What is traditional healing?

Overview

Traditional healing methods are holistic because they focus on disease prevention and on healing the body, mind, and spirit. In contrast, modern Western medicine treats specific symptoms. Traditional healing methods are used worldwide and have several commonalities: They focus on using what is provided by nature to prevent and heal illness, they believe in the interconnectedness of all living (and sometimes nonliving) things, and they believe that the balance of a person’s energy flow with that of the rest of the universe is crucial to maintaining health.

The use of herbal medicines, music, special diet, meditative states, and healing touch are common to many of the traditional healing practices around the world. While some of these practices have been maintained only in small native communities within their countries of origin, other practices remain in use as complementary and alternative healing practices in Western countries.

Shamanism

Shamanism is considered by Westerners to be an alternative and nontraditional means of practicing medicine; however, it is actually the most traditional form of health care in existence today. Shamanism is a spiritual practice that has existed for tens of thousands of years. Many cultures have abandoned their ancient shamanic practices as the biomedical model has become the gold standard in several areas of the world. Recently, though, there has been a resurgence of interest in the traditional shamanic rituals, treatments, and herbal remedies.

Shamans practice an ancient way of healing that includes using objects from nature and songs, chants, dance, drums and other musical instruments, special items of clothing, spirit guides, and sacred rituals. In comparison with biomedical physicians who attempt to cure a disease, shamans strive to heal the condition. Also, this healing practice is typically more community-centered than personal. Shamans are traditionally highly regarded members of the tribe because of their ability to heal. The effectiveness of shamanic practices is difficult to study without impacting the cultures one is researching. The communities believe that their techniques are effective, and some researchers who have tried shamanic treatments personally have found them to be beneficial. Researchers have expressed concern over the potential loss of shamanic and herbalist knowledge from these cultures.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) date back five thousand years. Variations are practiced in South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The first known medical text in the world was reportedly written in China by Emperor Huang-Ti in 2697 b.c.e. and focused on the interaction of the “tiny” human being with the immense universe.

TCM does not differentiate between the mind and the body, as does Western medicine, and it includes spiritual and religious elements. Huang-Ti wrote about the principles of yin and yang, which have separate meanings but also are ever-present together. The yin represents blood, spirit, and specific organs such as the heart, liver, and lungs, while the yang represents qi (pronounced “chee”) and organs such as the stomach, intestines, and bladder. A major belief of TCM is that illness results from disruption or blockage of qi, or vital energy, which flows with blood through a network of twelve primary channels called meridians. Blockages are treated with acupuncture, acupressure, manipulative massage, or herbal medicines. Acupuncture has been demonstrated to decrease inflammation. Research to determine the mechanism of this effect is ongoing.

Huang-Ti also wrote about preventive medicine, stating that disease could be avoided by proper diet, regular habits, a proper amount of work and rest, and keeping the mind at peace. Qigong (breath exercise training) and Tai Chi (a focus on breath and specific postures) are practiced for health and for the prevention of disease and are used in hospitals to increase the stamina of patients. For example, people being treated with chemotherapy were found to have fared better when also participating in qigong therapy. They are able to eat more and to better tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy, and they have an increased rate of remission. Daoism, which believes that each person should follow the path intended for him or her by the universe, was promoted by Lao Tzu in the sixth century b.c.e. According to Daoism, one’s youthfulness and longevity depend on one’s behavior toward Dao (“the way”).

Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurveda (“the science of life”) is a traditional system of medicine practiced in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. As with other traditional healing practices, Ayurveda focuses on the interconnectedness between humans and everything else in the universe. A major belief of Ayurveda is that one will find health if balance with the universe is maintained, while illness results from imbalance. The human constitution (prakriti), or one’s stable state of physical and psychological characteristics, is another important concept in Ayurvedic medicine. Prakriti influences a person’s likelihood of becoming ill as a result of imbalance. Another major Ayurvedic concept is the life forces (doshas): vata, pitta, and kapha. A person may have a dominant type of life force, and imbalances in the life forces are thought to cause illness. Prevention and treatment are tailored to the person’s constitution and dosha. Treatment methods include meditation, stretching and breathing exercises, massage, purging toxins through enema, and tonics of herbs, vitamins, and protein.

Herbal Medicine

Plants or portions of plants (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds) that have been used traditionally for long periods of time for healing and are generally regarded as safe are known as traditional herbal medicines. Shamans often use herbs in their ceremonies or prescribe them after a healing session. For example, a researcher in 2003 found that plants used by curanderos (shamans) in the highlands of Mexico for the treatment of “sweet blood,” or diabetes, could be shown to successfully treat rats and humans with type 2 diabetes. The researcher used a water decoction, the same way the curandero would use it, except that the dose was adjusted for a person’s weight.

Traditional herbal medicine generally involves maintaining the combination of ingredients within a plant or mixture of herbs. Drug manufacturers, however, attempt to harvest the plants to isolate the one or few compounds they believe are “active” in affecting illness. TCM, conversely, usually involves a specific combination of herbs to heal an illness, as Chinese medicine has shown that a blend of herbs offers an enhanced therapeutic effect and a wider range of actions on the patient. Ayurvedic medicine uses more than 600 herbal formulas and about 250 single-plant medicines. The naturally occurring variability in active ingredients in these mixtures makes standardization more difficult when one is attempting to study them scientifically.

Some traditional herbal treatments have been shown effective and safe through controlled clinical trials. For example, ginger root helps in the treatment of nausea. Cases of illness and poisoning have been reported, however, because the wrong plant was used, because of contamination with heavy metals, or because of interactions with other medications or herbs. Precautions to be taken when selecting herbal supplements include being certain that the bottle has a seal on it that states the herb has been tested for heavy metals and other toxic contaminants; using caution when taking herbs with prescription and over-the-counter medications, as some can have dangerous interactions; and notifying one’s medical practitioner about the use of herbs in conjunction with prescription or over-the-counter medications.

Reiki

Reiki is an ancient form of energy healing from Japan, believed to have been “lost” for thousands of years and rediscovered in the nineteenth century by Mikao Usui. Practitioners train and receive “attunements” to reach certain levels of ability, including levels one through three, advanced, and master. There are many schools of Reiki that vary in the methods used. Typically, however, the hands of the practitioner are placed on twelve specific areas of the body (the seven chakras), or from head to toe, and energy is delivered from the source through the practitioner to the client. This method of healing is becoming mainstream, as it is increasingly being offered in many Western hospitals. It is believed to be relatively harmless, and some studies have demonstrated the potential benefits, including decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, levels of depression, and pain. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, and glucose levels in the blood have also been shown to be affected by Reiki treatment. Distance Reiki is also practiced by those with higher levels of training; however, there has been little clinical research regarding this type of treatment.

Conclusions

Scientific evidence for these traditional healing practices is considered lacking in most areas because of poorly designed studies with small sample sizes and because of the issues associated with creating a control condition (particularly a placebo control) that meets Western scientific standards. For example, a placebo for acupuncture is impossible; however, one can study the impact of treatment versus nontreatment. Certain types of traditional healing have been shown to be beneficial and to cause no harm, while others, such as herbal medicines, should be used with caution because of interactions with drugs and because of the possibility that the herbal is contaminated with high levels of heavy metals.

Bibliography

Anhauser, Marcus. “Pharmacists Seek the Solution of a Shaman.” Drug Discovery Today 8 (2003): 868-869. This article describes the scientific study of plant medicines to treat diabetes.

Hammerschlag, Carl Allen. “The Huichol Offering: A Shamanic Healing Journey.” Journal of Religion and Health 48 (2009): 246-258. The author, a psychiatrist who practices shamanism, describes the intersection of science and medicine in the Huichol culture in Central Mexico.

Hou, Joseph P., and Jin Youyu. The Healing Power of Chinese Herbs and Medicinal Recipes. Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Press, 2005. An overview of the history of Chinese medicine in general and herbal medicine in particular. Includes chapters on specific herbal treatments and the treatment of specific issues, featuring herbal remedies for specific issues such as pain and fever.

Hyman, Mark. A. “Notes from Nepal: Reflections of a Medical Student on Shamans, Lamas, Serpents, and Fortunes.” Alternative Therapies 12 (2006): 10-18. Journal entries written by the author during a public health project in the 1980s make up this article, which focuses mainly on the Tibetan shamans he encountered.

Ingerman, S. Interview by B. Horrigan. “Medicine for the Earth, Medicine for People.” Alternative Therapies 9 (2003): 77-84. An interview with Ingerman about her expertise on the topic of shamanism.

Kavoussi, Ben, and Ross, B. Evan. “The Neuroimmune Basis of Anti-inflammatory Acupuncture.” Integrative Cancer Therapies 6 (2007): 251-257. This review article describes the literature on basic research into the effects of acupuncture on inflammation.

Lenaerts, Mark. “Substances, Relationships, and the Omnipresence of the Body: An Overview of Asheninka Ethnomedicine (Western Amazonia).” Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2 (2006): 49-68. This ethnographic report focuses on plant medicine used along the border of Peru and Brazil, using data collected between 1997 and 2000.

Rittner, Sabine. “Sound-Trance-Healing: The Sound Pattern Medicine of the Shipibo in the Amazon Lowlands of Peru.” Music Therapy Today 8 (2007): 196-235. This article discusses field research with the Shipibo tribe about its use of Ayahuasca, songs, and visual structures in healing practices.

Villoldo, Alberto. “Jaguar Medicine.” Alternative Therapies 13 (2007): 14-16. The author details his experiences studying with shamans in South America, using direct observation and quotations from the indigenous peoples.

Vitale, Ann. “An Integrative Review of Reiki Touch Therapy Research.” Holistic Nursing Practice 21 (2007): 167-179. This review article focuses on research studies of the effectiveness and potential for improvement of research on Reiki.

Vuckovic, Nancy H., et al. “Feasibility and Short-Term Outcomes of a Shamanic Treatment for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders.” Alternative Therapies 13 (2007): 18-29. This article describes a clinical trial of shamanic healing for temporomandibular joint disorders, or TMJ.