Traditional Remedy

Posted by Fauzie | 7:20 AM | | 0 comments »

Relieve your backache by massaging with oil prepared by boiling young coconut oil with herbs or chopping your body with a knife to "correct" your blood flow or swallow alive small fish to get rid of your asthma. Sound weird, but these are some of health practices of the many approaches of traditional medicine--an ancient medical practice that existed in human societies; developed over centuries; and handed down from generation to meet the needs of local communities.

Traditional medicine has been defined as to health practices, approaches, knowledge and belief incorporating plants, animals, and minerals based medicine, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or combination to treat, diagnose, and prevent illness or maintain well-being.

Interest in this kind of medicine has increased over the last decade and is still continuing. Its growing economic importance has increased in interest of many governments and academic communities. It uses in industrialized countries has rapidly spreading even though such practices are termed differently: complementary, alternative and supplementary.

The health craze in 1990's in many part of the world has created such a boom for herbal products and thus has led to "alternative" medicine industry to flourish. All kinds of herbal products were produced under the name of "supplementary food" or "alternative medicine" which in turn have led to general confusion among users and waning down consumers confidence.

Herbal industry seems to be plagued with controversy about whether or not these products that developed based on traditional medicine's approach and knowledge can really cure or prevent illness or may be injurious to one's health. The pervading lack of regulatory control on these so called "alternative medicines" and "complementary or supplementary foods" has now become a major concern. These traditional medicines do not require scientific research as what are required for pharmaceutical. And their production processes are not regulated especially for purity and potency.

The fact that there are unclear distinctions between traditional and alternative medicines have encouraged more consumers to choose and to take responsibility of their own health. Many of them have serious misconception about herbal products. Health products produced from plant and natural do not make them 100% safe. Some plants are poisonous and aren't natural to human body. Furthermore, majority of these herbal products do not undergo various tests to proof they are safe before entering the market.

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