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “medicine that refers
to health practices
There are illnesses that can be cured or remedied by traditional medicine. These practitioners,
the hilot and the albularyo, are usually sought after not only by people in the rural areas, but also by those
in the urban areas.
Albularyo
The albularyo uses plants to cure illnesses. Studies have proven that the plants used by the albularyo do
contain substances which can cure various illnesses. These plants are called medical plants or herbs.
According to Michael L. Tan, an anthropology professor from the University of the Philippines, the term
albularyo is misleading
In addition to traditional practitioners, many licensed health experts nowadays recommended medicinal
plants for the treatment of a large number of ailments and diseases, including some serious ones.
Hilot
The hilots assist in giving birth, provide cure for spains and muscle pains, and even give
on family matters. The skills of hilots are recognized by many people, including the authorities of the
Department of Health (DOH). The DOH conducts training for hilots to enriched their knowledge and
improved their skills.
The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes medical uses of herbal drugs as:
Those supported by clinical data. This category includes medical indications that are well-establish in
some countries and that have been validated by clinical studies documented in standard scientific
literatures collected from around the world.
Those described in official pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine. This category is
well-establish in some countries and is included in official pharmacopoeias or national monographs.
Those described in folk medicine not yet supported by experimental data or clinical data. The
appropriateness of this category is not yet assessed due to a lack of scientific data to support the claims
and this should be carefully considered in light of alternative therapeutic applications.
Sambong (blumelab camphor) for kidney stones, and edema or manas and hypertention.
Alkapulko(ringworm bush) for skin diseases caused by fungi such as ringworm or buni, tinea flava
or an-an, and scabies or galis aso.
While the Department of Health only endorses ten medicinal plants, there are other plants which have
yet to be “scientifically-validated”.
Some of these are luya or ginger,which is supposedly good for sore throat,
banaba or queen’s flower, which is good for diabetes as it lowers blood sugar.
According to Michael Tan, some local communities have their own products such as SLK cough
syrup, which is concoction made from sampalok leaves, luya, and kalamansi.
In addition, there is also ABC (abukado, bayabas, caimito) leaves which are use for diarrhea
Quackery
Quackery affects the lives of many types of people the easily persuaded and wise, the rich and
poor, the various races and religions. It sells questionable and sometimes, useless products and services.
Due to high cost of medical services and increasing number of diseases cases every year, people are
forced to resort to quackery.
Quackery
Quacks are people who perform healing procedures or prescribe remedies for illnesses even
without formal education and licenses. Some of them sell their own products to treat ailments and
diseases. While some of them deliberately deceive their “patients” about their ability to treat illnesses,
other practice their “craft” with full trust in their competence but openly discuss their limitations.
Quackery involves the use of methods or remedies to cure diseases that are not scientifically
accepted. Questionable ideas, as well as questionable products and services are therefore trademarks of
quackery.
Nowadays, quackery has taken on a broader definition. It is “anything involving over promotion
in the field of health”.
suffer from serious ailments or diseases, like cancer, heart problems, etc;
are afraid of doctors or those who refuse to undergo surgery, although they have been advise to
do so by doctors;
suffer from severe pains; and
usually put a high premium on vanity.
Health Fads
Health fads or consumer craze or consumer myths refer to beliefs about health that gain instant
popularity, stay on briefly, and then die down eventually.
1. Some supplementary foods like unproven herbal drinks or energy drinks that give extra strength and
increase the body’s resistance to diseases.
2. Organic or natural foods are better than regular foods available in stores.
Like medical quackery, health fads may also be a waste of money or a detriment to one’s health.
Here are some of the possible effects:
Berlin and Fowkes (1982) suggested the mnemonic, LEARN, in conducting a cultural assessment.
This mnemonic represents the following 5 steps:
L isten
E xplain
A cknowledge
R ecommend
N egotiate
The first step is to listen to the patient’s perception of the presenting problem. The nurse then explains his or her perception of the
patient’s problem, whether it is physiological, psychological, spiritual, and/or cultural. The next step is to acknowledge the similarities
and differences between the two perceptions. At times it is easier for the nurse to acknowledge cultural differences, than to acknowledge
and focus on similarities that the nurse and the patient have in common. In order to provide a culturally relevant treatment regimen, it is
important for nurses and all healthcare team members to recognize differences, but build on similarities. The fourth step focuses
on recommendations, which must involve the patient. Finally, the nurse works to negotiate a treatment plan, recognizing that it may be
beneficial to incorporate selected aspects of the patient’s culture into the patient-centered plan.
1. The most defining tenant for Jehovah's Witnesses in health care is the strict
prohibition (a scriptural injunction) against receiving blood (that is: red blood
cells, white blood cells, platelets, or plasma), be it by transfusion (even the
transfusion of a patient's stored blood), in medication containing or
manufactured using blood products, or in food.
2. Some blood fractions (such as albumin, immunoglobulin, and hemophiliac
preparations) are allowed, but patients are guided by their own conscience.
3. Organ donation and transplantation is allowed, but patients are guided by
their own conscience.
4. Jehovah's Witnesses are usually well prepared to work with health care
providers to seek all possible options for treatment that do not conflict with
religious concerns. It is very common for adults to carry at all times a card
stating religiously-based directives for treatment without blood.
5. Contrary to some popular misconceptions, faith-healing is not a part of
Jehovah's Witness tradition. Prayers are often said for comfort and
endurance.
6. Jehovah's Witness tradition does not teach that those who die experience an
immediate afterlife. It would be inappropriate to say to the family of a
deceased patient anything like, "He's in a better place now."
7. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christian "popular
holidays."