How to Promote Traditional Medicine

According to the World Health Organization, traditional medicine is the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices based upon the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health. Traditional medicine adopted by populations outside of its indigenous culture is often called alternative medicine. Traditional or alternative medicine may include acupuncture, herbal medicines or midwifery. You can support traditional medicine in your community by working together with practitioners of modern medicine.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose a type of traditional medicine you want to promote. The term traditional medicine covers a vast array of practices and treatments, and you will need to become an expert in one to promote it. Learn everything you can about midwifery, for example, including its benefits and drawbacks. In order to make convincing arguments for midwifery, you'll need to be aware of arguments against it. Once you understand all the details of the type of traditional medicine you are interested in, you can start learning about how it is already practiced in your area by joining a local group that supports it.

• 2

  Campaign to have traditional medicine implemented in health care systems, and demand its recognition by insurance providers. While most insurance and health care systems will pay for a hospital birth, many will not pay for the services of a midwife. Write letters to local politicians and insurance providers that explain the benefits and costs of this approach; in many cases, the traditional medicine is much less expensive. Make sure that your letters are courteous and well reasoned, and include examples of other insurance providers or countries that offer this service.

• 3

  Promote the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine by supporting universities that are conducting legitimate research on it. The best way to find legitimate projects to donate to is to either stick to donating to universities and hospitals, or to ask university faculty members who study traditional medicine for recommendations. Traditional and modern medicine are not necessarily in conflict and many hospitals, universities and medical schools are interested in promoting traditional medicine.

• 4

  Donate or raise money for nonprofit groups that practice traditional medicine. Because many types of traditional medicine are not covered by health plans, economically disadvantaged people who are interested in using traditional medicine may have no access for financial reasons. You can promote traditional medicine by helping to fund projects that offer free or reduced cost treatment to people who cannot pay out of pocket.

• 5

  Promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate traditional medicine by providers and consumers. Only support or donate money to traditional medicinal groups that work together with modern medicine to promote health care. One reason many people are skeptical about traditional medicine is that some believe that it is inherently in conflict with modern medicine. This belief can lead to extreme and unsafe practices. For example, some women with difficult pregnancies probably should give birth in a hospital rather than with a midwife in a birthing center. Remember that promoting traditional medicine does not mean scorning modern medicine.