The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK
The health care-seeking behaviour of study participants, although mainly confined within the
ethnomedicine sector, shared much in common with that of people who use global CAM. The appeal of
traditional therapies lay in their religious and moral legitimacy within the South Asian community,
especially to the older generation who were disproportionately influential in the determination of
treatment choices. As a second generation made up of people of Pakistani origin born in the UK reach the
age when they are the influential decision makers in their families, resort to traditional therapies may
decline. People had long experience of navigating plural systems of health care and avoided potential
conflict by maintaining strict separation between different sectors. Health care practitioners need to
approach these issues with sensitivity and to regard traditional healers as potential allies, rather than
competitors or quacks.
This document outlines the importance of health promoting prisons and a whole prison approach to health. It discusses how prisons present both challenges and opportunities for health promotion. All prisoners have a right to healthcare, and prisons contain populations with high disease burdens. A balanced, whole prison approach considers the health of both prisoners and staff, and emphasizes creating a supportive environment, implementing health-promoting policies, and providing health education. The document also reviews Nepal's prison system and need for improvement in areas like overcrowding, sanitation, and access to healthcare.
This document discusses healthcare in prisons and presents perspectives both for and against providing healthcare to prisoners. It notes that over 2.5 million people are currently incarcerated in the US and that the incarcerated population is aging and at higher risk for medical problems. Both the 8th Amendment and Supreme Court rulings have established that prisons must provide adequate healthcare to prisoners. However, critics argue that the costs of healthcare in prisons is a drain on limited resources. The document also explores barriers to healthcare in prisons and how untreated medical and mental health issues in prisoners can increase recidivism rates.
1) Mental health problems are highly prevalent among prisoner populations globally, with around 1 in 9 prisoners suffering from mental illnesses like depression. However, prisoners' mental health needs often go neglected.
2) Factors inside prisons like overcrowding, isolation from family/friends, and feelings of guilt can cause or exacerbate existing mental health conditions. Imprisonment inevitably deprives individuals of liberties and choices.
3) Addressing prisoners' mental health could yield benefits like decreasing recidivism and diverting the mentally ill away from prisons into treatment. However, challenges remain around stigma, limited resources, and the use of prisons as "dumping grounds" for the mentally ill.
This document provides information on tribal health in India. It begins with definitions of scheduled tribes and their key features such as geographical isolation, distinct culture, and economic/social backwardness. It then discusses the current state of tribal affairs, noting that India has a large tribal population concentrated in certain regions. It also describes tribal health culture and the traditional health systems utilized. The document outlines several multi-factorial challenges to tribal health, including high poverty/illiteracy, lack of job opportunities, poor health status/infrastructure, and malnutrition. It provides details on common health problems among tribes like alcoholism, waterborne diseases, and genetic disorders. Finally, it describes the Tribal Health Initiative model for healthcare delivery in tribal areas based around
The document summarizes a PhD pre-submission seminar on a study of health seeking behavior among Char people in Bangladesh. It includes an outline of the presentation covering the study objectives, area, population, data collection and findings. Key findings are that the Char people face many health vulnerabilities due to their isolated island environment, poverty and climate impacts. Common illnesses include pneumonia, malnutrition and diarrhea among children and stroke, asthma and arthritis among adults. Health care is obtained from popular/family, folk and professional sectors, including medicine shops and NGO clinics, but government services are inaccessible.
Refugee Health, Screening and Data Collection in the Triangle of North Caroli...Courtney Hereford
This document discusses refugee health screening and data collection in North Carolina. It finds that while infectious diseases are still a priority, noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and mental illnesses are increasingly common among refugees and pose growing challenges. The Triangle region of North Carolina receives about 1,000 refugees annually from 40 countries, yet systematic data on noninfectious health issues is lacking. The document calls for standardized, comprehensive health screening and data collection for both infectious and noninfectious refugee health needs in the Triangle to better address their diverse health issues and improve care. This could be achieved through an integrated health center partnership between universities and state/local health programs.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PHYSICIAN IN SOCIETY AND HOSPITAL. “PATIENT-CE...lalitmohangurjar
The physician plays several key roles and responsibilities in society and hospitals. They are the highest paid healthcare worker and undergo extensive education and training, including 4 years of medical school and residency. Physicians must be licensed and board certified in their specialty. Their primary responsibilities are to provide caring, patient-centered medical care and commit to lifelong learning. They oversee various medical specialties and subspecialties focused on different body systems and diseases. Physicians work as part of a treatment team and communicate regularly with patients, families, and other healthcare providers.
This document outlines the importance of health promoting prisons and a whole prison approach to health. It discusses how prisons present both challenges and opportunities for health promotion. All prisoners have a right to healthcare, and prisons contain populations with high disease burdens. A balanced, whole prison approach considers the health of both prisoners and staff, and emphasizes creating a supportive environment, implementing health-promoting policies, and providing health education. The document also reviews Nepal's prison system and need for improvement in areas like overcrowding, sanitation, and access to healthcare.
This document discusses healthcare in prisons and presents perspectives both for and against providing healthcare to prisoners. It notes that over 2.5 million people are currently incarcerated in the US and that the incarcerated population is aging and at higher risk for medical problems. Both the 8th Amendment and Supreme Court rulings have established that prisons must provide adequate healthcare to prisoners. However, critics argue that the costs of healthcare in prisons is a drain on limited resources. The document also explores barriers to healthcare in prisons and how untreated medical and mental health issues in prisoners can increase recidivism rates.
1) Mental health problems are highly prevalent among prisoner populations globally, with around 1 in 9 prisoners suffering from mental illnesses like depression. However, prisoners' mental health needs often go neglected.
2) Factors inside prisons like overcrowding, isolation from family/friends, and feelings of guilt can cause or exacerbate existing mental health conditions. Imprisonment inevitably deprives individuals of liberties and choices.
3) Addressing prisoners' mental health could yield benefits like decreasing recidivism and diverting the mentally ill away from prisons into treatment. However, challenges remain around stigma, limited resources, and the use of prisons as "dumping grounds" for the mentally ill.
This document provides information on tribal health in India. It begins with definitions of scheduled tribes and their key features such as geographical isolation, distinct culture, and economic/social backwardness. It then discusses the current state of tribal affairs, noting that India has a large tribal population concentrated in certain regions. It also describes tribal health culture and the traditional health systems utilized. The document outlines several multi-factorial challenges to tribal health, including high poverty/illiteracy, lack of job opportunities, poor health status/infrastructure, and malnutrition. It provides details on common health problems among tribes like alcoholism, waterborne diseases, and genetic disorders. Finally, it describes the Tribal Health Initiative model for healthcare delivery in tribal areas based around
The document summarizes a PhD pre-submission seminar on a study of health seeking behavior among Char people in Bangladesh. It includes an outline of the presentation covering the study objectives, area, population, data collection and findings. Key findings are that the Char people face many health vulnerabilities due to their isolated island environment, poverty and climate impacts. Common illnesses include pneumonia, malnutrition and diarrhea among children and stroke, asthma and arthritis among adults. Health care is obtained from popular/family, folk and professional sectors, including medicine shops and NGO clinics, but government services are inaccessible.
Refugee Health, Screening and Data Collection in the Triangle of North Caroli...Courtney Hereford
This document discusses refugee health screening and data collection in North Carolina. It finds that while infectious diseases are still a priority, noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and mental illnesses are increasingly common among refugees and pose growing challenges. The Triangle region of North Carolina receives about 1,000 refugees annually from 40 countries, yet systematic data on noninfectious health issues is lacking. The document calls for standardized, comprehensive health screening and data collection for both infectious and noninfectious refugee health needs in the Triangle to better address their diverse health issues and improve care. This could be achieved through an integrated health center partnership between universities and state/local health programs.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PHYSICIAN IN SOCIETY AND HOSPITAL. “PATIENT-CE...lalitmohangurjar
The physician plays several key roles and responsibilities in society and hospitals. They are the highest paid healthcare worker and undergo extensive education and training, including 4 years of medical school and residency. Physicians must be licensed and board certified in their specialty. Their primary responsibilities are to provide caring, patient-centered medical care and commit to lifelong learning. They oversee various medical specialties and subspecialties focused on different body systems and diseases. Physicians work as part of a treatment team and communicate regularly with patients, families, and other healthcare providers.
Ayurveda originated in India over 2,000 years ago. It developed from an oral tradition with roots possibly dating back to the Vedic civilization from 2800 BC. The earliest known texts are the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita, which describe medical treatments and surgeries. Ayurvedic principles view health as a balance between the body, mind and spirit, and aim to prevent illness through healthy habits and treatments like herbs and massage. Ancient Indian physicians performed advanced surgeries and established some of the earliest hospitals. The golden age of Ayurveda spanned from 800 BC to 1000 AD, establishing it as a formalized science.
Atlanta Botanical Garden Science Cafe: Medicines from Nature - 2014Cassandra Quave
This document provides an overview of Dr. Cassandra Quave's work in ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology. It discusses her early adventures studying medicinal plants used by indigenous groups in the Amazon rainforest and Southern Italy. It then describes her ethnobotanical research methods which include interviews, plant collection and extraction. Several case studies are presented on plants from Southern Italy and Albania that were found to have anti-biofilm and antimicrobial properties. The document emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of ethnobotany and the importance of collaboration in furthering the field's contributions to drug discovery and local health.
This document provides the course programme for a class on plant biodiversity and health. The course includes presentations, practical laboratory activities, and field trips. It will cover topics like aromatic plant biodiversity, essential oil isolation, plant drug development, ethnobotany, and applications of plant biodiversity in health care and cosmetics. The goals are to learn about plant biodiversity in relation to traditional and industrial uses and its role in health, and to organize activities demonstrating plants' chemical diversity.
Ethical Issues in Traditional and Alternative Medicine (TAM) , By Dr. Pathir...Kamal Perera
Invited guest speaker and resource person-
Topic: Ethical Issues in Traditional and Alternative Medicine (TAM)
For Human Subject Protection Course (ER) Colombo , Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia and the Western Pacific In Collaboration with the Sri Lankan Medical Association and the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 4-6 August 2014
Traditional Herbal Drugs in Cancer: A Classification and Scientific EvaluationABDUL LATIF
The document discusses traditional herbal drugs used in cancer treatment in Unani medicine. It classifies these herbal drugs based on their pharmacological properties and describes some important plants that have been used, including their chemical constituents and pharmacological actions. The author suggests further scientific research is needed to validate these traditional cancer treatments.
The prevalence, patterns of usage and people's attitude towards complementary...home
The prevalence of CAM in Chatsworth is similar to findings in other parts of the
world. Although CAM was used to treat many different ailments, this practice could not be
attributed to any particular demographic profile. The majority of CAM users were satisfied with
the effects of CAM. Findings support a need for greater integration of allopathic medicine and
CAM, as well as improved communication between patients and caregivers regarding CAM usage.
traditional medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, herbs, future Matthew N. O. Sadiku | Uwakwe C. Chukwu | Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi | Sarhan M. Musa "Future of Traditional Medicine" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-1 , December 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd48011.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/medicine/ayurvedic/48011/future-of-traditional-medicine/matthew-n-o-sadiku
Indigenous Cultural Beliefs and Health Seeking Behaviours of the Mbororo Comm...ijtsrd
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of indigenous cultural beliefs on the health seeking behaviours of the Mbororo community in Mezam Division of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. The study employed the survey research design with a mix of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire while a focus group discussion guide and a semi structured interview guide were used to collect qualitative data from a sample of 539 respondents. A total of 500 questionnaires were administered and 6 focus groups discussions were carried out and as well as interviews granted to 3 healthcare professionals. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample of the study. Data were analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 23.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages, mean scores and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as the Pearson Correlation test were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti software version 8.0. The findings revealed that indigenous cultural beliefs r=0.621, df=98, p 0.05 have a positive correlation with the health seeking behaviours of the Mbororo community. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on the need for the Mbororo community in Mezam Division and beyond to develop more tolerance for conventional or modern medicine and rush to modern hospitals when ill for appropriate screening, diagnosis and treatment of their diseases even as they continue to patronize traditional medicine based on their indigenous cultural beliefs. This would go a long way to improve the health and wellbeing of the Mbororo community in Mezam and beyond. Suggestions for further studies were also made. Foncham Paul Babila "Indigenous Cultural Beliefs and Health-Seeking Behaviours of the Mbororo Community in Mezam Division of North West Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50613.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/psychology/50613/indigenous-cultural-beliefs-and-healthseeking-behaviours-of-the-mbororo-community-in-mezam-division-of-north-west-cameroon/foncham-paul-babila
Health Seeking Behaviors following Diabetes Mellitus of Various Ethnic Groups...ijtsrd
The research on Health Seeking Behaviours following Diabetes Mellitus DM of various ethnic groups was conducted because different patients within a given ethnic group or cultural group have different options regarding actions to seek health care services. The purpose of this study was to determine the Health Seeking Behaviours HSB following DM patients from various ethnic groups and the roles of the Health Psychologists HP on the DM patients in Nkwen Health District of Bamenda III Subdivision within Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon. A descriptive survey research design was conducted among 230 sampled DM patients from various ethnic groups in Nkwen Health District. A non probability purposive sampling technique was used to set the population under study. The data was collected using both Focus Groups Discussions FGDs and questionnaire for a period of two months during the period that the DM patients came to Nkwen Health District either to consult or to refill their drugs. The questionnaire were administered to 230 DM patients from the various ethnic groups which were Bali, Bafut, Banso, Bamendankwe, Babanki, Santa, Nkwen and Ndu during this period as well.. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS software tool version 20.0, following the objectives of the study. For HSB, 38.3 agreed that they sought health care from traditional medicine whereas 26.1 remained neutral on traditional medicine. On the other hand, 37.7 disagreed that they used traditional medicine. Cultural believes and distance deterred HSB which were statistically significant with P = 0.001 and P= 0.001 respectively. The options taken to seek health care from the hospital were influenced by family relatives with P=0.001. Therefore, HSB was found to be statistically significant for the first traditional medicine and second line hospital among the different ethnic groups with P = 0.001 and 0.001 respectively. These results showed that poor HSB following DM among the different ethnic groups was statistically significant in Nkwen Health District. Foncham Paul Babila "Health-Seeking Behaviors following Diabetes Mellitus of Various Ethnic Groups in Nkwen Health District of Bamenda III Subdivision, Mezam Division, North West Region of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd51783.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/psychology/51783/healthseeking-behaviors-following-diabetes-mellitus-of-various-ethnic-groups-in-nkwen-health-district-of-bamenda-iii-subdivision-mezam-division-north-west-region-of-cameroon/foncham-paul-babila
Traditional medicine may be regarded as the branch of medicine whose philosophy is rooted in the enhancement of body’s own healing power through the use of natural means. It is the oldest form of health care system that has stood the test of time. In South Africa, traditional medicine encapsulates a myriad of health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs. Most people in South Africa prefer using traditional medicine to Western medicine because they believe that traditional medicine is more efficient, accessible, and affordable. This paper focuses on the use of traditional medicine among indigenous rural and urban communities in South Africa. Matthew N. O. Sadiku | Uwakwe C. Chukwu | Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi | Sarhan M. Musa "Traditional Medicine in South Africa" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-3 , April 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49843.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/medicine/other/49843/traditional-medicine-in-south-africa/matthew-n-o-sadiku
Patient Related Barriers Associated with Under Enrollment in Hospice: A ReviewQUESTJOURNAL
Background: Hospice care provides better quality of life compared with usual care, and focuses on caring, rather than curing. Many factors facing cancer patients at the last days of life prevent them from enrollment in hospice. Purpose:to identify the barriers associated with hospice under enrollment for terminally ill cancer patients. Methodology: an integrative literature review design was utilized, CINAHL, and PubMed were accessed by using key words (hospice, barriers, and cancer patients), and after applying inclusion criteria 8 articles were considered to meet the purpose of this review. Findings: through reviewing literatures,15% of hospice patients dis enrolled from hospice due to long-stay hospitalization, hospital death, & higher medicare expenditure with in sufficient insurance coverage (financial burden), and some other factors may contribute in under enrollment in hospice such as knowledge deficiency with misconception of hospice terminology and scope,mistrust of health care professionals, death timing, and some policies may create a barrier and restrict access to care for hospice. Conclusion:factors that may be associated with under enrollment of terminally ill cancer patients in hospice were lack of knowledge and misperception of hospice scope, emotional, physical and financial burden toward patient and family, death timing and bad quality of care
Complementary therapy use by patients and parents of children with asthma and...home
Complementary therapy use reflects patients' and parents' underlying desire for greater selfcare
and need of opportunities to address some of their concerns regarding NHS asthma care. Selfmanagement
of chronic conditions is increasingly promoted within the NHS but with little attention to
complementary therapy use as one strategy being used by patients and parents. With their desire for selfhelp,
complementary therapy users are in many ways adopting the healthcare personas that current
policies aim to encourage.
Annual advances of Chinese minority traditional medicine in 2019LucyPi1
Abstract Traditional medicine systems practiced by various ethnic minorities represent an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. The past 12 months have witnessed extensive research pertaining to different Chinese minority traditional medicine (CMTM). The annual CMTM review evaluates research published during 2019 in different CMTM including Tibetan medicine, Uyghur medicine, Mongolian medicine, Korean medicine and Zhuang medicine. Research in the field of Tibetan medicine focused on pharmacology, pharmacy, plant sciences, medicinal chemistry and integrated complementary medicine and the top three countries were China, USA and India. Research in Uyghur medicine mainly pertained to chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacy, and food science technology and the publications were mainly from China. Research in Mongolian medicine mainly pertained to pharmacology, pharmacy, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and experimental research; the publications were mainly from China and Mongolia. In short, research related to traditional medicine of various ethnic minorities was mainly conducted in China and the neighboring countries. The research focus for each minority medicine is essentially on the effects and mechanisms of action of the active ingredients of the ethnodrugs and the special prescriptions or therapies. The generated evidence will facilitate further developments in this field.
The importance of family medicine in Eastern Mediterranean countries is discussed. Family medicine is highlighted as the first level of contact with the health system, providing comprehensive and continuing care through principles of primary health care including continuity, accessibility, and community participation. There is a need to strengthen family medicine in the region given the small number of family physicians currently, which is insufficient to meet population needs. Barriers to developing family medicine include the presence of narrow specialists at primary care centers.
Family medicine began as general practitioners provided medical care to populations in the 17th-18th centuries. Over time, specialization increased and fragmented care, weakening patient-physician relationships. In response, generalists advocated for family medicine to become a specialty, establishing residency programs in the 1940s-1960s to unify patient care. Today, family medicine is recognized internationally as a specialty that provides comprehensive, coordinated, continuous care for individuals and families across all ages, sexes, diseases, and accounting for biological, psychological and social factors of health.
Complementary and alternative medicine in European countries— legislative fra...LucyPi1
- The document reviews the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and related legislation across European countries.
- CAM includes practices like traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, and reflexology. The most commonly practiced are acupuncture and homeopathy.
- CAM regulation varies widely between European nations, as legal frameworks are not well-defined across Europe. While CAM is widely used, its legal status and regulation differs in each country.
1. The document discusses different worldviews on health, illness, healthcare, and wellness from Western, Eastern, African, and South Asian perspectives.
2. In the Western view, health is seen through a biomedical lens focused on the human body. Illness is viewed as the result of natural phenomena. Healthcare involves evidence-based treatment using modern medicine. Wellness encompasses proper physical functioning of the body's systems.
3. The Eastern perspective views health holistically as a balance of body, mind, and spirit. Illness results from imbalances that can be treated by restoring balance. Healthcare considers individual diagnosis and restoring chi (energy) through natural remedies. Wellness requires harmony within oneself and with one
complementary and alternative medicine applications in cancer medicineLucyPi1
Abstract
Besides conventional medicine, many patients with cancer seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as
an additional treatment option. Since the early 1970s, the use of CAM in cancer treatment has expanded worldwide.
CAM, as a tempting option, was used by patients with cancer mainly due to easy accessibility. Patients with cancer
used CAM to achieve better quality of life or to find a cure. As physicians are mainly unaware of CAM use by
patients, doctor-patient communication about CAM use should be brought to a higher level. To identify
circumstances in which CAM are preferred, further investigations are needed especially in biologically based
therapies. Clinical-based evidence for mind-body therapies have been established, so this type of CAM can be
recommended for patients with cancer during chemotherapy. Future studies are necessary to fill the gaps so that
CAM users, as well as medical experts, are in position to clearly determine all the benefits and disadvantages of the
mentioned therapy.
Lee Hyejung presented on integrative medicine strategies for elder care in South Korea. The key points are:
1. South Korea's population is aging rapidly, with over 13% of the population over 65 years old. However, many elderly face poverty, fragile health, and medical costs burdens.
2. Integrative medicine is a promising solution for elder care as it considers mind, body and spirit with a holistic approach. It offers gentler options to address common health issues while being cost-effective.
3. For R&D strategies, establishing a clear definition of integrative medicine and setting priorities for the research agenda based on disease burden are important initial steps to advance integrative medicine for
People in the world’s most populated continent are living longer, but not necessarily healthier, lives with overburdened, provider-led healthcare systems. As life expectancy across Asia-Pacific continues to rise, the region now carries a huge global burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer and mental illnesses. As a result, governments in the Asia-Pacific region will need to consider policies and initiatives that prioritise improvements in care for people with a wide range of chronic conditions—but they must maintain vigilance against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
These are among the findings of a new study by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU): The shifting landscape of healthcare in Asia-Pacific: A look at Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, sponsored by Janssen. Through in-depth desk research and interviews with healthcare experts, the study examines the disease-burden challenges facing healthcare systems in these countries.
For more information, please visit: http://www.economistinsights.com/healthcare/analysis/shifting-landscape-healthcare-asia-pacific
Ayurveda originated in India over 2,000 years ago. It developed from an oral tradition with roots possibly dating back to the Vedic civilization from 2800 BC. The earliest known texts are the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita, which describe medical treatments and surgeries. Ayurvedic principles view health as a balance between the body, mind and spirit, and aim to prevent illness through healthy habits and treatments like herbs and massage. Ancient Indian physicians performed advanced surgeries and established some of the earliest hospitals. The golden age of Ayurveda spanned from 800 BC to 1000 AD, establishing it as a formalized science.
Atlanta Botanical Garden Science Cafe: Medicines from Nature - 2014Cassandra Quave
This document provides an overview of Dr. Cassandra Quave's work in ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology. It discusses her early adventures studying medicinal plants used by indigenous groups in the Amazon rainforest and Southern Italy. It then describes her ethnobotanical research methods which include interviews, plant collection and extraction. Several case studies are presented on plants from Southern Italy and Albania that were found to have anti-biofilm and antimicrobial properties. The document emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of ethnobotany and the importance of collaboration in furthering the field's contributions to drug discovery and local health.
This document provides the course programme for a class on plant biodiversity and health. The course includes presentations, practical laboratory activities, and field trips. It will cover topics like aromatic plant biodiversity, essential oil isolation, plant drug development, ethnobotany, and applications of plant biodiversity in health care and cosmetics. The goals are to learn about plant biodiversity in relation to traditional and industrial uses and its role in health, and to organize activities demonstrating plants' chemical diversity.
Ethical Issues in Traditional and Alternative Medicine (TAM) , By Dr. Pathir...Kamal Perera
Invited guest speaker and resource person-
Topic: Ethical Issues in Traditional and Alternative Medicine (TAM)
For Human Subject Protection Course (ER) Colombo , Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia and the Western Pacific In Collaboration with the Sri Lankan Medical Association and the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 4-6 August 2014
Traditional Herbal Drugs in Cancer: A Classification and Scientific EvaluationABDUL LATIF
The document discusses traditional herbal drugs used in cancer treatment in Unani medicine. It classifies these herbal drugs based on their pharmacological properties and describes some important plants that have been used, including their chemical constituents and pharmacological actions. The author suggests further scientific research is needed to validate these traditional cancer treatments.
Traditional Herbal Drugs in Cancer: A Classification and Scientific Evaluation
Similar to The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK
The prevalence, patterns of usage and people's attitude towards complementary...home
The prevalence of CAM in Chatsworth is similar to findings in other parts of the
world. Although CAM was used to treat many different ailments, this practice could not be
attributed to any particular demographic profile. The majority of CAM users were satisfied with
the effects of CAM. Findings support a need for greater integration of allopathic medicine and
CAM, as well as improved communication between patients and caregivers regarding CAM usage.
traditional medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, herbs, future Matthew N. O. Sadiku | Uwakwe C. Chukwu | Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi | Sarhan M. Musa "Future of Traditional Medicine" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-1 , December 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd48011.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/medicine/ayurvedic/48011/future-of-traditional-medicine/matthew-n-o-sadiku
Indigenous Cultural Beliefs and Health Seeking Behaviours of the Mbororo Comm...ijtsrd
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of indigenous cultural beliefs on the health seeking behaviours of the Mbororo community in Mezam Division of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. The study employed the survey research design with a mix of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire while a focus group discussion guide and a semi structured interview guide were used to collect qualitative data from a sample of 539 respondents. A total of 500 questionnaires were administered and 6 focus groups discussions were carried out and as well as interviews granted to 3 healthcare professionals. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample of the study. Data were analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 23.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages, mean scores and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as the Pearson Correlation test were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti software version 8.0. The findings revealed that indigenous cultural beliefs r=0.621, df=98, p 0.05 have a positive correlation with the health seeking behaviours of the Mbororo community. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on the need for the Mbororo community in Mezam Division and beyond to develop more tolerance for conventional or modern medicine and rush to modern hospitals when ill for appropriate screening, diagnosis and treatment of their diseases even as they continue to patronize traditional medicine based on their indigenous cultural beliefs. This would go a long way to improve the health and wellbeing of the Mbororo community in Mezam and beyond. Suggestions for further studies were also made. Foncham Paul Babila "Indigenous Cultural Beliefs and Health-Seeking Behaviours of the Mbororo Community in Mezam Division of North West Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50613.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/psychology/50613/indigenous-cultural-beliefs-and-healthseeking-behaviours-of-the-mbororo-community-in-mezam-division-of-north-west-cameroon/foncham-paul-babila
Health Seeking Behaviors following Diabetes Mellitus of Various Ethnic Groups...ijtsrd
The research on Health Seeking Behaviours following Diabetes Mellitus DM of various ethnic groups was conducted because different patients within a given ethnic group or cultural group have different options regarding actions to seek health care services. The purpose of this study was to determine the Health Seeking Behaviours HSB following DM patients from various ethnic groups and the roles of the Health Psychologists HP on the DM patients in Nkwen Health District of Bamenda III Subdivision within Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon. A descriptive survey research design was conducted among 230 sampled DM patients from various ethnic groups in Nkwen Health District. A non probability purposive sampling technique was used to set the population under study. The data was collected using both Focus Groups Discussions FGDs and questionnaire for a period of two months during the period that the DM patients came to Nkwen Health District either to consult or to refill their drugs. The questionnaire were administered to 230 DM patients from the various ethnic groups which were Bali, Bafut, Banso, Bamendankwe, Babanki, Santa, Nkwen and Ndu during this period as well.. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS software tool version 20.0, following the objectives of the study. For HSB, 38.3 agreed that they sought health care from traditional medicine whereas 26.1 remained neutral on traditional medicine. On the other hand, 37.7 disagreed that they used traditional medicine. Cultural believes and distance deterred HSB which were statistically significant with P = 0.001 and P= 0.001 respectively. The options taken to seek health care from the hospital were influenced by family relatives with P=0.001. Therefore, HSB was found to be statistically significant for the first traditional medicine and second line hospital among the different ethnic groups with P = 0.001 and 0.001 respectively. These results showed that poor HSB following DM among the different ethnic groups was statistically significant in Nkwen Health District. Foncham Paul Babila "Health-Seeking Behaviors following Diabetes Mellitus of Various Ethnic Groups in Nkwen Health District of Bamenda III Subdivision, Mezam Division, North West Region of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd51783.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/psychology/51783/healthseeking-behaviors-following-diabetes-mellitus-of-various-ethnic-groups-in-nkwen-health-district-of-bamenda-iii-subdivision-mezam-division-north-west-region-of-cameroon/foncham-paul-babila
Traditional medicine may be regarded as the branch of medicine whose philosophy is rooted in the enhancement of body’s own healing power through the use of natural means. It is the oldest form of health care system that has stood the test of time. In South Africa, traditional medicine encapsulates a myriad of health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs. Most people in South Africa prefer using traditional medicine to Western medicine because they believe that traditional medicine is more efficient, accessible, and affordable. This paper focuses on the use of traditional medicine among indigenous rural and urban communities in South Africa. Matthew N. O. Sadiku | Uwakwe C. Chukwu | Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi | Sarhan M. Musa "Traditional Medicine in South Africa" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-3 , April 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49843.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/medicine/other/49843/traditional-medicine-in-south-africa/matthew-n-o-sadiku
Patient Related Barriers Associated with Under Enrollment in Hospice: A ReviewQUESTJOURNAL
Background: Hospice care provides better quality of life compared with usual care, and focuses on caring, rather than curing. Many factors facing cancer patients at the last days of life prevent them from enrollment in hospice. Purpose:to identify the barriers associated with hospice under enrollment for terminally ill cancer patients. Methodology: an integrative literature review design was utilized, CINAHL, and PubMed were accessed by using key words (hospice, barriers, and cancer patients), and after applying inclusion criteria 8 articles were considered to meet the purpose of this review. Findings: through reviewing literatures,15% of hospice patients dis enrolled from hospice due to long-stay hospitalization, hospital death, & higher medicare expenditure with in sufficient insurance coverage (financial burden), and some other factors may contribute in under enrollment in hospice such as knowledge deficiency with misconception of hospice terminology and scope,mistrust of health care professionals, death timing, and some policies may create a barrier and restrict access to care for hospice. Conclusion:factors that may be associated with under enrollment of terminally ill cancer patients in hospice were lack of knowledge and misperception of hospice scope, emotional, physical and financial burden toward patient and family, death timing and bad quality of care
Complementary therapy use by patients and parents of children with asthma and...home
Complementary therapy use reflects patients' and parents' underlying desire for greater selfcare
and need of opportunities to address some of their concerns regarding NHS asthma care. Selfmanagement
of chronic conditions is increasingly promoted within the NHS but with little attention to
complementary therapy use as one strategy being used by patients and parents. With their desire for selfhelp,
complementary therapy users are in many ways adopting the healthcare personas that current
policies aim to encourage.
Annual advances of Chinese minority traditional medicine in 2019LucyPi1
Abstract Traditional medicine systems practiced by various ethnic minorities represent an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. The past 12 months have witnessed extensive research pertaining to different Chinese minority traditional medicine (CMTM). The annual CMTM review evaluates research published during 2019 in different CMTM including Tibetan medicine, Uyghur medicine, Mongolian medicine, Korean medicine and Zhuang medicine. Research in the field of Tibetan medicine focused on pharmacology, pharmacy, plant sciences, medicinal chemistry and integrated complementary medicine and the top three countries were China, USA and India. Research in Uyghur medicine mainly pertained to chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacy, and food science technology and the publications were mainly from China. Research in Mongolian medicine mainly pertained to pharmacology, pharmacy, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and experimental research; the publications were mainly from China and Mongolia. In short, research related to traditional medicine of various ethnic minorities was mainly conducted in China and the neighboring countries. The research focus for each minority medicine is essentially on the effects and mechanisms of action of the active ingredients of the ethnodrugs and the special prescriptions or therapies. The generated evidence will facilitate further developments in this field.
The importance of family medicine in Eastern Mediterranean countries is discussed. Family medicine is highlighted as the first level of contact with the health system, providing comprehensive and continuing care through principles of primary health care including continuity, accessibility, and community participation. There is a need to strengthen family medicine in the region given the small number of family physicians currently, which is insufficient to meet population needs. Barriers to developing family medicine include the presence of narrow specialists at primary care centers.
Family medicine began as general practitioners provided medical care to populations in the 17th-18th centuries. Over time, specialization increased and fragmented care, weakening patient-physician relationships. In response, generalists advocated for family medicine to become a specialty, establishing residency programs in the 1940s-1960s to unify patient care. Today, family medicine is recognized internationally as a specialty that provides comprehensive, coordinated, continuous care for individuals and families across all ages, sexes, diseases, and accounting for biological, psychological and social factors of health.
Complementary and alternative medicine in European countries— legislative fra...LucyPi1
- The document reviews the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and related legislation across European countries.
- CAM includes practices like traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, and reflexology. The most commonly practiced are acupuncture and homeopathy.
- CAM regulation varies widely between European nations, as legal frameworks are not well-defined across Europe. While CAM is widely used, its legal status and regulation differs in each country.
1. The document discusses different worldviews on health, illness, healthcare, and wellness from Western, Eastern, African, and South Asian perspectives.
2. In the Western view, health is seen through a biomedical lens focused on the human body. Illness is viewed as the result of natural phenomena. Healthcare involves evidence-based treatment using modern medicine. Wellness encompasses proper physical functioning of the body's systems.
3. The Eastern perspective views health holistically as a balance of body, mind, and spirit. Illness results from imbalances that can be treated by restoring balance. Healthcare considers individual diagnosis and restoring chi (energy) through natural remedies. Wellness requires harmony within oneself and with one
complementary and alternative medicine applications in cancer medicineLucyPi1
Abstract
Besides conventional medicine, many patients with cancer seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as
an additional treatment option. Since the early 1970s, the use of CAM in cancer treatment has expanded worldwide.
CAM, as a tempting option, was used by patients with cancer mainly due to easy accessibility. Patients with cancer
used CAM to achieve better quality of life or to find a cure. As physicians are mainly unaware of CAM use by
patients, doctor-patient communication about CAM use should be brought to a higher level. To identify
circumstances in which CAM are preferred, further investigations are needed especially in biologically based
therapies. Clinical-based evidence for mind-body therapies have been established, so this type of CAM can be
recommended for patients with cancer during chemotherapy. Future studies are necessary to fill the gaps so that
CAM users, as well as medical experts, are in position to clearly determine all the benefits and disadvantages of the
mentioned therapy.
Lee Hyejung presented on integrative medicine strategies for elder care in South Korea. The key points are:
1. South Korea's population is aging rapidly, with over 13% of the population over 65 years old. However, many elderly face poverty, fragile health, and medical costs burdens.
2. Integrative medicine is a promising solution for elder care as it considers mind, body and spirit with a holistic approach. It offers gentler options to address common health issues while being cost-effective.
3. For R&D strategies, establishing a clear definition of integrative medicine and setting priorities for the research agenda based on disease burden are important initial steps to advance integrative medicine for
People in the world’s most populated continent are living longer, but not necessarily healthier, lives with overburdened, provider-led healthcare systems. As life expectancy across Asia-Pacific continues to rise, the region now carries a huge global burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer and mental illnesses. As a result, governments in the Asia-Pacific region will need to consider policies and initiatives that prioritise improvements in care for people with a wide range of chronic conditions—but they must maintain vigilance against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
These are among the findings of a new study by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU): The shifting landscape of healthcare in Asia-Pacific: A look at Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, sponsored by Janssen. Through in-depth desk research and interviews with healthcare experts, the study examines the disease-burden challenges facing healthcare systems in these countries.
For more information, please visit: http://www.economistinsights.com/healthcare/analysis/shifting-landscape-healthcare-asia-pacific
Individualisation, A Medico Social and Psychological Approachijtsrd
The Earth! 4th planet of the solar system and suppose to be only planet that supports lives which makes it the most unique and separate from rest of the planet but that doesn't mean other planet are less. Every planet has its own unique character that makes it different. Exactly in a same way we are 7.6 billion i.e 7,600,000,000 people heads breathing, walking, talking, working in the Earth, just like those nine planets with there on uniqueness we are humans with our own complex body mechanism and functions. No doubt we all belong to same species but we too differ in our genetic makeup, response, appearance, emotion, expressions, voice, culture, traditions, response to diseases, fingerprints, our cuisine, personality trait, rituals, dressing, habits, hobbies, mental ability etcetera. So the question here is why there is same medical technology, medical approach, and same medical protocol for every human being We will totally agree with the fact that we all are different in one way or the other and our body needs and demands vary from person to person still there no change in the treatment procedures. As we are advancing with our lifestyle so as the diseases, and our approaches are making those causative agents more and more resistance which is helping to adapt with the new environment. This brings the need of individualising the technology to every extent possible using the medico social and psychological approach. So that we'll be able eradicate not just the symptoms but the disease in whole. Swastika Subba | Dr. Sinchan Das "Individualisation, A Medico-Social and Psychological Approach" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-5 , August 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd26359.pdfPaper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/sociology/26359/individualisation-a-medico-social-and-psychological-approach/swastika-subba
Presentation on Health and Medicine (sociology)Koushik Ahmed
This document contains information about 5 employees - Koushik Ahmed, Tusar Modak, Rezwan Ahmed, Shuvajit Banik, and Maftab Ahmed - and their working sections (A, B, C, D, and E). It then provides summaries on various topics related to health, medicine, sociology, healthcare, mental illness, and environmental issues. The sections cover perspectives like functionalist, conflict, interactionist, and labeling approaches as well as concepts such as social epidemiology, social class, race, gender, age, patterns of care, pollution, global warming, and sociological views of the environment.
Presentation on Health and Medicine (sociology)Koushik Ahmed
This document contains information about 5 employees - Koushik Ahmed, Tusar Modak, Rezwan Ahmed, Shuvajit Banik, and Maftab Ahmed - and their working sections (A, B, C, D, and E). It then provides summaries on various topics related to health, medicine, sociology, healthcare, mental illness, and environmental issues. The sections cover perspectives like functionalist, conflict, interactionist, and labeling approaches as well as concepts such as social epidemiology, social class, race, gender, age, patterns of care, pollution, global warming, and sociological views of the environment.
The effects of_the_mediterranean_diet_on_chronic_dArnon Ngoenyuang
This document summarizes the effects of the Mediterranean diet on chronic diseases. It discusses how the Mediterranean diet, characterized by high consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish, is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and obesity. The Mediterranean diet contains beneficial compounds like polyphenols, flavonoids, phytosterols and omega-3 fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and have been shown to lower risk of chronic diseases through various mechanisms like reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with significant reductions in mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence and incidence of neurodegenerative diseases.
Similar to The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK (20)
Homeopahty, el proyecto de un Sistema de Salud, protagonistas, fundadores, ideólogos históricos, las iniciativas de Medicina Alternativa Complementaria CAM.
Homeopathy—quackery or a key to the future of medicine?home
When cholera first invaded Europe in 1831, the
mortality throughout Europe was generally between
40% and 60%. To the surprise of many, mortality
rates reported by homeopathic physicians was generally
below 10%, and commonly under 4%. Let me
present two typical cholera reports, which have a
stamp of officialdom. The first one comes from the
territory of Raab in Hungary where in 1831 a
Dr Joseph Bakody treated 223 patients with mild to
severe cholera, 14 of which were in a state of collapse .
He lost a total of 8 patients, a mortality of 3.6%. A
similar situation occurred in Cincinnati in 1849. The
Board of Health issued an order calling for physicians
to report all cases of cholera. Reports of a high
mortality rate were received by the Board from the city
hospital and allopathic physicians. However, six
homeopathic physicians attracted national attention
when they reported not a single death out of their first
350 cases of cholera. Two of these homeopathic
physicians, Dr Pulte and Ehrmann would eventually
report treating 2646 cases with 35 deaths, or a
mortality rate of 1.3%. Allopaths reported fatal
outcomes in about 50% of their cases.
Homeopathy in the treatment of fibromyalgia A comprehensive literature-review...home
Given the low number and included trials and the lowmethodological quality, any conclusion based on the resultsof this review have to be regarded as preliminary. However,as single case studies and clinical trials indicate a positiveeffect, homeopathy could be considered a complementarytreatment for patients with fibromyalgia
Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the case of Escherichia coli diar...home
The use of antibiotics in the livestock sector is increasing to such an extent
that it threatens negative consequences for human health, animal health and the environment.
Homeopathy might be an alternative to antibiotics. It has therefore been tested in
a randomised placebo-controlled trial to prevent Escherichia coli diarrhoea in neonatal
piglets.
Multidrugresistant tuberculosis
Among the most menacing forms of MDR is multidrug
resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). WHO estimates that
were about 450,000 new cases and 170,000 deaths from
MDR-TB in 2012. The number of cases reported to
WHO rose by an alarming 35% between 2011 and 2012,
although this probably mostly reflects increased recognition
and reporting. Over half the new cases were in India,
China or the Russian Federation.3
This issue of Homeopathy features a paper by Dr Kusum
Chand and colleagues reporting a randomized, double blind,
placebo-controlled clinical trial of individualized homeopathic
treatment or placebo in addition to standard antituberculous
chemotherapy as specified by the Indian Revised
National Tuberculosis Control Program, for MDR-TB
articleHealth professionals’ and families’ understanding of the role ofindivi...home
This paper draws on a mixed methods study that examined the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial of individualisedhomeopathy plus usual care, compared to usual care alone, for children aged 7–14 with moderate to severe asthma recruited from secondary care.It draws on qualitative interviews with participants in the feasibility study that investigated families’ and professionals’ views and experiences ofasthma, homeopathy and study participation
Harm in homeopathy: Aggravations, adverse drug events or medication errors?home
This study prospectively observed 335 follow-up visits of 181 patients receiving homeopathic treatment between June 2003 and June 2004. The study aimed to assess harm from homeopathic medicines by reporting any adverse drug events. Nine adverse reactions were reported, representing 2.68% of follow-up visits. Most events were minor and transient. One case involved an allergic reaction to lactose, an excipient in the granules. The study concludes that while adverse events to homeopathic drugs do occur, they are rare and not typically severe.
Cutting Edge Research in Homeopathy: HRI’s second international research conf...home
Rome, 3rde5th June 2015, was the setting for the Homeopathy Research Institute’s (HRI)
second conference with the theme ‘Cutting Edge Research in Homeopathy’. Attended by
over 250 delegates from 39 countries, this event provided an intense two and a half day
programme of presentations and a forum for the sharing of ideas and the creation of international
scientific collaborations. With 35 oral presentations from leaders in the field,
the scientific calibre of the programme was high and the content diverse. This report
summarises the key themes underpinning the cutting edge data presented by the
speakers, including six key-note presentations, covering advancements in both basic
and clinical research. Given the clear commitment of the global homeopathic community
to high quality research, the resounding success of both Barcelona 2013 and
Rome 2015 HRI conferences, and the dedicated support of colleagues, the HRI moves
confidently forward towards the next biennial conference
CORE-Hom: A powerful and exhaustive database of clinical trials in homeopathyhome
The CORE-Hom database was created to answer the need for a reliable and publicly available
source of information in the field of clinical research in homeopathy. As of May 2014
it held 1048 entries of clinical trials, observational studies and surveys in the field of homeopathy,
including second publications and re-analyses. 352 of the trials referenced in
the database were published in peer reviewed journals, 198 of which were randomised
controlled trials. The most often used remedies were Arnica montana (n = 103) and
Traumeel (n = 40). The most studied medical conditions were respiratory tract infections
(n = 126) and traumatic injuries (n = 110). The aim of this article is to introduce
the database to the public, describing and explaining the interface, features and content
of the CORE-Hom database.
Observations about controlled clinical trials expressed by Max Haidvogl
in the book Ultra High Dilution (1994) have been appraised from a perspective two
decades later. The present commentary briefly examines changes in homeopathy
research evidence since 1994 as regards: the published number of randomised controlled
trials (RCTs), the use of individualised homeopathic intervention, the ‘proven efficacy of
homeopathy’, and the quality of the evidence.
Clinical trial of homeopathy in rheumatoid arthritishome
The conclusion of the study that the effect was due to
‘consultation’ and not to the homeopathic remedy appears
to be biased for two reasons:
There was no substantial amelioration of the pathology
in any group to compare and on which to base conclusions.
The placebo effect in such deep pathology cases is superficial
and transient as the patient remains in essence with
the same frame of pathology.
Blisters and homeopathy: case reports and differential diagnosishome
This document reports on 5 case studies of patients with blistering skin conditions who were successfully treated with homeopathic medicines. It begins with an introduction on blisters and bullous diseases, which are classified as autoimmune or genetic disorders. Homeopathy considers each patient's full symptom picture rather than just the classification or mechanism. The case studies demonstrate homeopathic treatments for pemphigus vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, toxic blisters, bullous lupus, and bullous pemphigoid using individualized remedies like Rhus toxicodendron, Calcarea sulphurica, Ranunculus sceleratus, Ranunculus bulbosus, and others. Complete recovery or significant improvement was achieved
A short history of the development of homeopathy in Indiahome
Homeopathy was introduced in India the early 19th century. It flourished in Bengal at first,
and then spread all over India. In the beginning, the system was extensively practised by
amateurs in the civil and military services and others. Mahendra Lal Sircar was the first
Indian who became a homeopathic physician. A number of allopathic doctors started
homeopathic practice following Sircar’s lead. The ‘Calcutta Homeopathic Medical
College’, the first homeopathic medical college was established in 1881. This institution
took on a major role in popularising homeopathy in India.
In 1973, the Government of India recognised homeopathy as one of the national systems of
medicine and set up the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) to regulate its education
and practice. Now, only qualified registered homeopaths can practice homeopathy in
India. At present, in India, homeopathy is the third most popular method of medical treatment
after allopathy and Ayurveda. There are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors
currently, with approximately 12,000 more being added every year.
Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among children fr...home
A homeopathy user utilized on average homeopathic remedies worth EUR 15.28. The corresponding figure for herbal
drug users was EUR 16.02, and EUR 18.72 for overall medicinal CAM users.
CAM use among 15-year-old children in the GINIplus cohort is popular, but decreased noticeably compared
with children from the same cohort at the age of 10 years. This is possibly mainly because German health legislation
normally covers CAM for children younger than 12 years only.
Complementary medical health services: a cross sectional descriptive analysis...home
This summary analyzes a research article describing a cross-sectional study of patient data from the largest naturopathic teaching clinic in Canada. The study aimed to describe the patient demographics, health conditions, and services provided at the clinic over three years. Key findings include:
- Over 13,000 unique patients received care in over 76,000 visits. The median patient age was 37 and most patients were female.
- Common health concerns included those consistent with primary care like chronic health conditions. Obtaining health education and help with chronic issues were top reasons for visits.
- Services provided included herbal medicines, homeopathy, acupuncture, and nutrition counseling.
- The clinic attracts patients from a
Prayer-for-health and complementary alternative medicine use among Malaysian ...home
CAM use was prevalent among breast cancer patients. Excluding PFH from the definition of CAM
reduced the prevalence of overall CAM use. Overall, CAM use was associated with higher education levels and
household incomes, advanced cancer and lower chemotherapy schedule compliance. Many patients perceived
MBP to be beneficial for improving overall well-being during chemotherapy. These findings, while preliminary,
clearly indicate the differences in CAM use when PFH is included in, and excluded from, the definition of CAM
Extreme sensitivity of gene expression in human SH-SY5Y neurocytes to ultra-l...home
The study shows that Gelsemium s., a medicinal plant used in traditional remedies and
homeopathy, modulates a series of genes involved in neuronal function. A small, but statistically significant,
response was detected even to very low doses/high dilutions (up to 30c), indicating that the human neurocyte
genome is extremely sensitive to this regulation.
Calcarea carbonica induces apoptosis in cancer cells in p53-dependent manner ...home
These observations delineate the significance of immuno-modulatory circuit during calcarea carbonicamediated
tumor apoptosis. The molecular mechanism identified may serve as a platform for involving calcarea
carbonica into immunotherapeutic strategies for effective tumor regression
P05.39. Clinical experiences of homeopaths participating in a study of the ho...home
Homeopathic medications and dietary protocols were
found to be easily adapted for use in a clinical trial. These
observations provide insights for future research in the
area of homeopathic treatment (for ADHD in particular
and of homeopathy in general) and provide insights for
the potential integration of homeopathic practice into conventional
settings.
P04.71. Acupuncture, self-care homeopathy, and practitioner-based homeopathy:...home
The relationship between acupuncture use and depression
deserves further investigation. Given high levels of
concern about overuse of antibiotics in respiratory infections,
further research into the efficacy and cost-effectiveness
of homeopathy for these conditions is
warranted. Hopefully, future versions of NHIS-CAM
will provide more realistic estimates of expenditures.
Here is the updated list of Top Best Ayurvedic medicine for Gas and Indigestion and those are Gas-O-Go Syp for Dyspepsia | Lavizyme Syrup for Acidity | Yumzyme Hepatoprotective Capsules etc
Does Over-Masturbation Contribute to Chronic Prostatitis.pptxwalterHu5
In some case, your chronic prostatitis may be related to over-masturbation. Generally, natural medicine Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill can help mee get a cure.
NVBDCP.pptx Nation vector borne disease control programSapna Thakur
NVBDCP was launched in 2003-2004 . Vector-Borne Disease: Disease that results from an infection transmitted to humans and other animals by blood-feeding arthropods, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Examples of vector-borne diseases include Dengue fever, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and malaria.
TEST BANK For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition by...Donc Test
TEST BANK For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition by Stamler, Verified Chapters 1 - 33, Complete Newest Version Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition by Stamler, Verified Chapters 1 - 33, Complete Newest Version Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition by Stamler Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition TEST BANK by Stamler Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Pdf Chapters Download Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Pdf Download Stuvia Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Study Guide Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Ebook Download Stuvia Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Questions and Answers Quizlet Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Studocu Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Quizlet Test Bank For Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Stuvia Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Pdf Chapters Download Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Pdf Download Course Hero Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Answers Quizlet Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Ebook Download Course hero Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Questions and Answers Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Studocu Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Quizlet Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Stuvia Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Pdf Chapters Download Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Pdf Download Stuvia Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Study Guide Questions and Answers Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Ebook Download Stuvia Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Questions Quizlet Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Studocu Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Quizlet Community Health Nursing A Canadian Perspective, 5th Edition Test Bank Stuvia
These lecture slides, by Dr Sidra Arshad, offer a quick overview of the physiological basis of a normal electrocardiogram.
Learning objectives:
1. Define an electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrocardiography
2. Describe how dipoles generated by the heart produce the waveforms of the ECG
3. Describe the components of a normal electrocardiogram of a typical bipolar lead (limb II)
4. Differentiate between intervals and segments
5. Enlist some common indications for obtaining an ECG
6. Describe the flow of current around the heart during the cardiac cycle
7. Discuss the placement and polarity of the leads of electrocardiograph
8. Describe the normal electrocardiograms recorded from the limb leads and explain the physiological basis of the different records that are obtained
9. Define mean electrical vector (axis) of the heart and give the normal range
10. Define the mean QRS vector
11. Describe the axes of leads (hexagonal reference system)
12. Comprehend the vectorial analysis of the normal ECG
13. Determine the mean electrical axis of the ventricular QRS and appreciate the mean axis deviation
14. Explain the concepts of current of injury, J point, and their significance
Study Resources:
1. Chapter 11, Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology, 14th edition
2. Chapter 9, Human Physiology - From Cells to Systems, Lauralee Sherwood, 9th edition
3. Chapter 29, Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, 26th edition
4. Electrocardiogram, StatPearls - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549803/
5. ECG in Medical Practice by ABM Abdullah, 4th edition
6. Chapter 3, Cardiology Explained, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2214/
7. ECG Basics, http://www.nataliescasebook.com/tag/e-c-g-basics
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The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK
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Background
The United Kingdom (UK), in common with other west-
ern societies, is characterised by a plural health care sys-
tem, comprising the dominant biomedical sector, with
services delivered through the National Health Service
(NHS) and by private providers, and a growing sector of
so-called complementary and alternative therapies (CAM)
[1] delivered by an array of mainly private providers [2],
although there is increasing collaboration and interpene-
tration between the two sectors [3]. The most widely used
CAM therapies, although often originating in specific cul-
tural contexts, now have widespread global reach. In the
context of Bradford, a city in the north of England in
which the study was undertaken, we can add a third sec-
tor, that of traditional South Asian therapists, operating in
parallel to but separately from the other two and without
the global reach of biomedicine or global CAM [4]. In this
paper, the phrase 'complementary and alternative medi-
cines' is used to denominate those therapies originating
outside the biomedical paradigm which have a wide-
spread constituency reaching beyond the countries and
ethnic groups in which they originated. The term 'ethno-
medicine' is reserved for those traditional practices spe-
cific to particular ethnic groups, in this case South Asian
groups.
CAM is now used widely in many western populations,
especially for the maintenance of general health and the
treatment of long term and medically intractable condi-
tions [2]. Epilepsy might be considered a prime candidate
for the use of CAM, as it is a chronic condition for which
there is no medical cure, which may be medically intrac-
table, or for which conventional medication (in the form
of anti-convulsive drugs) may offer only partial control
[5-7]. Studies have shown that, in western countries, a sig-
nificant proportion of people with epilepsy use CAM spe-
cifically for epilepsy, usually in conjunction with rather
than in place of conventional anti-convulsive therapy [8-
12] and often without telling their doctors [12]. The most
common CAM therapies used in the treatment of epilepsy
include: mind-body therapies, such as reiki and yoga; bio-
logic based therapies, such as herbal remedies, dietary
supplements and homeopathy; manipulative-based ther-
apies, such as chiropractic [8]. The web sites of the
National Society for Epilepsy (UK) [13] and Epilepsy
Action (UK) [14] devote whole sections to CAM, includ-
ing: relaxation therapies, aromatherapy, acupuncture,
reflexology, biofeedback, homeopathy, herbal medicine,
Ayurveda, nutritional supplements and diet. CAM use is
known to vary between different cultural contexts: for
example, people with epilepsy in the United States of
America are more likely to turn to prayer and other forms
of religious healing than their UK counterparts [12,15].
However, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic
differences within the UK population.
Among the South Asian sample studied, people turned to
a combination of biomedicine and ethnomedicine but
not to conventional CAM. In this article, we explore some
of the reasons why. The Bradford study explored the use
of ethnomedicine in a western, urban context, whereas
previous studies of the use of ethnomedicine in relation to
epilepsy have tended to be of traditional, non-western
societies [16-20]. The article reports on the health care-
seeking strategies of people from a migrant population
and compares them with the profile of conventional CAM
use in western societies and with the patterns prevalent in
their homelands. The findings are likely to be relevant to
other towns and cities worldwide where there are signifi-
cant concentrations of South Asian settlement, as well as
to migrant groups more generally.
Study site and population
Bradford is the fifth largest metropolitan district in the UK
and the eighth most socio-economically deprived health
community [21,22]. Twenty per cent of the population of
380,000 people are of South Asian origin – from Pakistan,
India and Bangladesh – and this proportion is projected
to rise to 28% by 2011. The city's South Asian population
is predominantly Muslim, of Pakistani origin and dispro-
portionately represented in the most socio-economically
deprived inner city wards. The 2001 census identified
14.4% of Bradford District's population as Pakistani,
2.7% Indian and 1.1% Bangladeshi. The South Asian
community began to grow in Bradford as people moved
from Pakistan in the late 1950's and 1960's to work in the
textile mills and there has been continuing in-migration,
often organised around marriage. There is now a growing
cohort of older people but also a cohort of second and
third generation people of South Asian origin, making for
a complex and now long established community. Links
with the Indian sub-continent remain close, with family
and village ties sustained through in-migration and regu-
lar trips "home" by individuals or whole families.
The city has a community-based epilepsy service with a
patient list of around 3000 [23]. Epilepsy clinics, in easily
accessible local health centres, provide fast track consulta-
tions with newly diagnosed patients as well as monitoring
patients who have had epilepsy for a period of time. The
epilepsy service has been running for nine years and is
headed by a full time consultant neurologist with a staff of
four part-time specialist general practitioners (GPs) as
well as a specialist epilepsy nurse and other support staff.
In parallel, and largely invisible to the NHS service, is a
well-established network of community-based, tradi-
tional South Asian approaches to health care (see Table 1
for an over-view), which extends to other towns and cities
where there are significant concentrations of people of
South Asian origin. This network has close links with
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Pakistan and the Indian sub-continent. Healers who are
resident in the UK are often allied to healers in India and
Pakistan. Celebrated faith healers (gurus for Sikhs and
Hindus, pirs for Muslims) and herbal practitioners (hak-
ims) may be invited to the UK and tour the country pro-
viding religious healing. Traditional therapists are
consulted and traditional remedies accessed when UK res-
idents are visiting Pakistan. Consultations may be made
without the recipient being present, either someone seeks
help on their behalf or remedies can be obtained via cor-
respondence: tawiz (amulets), for example, can be sent in
the post.
Project management
In the initial stages of the study an Epilepsy Project Steer-
ing Group was established to provide general guidance to
the project. Members included representatives from the
funding organisation (Epilepsy Action), the hospital and
community epilepsy service, the National Health Service
Equality Strategy Unit, the local voluntary/charity sector
(including South Asian community organisations), as
well as the Director of Equality and Diversity at Bradford
NHS Hospitals Trust and academic staff working in the
fields of ethnicity and health care. The group met every six
months to discuss sampling strategies, the topic guides
used to gather data, and preliminary findings from the
study. A Research Advisory Group, formed by research
professionals, was established to discuss ongoing issues
directly related to the management of the project and met
on a monthly basis. In addition, a Patient Advisory Group
of four people with epilepsy from the South Asian com-
munity, who were not themselves participants in the
study, met with researchers to discuss the design of topic
guides, interviewing strategies, preliminary findings and
emerging data. However, recruitment to this group proved
very difficult and it only met on three occasions. Members
were paid expenses and taken out to a meal. It was not
possible to make financial payments as these might have
jeopardised their social security entitlements.
Methods
Obtaining the sample
After obtaining approval from the Local Research Ethics
Committee, a sampling frame was drawn up using data
from the city's Epilepsy Register of all patients referred to
the community epilepsy service or seen by the hospital
epilepsy team, with the following inclusion criteria: over
18 years old; resident in Bradford; of South Asian origin;
diagnosed with epilepsy and receiving care from the hos-
pital, epilepsy service or GP; no identified and recorded
learning disability. The exclusion of potential participants
on the grounds of learning disability was made on the
advice of the project advisory group who thought that it
presented too many confounding variables.
One hundred and thirty-nine people who met the inclu-
sion criteria were identified using the computer pro-
gramme, Naam Pehchan. This programme contains a
dictionary of South Asian names that it attempts to match
against the complete name, or name stem, in order to pro-
vide a list of South Asians, together with a language and
religion marker for each person. Nam Pehchan has been
assessed as having a sensitivity of 96% against names from
Yorkshire, the county in which Bradford is located [24].
Different sources of information (Epilepsy Register, paper
files from the Epilepsy Service and data from the Patient
Administration System – PAS) were combined to collect
information about each person's gender, GP, medication,
address, telephone number and, where available, fluency
in English.
Table 1: Features of the folk system
Religious healing involves individuals or groups praying or reciting religious texts to seek cure. Individuals may drink holy water, fast or undertake
pilgrimages to seek forgiveness of sins and alleviation of illness
Faith healers (gurus – for Sikhs and Hindus, pirs – for Muslims) may be consulted for a number of illnesses/problems perceived to have a spiritual
element (including epilepsy and mental illness). Some Muslims refer to such healers as pirs. The pir's special spiritual power, acquired through
birthright (lineage) or a lifetime of devotional acts, allows him to communicate directly with God and thus act as a mediator between God and the
people.
Pirs offer a number of treatments. Amulets (tawiz), containing verses from the Koran are usually worn around the neck or on the arm, act as a
defence against evil spirits or the evil eye (buri nazaar). Other types of amulets are dipped in water and then the blessed water is drunk. When the
problem is thought to be spiritual, the pir may diagnose possession by evil spirits (jinns) which must be exorcised. However, only specialist pirs have
the specific knowledge to perform exorcisms. While most pirs do not levy a charge for their services, they expect some type of payment in kind,
often cash or jewellery. Others ask for donations to a mosque or other places in India and Pakistan that may be in need of charity.
There is a widespread belief amongst Muslims that jinns are spiritual beings – created from smokeless fire rather than the spirit of dead people –
that live on earth in a world parallel to mankind. Jinns have the ability to possess and take over the minds and bodies of other creatures, including
humans, and to behave in either a good or evil manner. Jinns possess people for different reasons. Most of the time possession occurs because the
jinn is simply malicious and wicked.
The word hakim is derived from hikmat, the traditional system of medicine practised mainly among Muslim countries in South Asia. The practice,
which involves use of a variety of herbs and minerals, has its basis in Greek medicine and Hippocrates' theory of the four humours (blood, phlegm,
black and yellow bile). Humoural imbalance is thought to be the cause of ill health and it is the hakim's role to help regain the body's original state
through a combination of medication (dawaa) and abstinence (parhez). In Pakistan, hakims often come from a well-established lineage of healers and
are generally trained through a process of apprenticeship, although there are also a number of well-established institutions which offer training.
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The South Asian population is heterogeneous in terms of
ethnicity, religions and language. Religious grouping pro-
vides a robust framework for reflecting some of this diver-
sity and, to a large extent, can be correlated with socio-
economic position [25]. Nazroo's work [25] demonstrates
that, to a marked extent, the differentials relate to system-
atic differences in socio-economic position between Mus-
lims (relatively poor) and Hindus and Sikhs (relatively
better-off). In addition, other studies have shown that
both ethnicity and religion provide an important frame-
work for understanding South Asians' health behaviours
and beliefs [26,27]. We therefore chose to divide our sam-
ple into Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus.
Given their low numbers, all Sikh and Hindu patients
were included in the sample. The Muslims were grouped
into gender and age bands (18–25, 26–35, 36–45, 46–55,
56–65, >65), and a quota sample drawn by selecting ran-
domly from the age/gender bands and sending invitations
to join the study accordingly. The European Standard
population age bands were used, based on previous epi-
demiological research [23]. Patients were invited by letter,
accompanied by an information sheet, (both in English
and known or assumed first language) and asked to indi-
cate on a return slip whether or not they wished to take
part. Non-responders were further contacted by letter or
telephone. Those who did not reply or who declined did
not differ in terms of age banding or gender from the
thirty who accepted the invitation to be interviewed. Tab-
ulated breakdown of age and gender for responders and
non-responders has been reported previously [28]. Rea-
sons people gave for declining included: a belief that the
research would be of no direct benefit to them personally,
and not feeling comfortable talking about their epilepsy,
especially as they feared that it might upset them and
bring on a seizure. On a few occasions, relatives, acting as
'gatekeepers', did not allow the researcher to establish
contact with the person with epilepsy and some potential
participants contacted turned out to have learning diffi-
culties (not recorded in the Register), and were excluded
from the sample on the advice of the Epilepsy Project
Steering Group. Table 2 provides a summary of the sam-
pling and recruitment process.
Characteristics of the sample
The sample consisted predominantly of Muslims of Paki-
stani origin, reflecting the demographic profile of the
local South Asian population, but also included Sikhs and
Hindus. A total of 20 Muslims (10 male and 10 female),
6 Sikhs (2 male and 4 female) and 4 Hindus (3 male and
1 female) accepted the invitation. They ranged in age from
18 to 68 years, with 18 under 35 years of age. Five
respondents classified their occupation as professional/
managerial, six as skilled or unskilled manual, nine as
housewives, eight as retired or unemployed (Table 3). The
register data did not include information on socio-eco-
nomic position or severity of epilepsy; however, the
majority of participants were in lower socio-economic
groups reflecting the socio-demographic composition of
the city, and the eventual sample comprised individuals
with a range of severity and adequacy of control through
anti-epileptic drugs. Two patients reported other health
problems (under-active thyroid and asthma) and seven
people reported depression which they believed was
directly linked to their epilepsy.
In recognition of the role of families in people's experi-
ence of epilepsy, the views of the person with epilepsy
Table 2: Process of recruiting people with epilepsy
Identification of sampling frame
Identification of South Asian epilepsy patients from Bradford Epilepsy Register using computer program Naam Pehchan (n = 139)
Identification of sample
Inclusion of all Sikh and Hindu patients, random selection of Muslims from age and gender bands (n = 60)
Recruitment: Stage 1
Letters sent to patients (n = 60) (30 Muslims, 17 Hindus, 13 Hindus)
Negative response (n = 3)
(1 Muslim, 2 Hindus)
Positive response (n = 6)
(5 Muslims, 1 Sikh)
No response (n = 51)
(24 Muslims, 16 Sikhs, 11 Hindus)
Recruitment: Stage 2
Telephone call or reminder letter (n = 51)
Negative response (n = 8)
(7 Muslims, 1 Hindu)
Positive response (n = 24)
(15 Muslims, 5 Sikhs, 4 Hindus)
No response (n = 19)
(2 Muslims, 11 Sikhs, 6 Hindus)
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were supplemented, where possible, with those of
another family member. Each person with epilepsy inter-
viewed for the study was asked to nominate someone who
cared for them in any capacity. Individual in-depth inter-
views were undertaken with fifteen carers who accepted
the invitation to participate, of whom five were spouses,
three parents, one a sibling and one a friend. Twelve peo-
ple did not nominate a carer, either because they did not
have a carer or did not want him or her to be approached,
and three nominated carers (all husbands) declined
because they felt uncomfortable about discussing their
spouse's condition. Findings from the full study have
been reported elsewhere [28-32].
Interviews and analysis
Individual interviews were undertaken with the sample of
30 people with a diagnosis of epilepsy and 15 carers. The
topic guides for persons with epilepsy and carers covered
similar themes, including: lay knowledge of epilepsy; con-
tinuity and change; health and religious beliefs; use of
alternative therapies; interaction with health profession-
als and level of satisfaction with service provision (Table
4). The topic guides were informed by a literature review
and informal discussions with patients and health profes-
sionals, and were developed in collaboration with the
research advisory group, which included representatives
from local communities and the hospital and community
epilepsy service. The basic content of the interviews was
shaped by the topic guides to ensure that the same basic
topics were raised in each interview, but additional topics
were raised by the interviewees themselves. Most of the
interviews were conducted by a male interviewer, one of
the authors (HI), and five by a female researcher at the
request of patients. Both interviewers were South Asian
themselves, fluent in one or more South Asian languages,
and experienced in the techniques of qualitative research.
Interviews took place in participants' homes and lasted
about one hour. Twelve of the interviews were conducted
in Urdu or Punjabi at the request of participants, the rest
in English, although interviews often combined more
than one language. Nominated carers were interviewed
separately, except on four occasions when joint interviews
were conducted at the request of participants. All inter-
views were tape-recorded, translated by the interviewer if
required, and transcribed. Difficulties in translation were
discussed between the interviewers and with the rest of
the research team.
The data were analysed using the framework approach
[33]. This requires a coding frame to be devised based
upon common themes and sub-themes found in the
interviews. This is then applied to each transcript and rel-
evant text is indexed whenever a particular theme appears.
Coded segments of text are entered into a grid, specifying
Table 3: Details of the 30 people with epilepsy included in the study
Age Group Type of Occupation Household Structure
Male Female Lives with:
18–25 8 Professional/Managerial 3 2 Spouse only 3
26–35 10 Skilled manual 1 Spouse + children 11
36–45 5 Unskilled manual 3 3 Spouse + children + extended 8
46–55 4 Housewife 9 Spouse + extended 1
56–68 3 Retired 1 1 Extended only 1
Student 2 Parents + siblings 2
Unemployed 5 Parents only 2
Siblings only 1
Living alone 1
Table 4: Summary of the Interview Topic Guide
Topic heading Interviewer prompts
Nature of the study Consent and confidentiality procedures: research aims
Personal information about informant Demographics: household composition: family networks: length of time in UK: languages used.
Understandings about epilepsy Diagnosis: beliefs about cause: impact on life: other health problems: knowledge of any other persons with
epilepsy
Impact on lifestyle and relationships Reactions of others – family/job/community: impact on what you can do: impact on mood: sources of
support
Understandings about seizures Frequency: severity: changes over time: triggers for seizures: reactions of others.
Experience of treatment provision Language problems: medications: who would/do you go to for help: use of non-western therapies:
satisfaction with care received.
Attitudes to the future Beliefs about cure and control: ways to make things better.
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themes along one axis and (coded) respondent identities
along the other. The range of responses can then be ana-
lysed by theme whilst retaining the integrity of individual
interview profiles. Data from the interviews with carers
were analysed separately. The initial coding was under-
taken by the principal interviewer (HI) to ensure consist-
ency and was reviewed by members of the research
advisory group. Regular meetings of the research team and
Research Advisory Group, where emerging themes were
discussed, were held throughout the periods of fieldwork
and analysis. Like Barbour, we took the view that 'the
degree of concordance between researchers is not really
important; what is ultimately of value is the content of
disagreements and the insights that discussion can pro-
vide for refining coding frames. The greatest potential of
multiple coding lies in its capacity to furnish alternative
interpretations ...... Whether this is carried out by a consci-
entious lone researcher, by a team, or by involving inde-
pendent experts is immaterial: what matters is that a
systematic process is followed' [34]. Table 5 provides brief
biographical details of those persons with epilepsy who
are quoted in this paper. Names and precise details have
been changed to preserve anonymity.
Results
Use of biomedicine
Not surprisingly, given their recruitment through medical
records, all those interviewed were taking conventional
anti-epileptic drugs for their epilepsy, although some (15)
admitted to having stopped for brief periods in the past or
to having altered the recommended dose.
I will have a fit if I'm still taking my tablet but, if I miss a
tablet, I'm still going to have a fit. If I miss the tablet, I
might not have a fit, you don't know. It's one of these
things, it'll just come up from nowhere.
(Amjad, 25 year old Muslim man)
I was sick of taking tablets. I just thought I'd be my own
doctor, basically. I thought, 'Well I have not had a fit for a
very long time, I think it's gone away you know.' It's like,
yes, it's finished, let's come off the tablets slowly.... I did
have a quite bad fit.
(Sara, 34 year old Muslim woman)
The main reasons for stopping or altering the dose were:
side-effects (such as headaches, loss of short-term mem-
ory, weight gain, impotence, stomach problems and gen-
eral tiredness); fear of accumulated toxicity in the body;
fear of harm to the unborn baby during pregnancy. Asifa
was one of two women who had decided to stop taking
medication for epilepsy during pregnancy.
No one knew about it. ... I was having cluster fits and the
medication was put up and up and up. I was really scared
that there would be some effect on the baby. I just thought,
"I'm having the fits anyway, I'll have them but at least I
won't be taking the tablets; the tablets won't be doing any-
thing to the baby even if the fits are."
(Asifa, 28 year old Muslim woman)
In common with other young people with chronic illness,
some participants, particularly if they had been diagnosed
at a young age, went through a period in their adolescence
when they stopped taking tablets [35-38].
When I was at that age, fifteen, I used to (take medica-
tion). It wasn't that I never understood properly, like if I
had a headache you take a tablet, it goes away. I used to
take the medication but I still used to have fits. In my head,
Table 5: Characteristics of those quoted*
Name Gender Age Religion Occupation Lives with
Amjad M 25 Muslim Unskilled Parents + other siblings and their families
Asifa F 28 Muslim Professional/clerical Husband + children + mother
Banares M 27 Muslim Unemployed Wife + parents + siblings
Bhupinder F 46 Sikh Professional/Managerial Spouse + children + extended
Iqbal M 35 Muslim Unemployed Spouse + children + extended
Khalida F 56 Muslim Professional Husband + children
Mohammed M 24 Muslim Student Grandparents and other members of extended family
Razia F 31 Muslim Housewife Husband + children
Sachdev M 19 Sikh Unemployed Parents + siblings
Saleem M 32 Muslim Unskilled manual Spouse + children + extended
Santosh M 42 Hindu Unskilled manual Spouse only
Sara F 34 Muslim Housewife Husband +children
Shanaz F 28 Muslim Housewife Husband + children + in laws
Shazad M 23 Muslim Unemployed Parents + siblings
Yaqoob M 39 Muslim Unemployed Wife + parents
* Names and precise details have been changed to preserve anonymity.
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I used to think 'What's the point of eating tablets?' so I
stopped.
(Razia, 31 year old Muslim woman)
For many people, however, especially those who had
experienced symptoms before coming to Britain, there
had been a delay in diagnosis where help had initially
been sought in the folk sector. As the brother of Iqbal (35
year old Muslim man) explained:
Magic, you know how it is in India, in Pakistan and Africa
and everywhere. Yes, we thought it was the outside job and
he went to see a lot of priests, different things, at first. He
didn't know what it was.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine
Unlike other studies which have revealed significant pro-
portions of people with epilepsy using CAM, both for gen-
eral health purposes and specifically for epilepsy [8-12],
only two people mentioned a non-South Asian alterna-
tive. One had tried acupuncture, apparently without
much success. Another, uniquely in our sample, had tried
a number of complementary therapies, including psycho-
therapy, hypnotherapy, reiki and aromatherapy. Although
his views about the benefits of using alternatives were
mixed, he was opposed to trying any kind of remedy pro-
posed by a traditional South Asian healer:
They (parents) have tried to (persuade me) but I just know
I don't want to see any of these people (traditional healers).
No, because it's just superstition... I'd rather do it my own
way. I did use aromatherapy. That helped with sleeping and
relaxing me and I tried reiki as well..... Reiki was through
my brother and aromatherapy, his partner. She has books
and things on it, so I just borrowed a book and read that....
I just tried it to see how it would help me..... I've tried some
things like how to become stress-free and things but I don't
feel it really works.
(Sachdev, 19 year old Sikh man)
Use of traditional South Asian therapies
Despite high levels of compliance with western medica-
tion, the use of traditional South Asian therapies was
widespread in our sample, although in all cases as a sec-
ond-line rather than an alternative to anti-epileptic drugs.
Given recruitment of the sample through medical records,
we have no knowledge of the extent to which people with
epilepsy may have been using traditional therapies with-
out being in contact with medical services. Initially, partic-
ipants were often reluctant to talk about the use of
ethnomedicine, even with interviewers who were them-
selves of South Asian origin, and no-one reported having
discussed it with their doctor.
Over half the sample (16 people) said that they had
sought help from hakims, practising mainly within the
Yunani tradition [39], or from other traditional South
Asian healers. Fourteen people said that they had visited a
faith healer. Some of these consultations were with gurus
(Hindus and Sikhs) or pirs (Muslims), visiting from the
Indian subcontinent, although some people consulted
local healers on trips abroad when visiting extended fam-
ily. Others consulted religious healers established in the
UK, often affiliated to famous pirs from the subcontinent,
on the recommendation of friends or family.
Decisions to seek alternative treatments were usually
taken as a family rather than as an individual and people
reported having been coerced or cajoled into accepting
them, especially on visits to India or Pakistan where there
was additional pressure from the wider family and com-
munity. One man, for example, remembered how:
My mum forced me, saying, "You have to go, you try it
there. What are you going to lose if you go there?" and I had
to accept those things.
(Yaqoob, 39 year old Muslim man)
Similarly, another recalled:
(I went to a faith healer) just to please them (my parents),
really. They were saying that, not only my parents, it was
like far off cousins or my uncles, they would say, "You
should go. Someone went, he got better, and why don't you
take your son?"
(Banares, 27 year old Muslim man)
Discrepancy between participants' reasons for accepting
traditional treatments and families' motivations was com-
monly reported and was usually related to differences in
beliefs about the causes of epilepsy. The older generation
were reported to be more likely to believe in supernatural
causes, such as the Evil Eye, tawiz (amulets, containing
verses of the Holy Quran, intended to harm someone), or
possession by mischievous demons or jinn [40,41]. As the
husband of Asifa pointed out:
They (the elders) think it's something like an evil spirit, I
would say that's the elders, no matter where they are.
Younger people were more likely to accept a medical
explanation for their condition or to attribute it to stress,
past trauma and "the will of God". Yaqoob, for example,
said:
Most people think like that that they are djinns (demons)
and want to give you tawiz (amulet containing religious
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verses) or something like that.... It's a disease, it's not ghost.
It's a disease, it's not a ghost giving me trouble. If it's a
ghost, it could kill me a long time ago.
(Yaqoob, 39 year old Muslim man)
Similarly, Sikh and Hindu respondents were unlikely to
subscribe to the notion of punishment for sins committed
in a past life. Bhupinder, for example, commented:
They do say that you have to repent in this life for sins that
you've maybe committed in your previous life, but I don't
know... I mean illness is something that's fated to happen
to you in life. I think I was just fated to have it.
(Bhupinder, 46 year old Sikh woman)
Likewise, Sachdev, who was diagnosed at the age of 12,
recalled:
I remember (my parents) having conversation with some
guru of theirs and he was saying that in a previous life ...I'd
killed a snake or something, that's why I'm epileptic... but
I don't really believe in this sort of thing.
(Sachdev, 19 year old Sikh man)
Older relatives were likely to consider biomedicine infe-
rior to traditional approaches with their strong religious
foundation. The father of Shazad (23 year old Muslim
man) explained:
In this country people usually go to the doctor first, because
it's free and the hakim charges money. In Pakistan, how-
ever, the hakim is cheaper than the doctor.... I think the
hakim's cure is better, the cure is from Allah and both are
ways of accessing the cure.
Similarly, Saleem recounted a conversation with his father
after visiting a doctor. Previously, he had visited a pir, vis-
iting from Pakistan, who had diagnosed the problem as
saya (literally meaning 'shadow' – the belief that some evil
spirit or individual has cast his or her shadow on the
patient [41]) and given him some verses to read in Farsi.
Me and Dad went to Dr X a few months later. He showed
us a circuit board and he said these wires touch and con-
nect. Afterwards, when we came back home, Dad said
"Allah ne bandyi" (Pir was a person close to God and not
everyone is blessed with these powers), you know, he said
"Not everyone has that."
(Saleem, 32 year old Muslim man)
Amongst participants, the widespread use of traditional
therapies was not necessarily or even primarily related to
belief in their efficacy. Participants turned to alternatives
for a number of reasons. Some were persuaded by family,
friends or relatives; others were concerned about side-
effects, especially the effects on their health of long-term
use of anti-epilepsy drugs. Some, mirroring their
approach to anti-epileptic drugs, had adopted an experi-
mental tactic. One woman, for example, had tried both
herbal remedies prescribed by hakims and religious rem-
edies, but was sceptical of their benefit:
I also went to see the hakims. People that give prayers to
read to get better, I went to see them too. I tried everything
and sometimes I'd feel better, sometimes I wouldn't. But, I
mean, they say it's kind of psychological as well. Well, you
know, you take it (hakim's prescribed medication) and you
don't have any fits for a week and then the next week you'll
have three and you think, "What was the point of taking
that, it hasn't made any difference?"
(Shanaz, 28 year old Muslim woman)
Similarly, Mohammed had stopped wearing tawiz because
he felt they hadn't helped him.
I had a couple sent (from Pakistan) a couple of years ago...
Got it from M (a pir in Pakistan)... But when I have these
attacks, I just have these doubts, again... Then, after two or
three years I was in that previous state when I used to keep
on having fits again and again, I thought they weren't
working so I just took them off, just stopped using them.
(Mohammed, 24 year old Muslim man)
However, a common motivating factor, regardless of age,
religion or ethnicity, was the desire for a cure or reduction
in seizures that conventional medication had failed to
provide. All those who had sought additional treatment
had experienced continued seizures, despite compliance
with medication [42], and many gave a sense of despera-
tion as their main motivation.
We've been asking all those sorts of people but nobody can
come up with any answer. They've tried their best ... but
nothing... I think it is desperation because, you know,
you've been trying something for so long and it's not getting
you anywhere... I don't care as long as it helps me. Any-
thing, I was willing to do anything.
(Santosh, 42 year old Hindu man)
I've had people giving me tawiz, all sorts. I've been... I don't
know, people say different things: "You should do this, you
should do that." I've tried everything.
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(Razia, (31 year old Muslim woman)
One person had even sought help from a healer of a dif-
ferent religion:
We must have tried nearly everything, anybody that said,
you know, 'Try this for epilepsy.' It's like go an Islamic way
going beyond it. It's like something you wouldn't do, you
know. My family is quite religious and sometimes we actu-
ally went to this (Hindu healer). There's nothing wrong
with that but, I suppose, you know, when you've got your
child, you're helpless, you don't know what to do, you run
to everyone, you don't care who you're going to or what reli-
gion they are.
(Sara, 34 year old Muslim woman)
In line with findings from studies conducted in India
[40,43] and Pakistan [44], participants expressed consid-
erable scepticism about the efficacy and authenticity of
both the treatments and their practitioners but were will-
ing to go along with them out of a sense of desperation or
to please their families. However, some had refused to fol-
low the healers' instructions. Khalida, for example,
recounted an occasion when her mother had taken her to
consult a pir.
It was in Pakistan. The pir, I don't know what he did and,
after that, he said "Can you open your mouth?" and I said,
"Why?" because he wanted to spit in my mouth. I said "No,
I won't". My mother said, "You must obey" I said "I don't
think so." Yeah, it's our people, they believe in these things.
I don't believe.
(Khalida, 56 year old Muslim woman)
Others had simply refused to see them. Asifa, for example,
had refused to see a religious healer even though her fam-
ily had insisted:
Someone once suggested, I think it was in the family, you
know, some peer sahib is really good, he will do some dua
(recite prayers) or something... but I don't really believe in
that stuff.
(Asifa, 28 year old Muslim woman)
Others refused to wear the tawiz (amulet) they had been
given.
We've got this other one (pir) who comes to your house...
That's what our lot believe in. He's all right, he gives tawiz
and recites from the Koran, still our faith. I've never worn
them (tawiz), don't believe in them.
(Amjad, 25 year old Muslim man)
Some questioned the authenticity of practitioners, believ-
ing many to be charlatans or quacks.
I mean, I'm sure there are many true people out there but
they're difficult to find, aren't they? So, most of them are
just quacks basically, so... I don't believe in that stuff.
(Asifa, 28 year old Muslim woman)
(My aunt) has been to these pirs, fakirs whatever you want
to call them, one in Pakistan that helped her, she's been to
see all of them. But half of them are conmen, you know
that. They go round taking money off you.
(Amjad, 25 year old Muslim man)
Muslims queried the role of the pir as an intermediary
with God [45,46]. One woman, for example, said:
I don't believe in pir. Okay, you respect them because
maybe they know bit more than you. I am a pir as well, I'm
God's human being, why won't he listen to me? Why should
I go to another person to tell my problems? You pray to God.
Why can't I pray myself?
(Khalida, 56 year old Muslim woman)
Others were ambivalent about the wearing of tawiz and
other magico-religious practices that were perceived to
run counter to Islamic orthodoxy [47] and were associated
with the "superstitious" village culture of rural Pakistan. A
young man explained:
(W)hatever God plans, he's the best of all plans and I can't,
can't go to someone and say, 'Give me a tawiz and make
me feel better.' If I'm going to get better, then God will
make me better. (I went) just to please them (parents)
really.
(Banares, 27 year old Muslim man)
Discussion
Summary of findings
All those interviewed were taking conventional anti-epi-
leptic drugs for their epilepsy, although for some people,
who had experienced symptoms before coming to Britain,
there had been a delay in diagnosis where help had ini-
tially been sought in the folk sector. The use of ethnomed-
icine was widespread, although in all cases as a second-
line rather than alternative to anti-epileptic drugs; only
two people mentioned a non-South Asian therapy. No-
one had discussed the use of traditional therapies or CAM
with their doctor. The decision to seek traditional treat-
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ment was usually taken at the family rather than individ-
ual level, with younger people often having limited power
to resist decisions taken on their behalf. Many were
ambivalent about the efficacy and safety of some tradi-
tional therapies. Participants turned to traditional thera-
pies for a variety of reasons; however, a common
motivating factor was a desire for a cure or reduction in
seizures – all those who had sought additional treatment
had experienced continued seizures, despite compliance
with medication.
Limitations of the study
Epilepsy is presented as an example of a chronic condi-
tion, for which conventional biomedicine has limited effi-
cacy and for which people are known to turn to CAM.
Although health care-seeking strategies in response to epi-
lepsy may not be representative of health care seeking
strategies more generally, they are likely to be similar to
those in response to other chronic, incurable conditions
where conventional biomedicine has limited efficacy.
The sample was self-selecting in the sense that people
chose whether or not to take part and it may therefore
have been more likely that people who were compliant
with medical regimens were included. In view of the rela-
tively low reported prevalence of epilepsy in the city's
South Asian population [23], the Epilepsy Register may
under-represent the actual number of people of South
Asian origin with epilepsy. Our sample may therefore
have been unrepresentative of the overall population of
people with epilepsy because it did not include people
who did not access or were not known to NHS services.
These possible biases, if anything, strengthen our finding
that the use of ethnomedicine is prevalent within the
South Asian population studied, since we would expect its
use to be even more widespread among people who do
not adhere to conventional medical regimens or who are
managing their condition outside the NHS.
A further possible bias might have been introduced with
the conduct of joint interviews or of individual interviews
conducted in the presence of other family members. Some
people may have felt inhibited or embarrassed discussing
or expressing their opinions about certain issues in front
of relatives. The use of ethnomedicine and, in particular,
certain traditional beliefs and practices may be one of
these issues. As we discovered, the use of ethnomedicine
was often a source of disagreement, and sometimes open
conflict, within families. Moreover, the sensitive nature of
the topic, the association of certain beliefs and practices
with an illiterate peasantry and their characterization as
superstition and quackery among some orthodox Islamic
circles [45-47] may have inhibited some people from dis-
cussing them with a middle class, university-educated
interviewer who had been born in the UK. Again, any such
potential bias would only add weight to the findings.
Comparison with global CAM users
The health-seeking behaviour of the people in our sample
in respect of non-biomedical treatments, although mainly
confined within the traditional folk sector, shared much
in common with the patterns of behaviour and motiva-
tions of people who use global CAM in the treatment of
epilepsy. Like global CAM, traditional South Asian thera-
pies were used as a supplement rather than alternative to
conventional drug therapy [12,48]. Similarly, it was the
failure of Western medicine to offer a cure or adequate
improvement to their condition which prompted people
to turn elsewhere for help. One reason for seeking addi-
tional therapy was dissatisfaction with conventional treat-
ment – dislike of side-effects from conventional therapy,
concerns about the harmful effects of long term drug use,
and inadequate seizure control.
However, here the similarities seem to end. Except for one
person, whose behaviour as a serial or multiple CAM user
marked him out from the rest of the sample, the portrayal
in the literature of people acting as autonomous individ-
ual consumers breaks down. Unlike the use of global
CAM, which is often linked with the growth of individu-
alism, identity politics and consumerism [49-54], select-
ing an appropriate treatment was rarely an individual's
decision, especially for children and young people who
were reliant on parents to make such decisions for them.
The family and wider extended kin and community net-
work played an important role in making and guiding
choices [55] and, in this context, notions of individual
empowerment, personal autonomy and control over
health care decisions had little salience. Younger partici-
pants, in particular, often felt they had little active choice
in decisions to seek traditional treatments.
In the context of the study, it was important to disaggre-
gate the use of ethnomedicine from the decision to seek
treatment. Those who made the decision to consult a tra-
ditional healer and the recipients of the treatment were
not necessarily the same people and their respective moti-
vations, perceptions of safety and efficacy were often very
different.
Unlike mainstream users of CAM, participants' use of tra-
ditional therapies was not necessarily, or even primarily,
related to belief in their efficacy; in fact, many were highly
sceptical. Similarly, there was little evidence of the 'philo-
sophical confluence' [56] thought to motivate conven-
tional CAM use. Amongst recipients (if not their families),
resort to traditional therapies was not necessarily under-
pinned by belief in their underlying philosophy and
many of those who used (or were subjected to) traditional
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treatments explicitly rejected traditional theories of causa-
tion.
However, these differences become less sharply defined
when we take into account the way in which and by
whom decisions to use ethnomedicine were taken. To the
parents of participants, the attraction of traditional thera-
pies may well have lain in their compatibility with their
own (as opposed to their children's) values, philosophy
and beliefs regarding the nature and meaning of epilepsy.
Many in the Pakistani community in Bradford emigrated
from rural villages of the Mirpur region of Azad Jammu
Kashmir and most first generation immigrants have an
impoverished rural background where people were heav-
ily reliant on traditional practitioners in the absence of
accessible and affordable alternatives. In addition, unsat-
isfactory encounters with mainstream medical services in
the UK, resulting largely from language and cultural barri-
ers [29,57-61], may have encouraged people to turn to the
folk sector with which they were more familiar.
Comparison with patterns of CAM use in India and
Pakistan
In many ways, the patterns observed amongst study par-
ticipants in the UK mirrored those reported among people
with epilepsy and other conditions in India and Pakistan.
These included: the use of traditional remedies not neces-
sarily linked with perceptions of greater efficacy or safety
[4,43,56,62]; reported discrepancies between the views of
patients and their families [4,43,56,62]; decisions about
where to seek treatment taken at the family rather than
individual level [41,43,55,56]; the influence on health
care-seeking behaviour of relative accessibility and cost of
different options [41,43]; the importance of lay referral
networks [41,43].
In India and Pakistan, most people are managed by pri-
mary care resources and have little access to specialized
investigations or personnel [43]. People's choices are
heavily constrained, with much of the rural population
having only limited access to public services [63]. Accessi-
bility, cost and the reliability of supply of medicines have
been shown to be important determinants of people's
health seeking strategies [43,56] and indigenous
approaches are often a first resort [41,43,56]. For those
with mental illness or epilepsy, which is often popularly
classed as a mental condition [41,56], faith healers may
often be a preferred option [41].
In the UK, in our sample, this pattern was reversed, with
traditional treatments used as a supplementary or second
line resort. However, their use remained high. This may
reflect the attraction of familiar institutions and traditions
which have the additional reassurance of offering expla-
nations for epilepsy from within people's own belief sys-
tem (as opposed to medical uncertainty) and the prospect
of a cure (as opposed to control) [30,56]. Resort to tradi-
tional therapies filled a space left vacant by mainstream
medicine, specifically its (frequent) failure to provide ade-
quate explanation, control or cure and the burden of side-
effects resulting from long term use of anti-epileptic drugs.
Other commentators have highlighted the holistic
approach of traditional South Asian therapists [64,39]
and, in this, South Asian therapists share much in com-
mon with the approach of other CAM practitioners.[65]
However, this was not something to which participants in
the study alluded.
Continued use of traditional therapies by migrants may
be associated with nostalgia or with a desire to maintain a
distinctive ethnic identity [66]. However, in our study, we
found no evidence to support this thesis. In the plural
health care systems of India and Pakistan, the simultane-
ous use of different treatment modalities is common. Par-
ticipants and their families may simply have been
continuing patterns of behaviour prevalent in their home-
lands [66].
It is likely that much of the appeal of traditional South
Asian therapies, as opposed to mainstream CAM, lay in
their familiarity and religious and moral legitimacy within
the South Asian community, especially to those of the
older generation who were disproportionately influential
in the determination of treatment choices. However, the
views about the legitimacy, value and likely efficacy of tra-
ditional therapies of those who decided to seek treatment
within the folk sector (mainly first generation migrants)
were often at variance with those of recipients of the treat-
ment (mainly second generation), which were often
ambivalent, sceptical and even hostile. As the second gen-
eration come to take the place of the first generation as
decision-makers, patterns of health seeking behaviour are
likely to change.
Traditional South Asian therapies have a long history of
usage in the South Asian population studied, with practi-
tioners chosen on the basis of reputation and personal
recommendation. [39,41,43,66] In this, they share much
in common with practitioners of other CAM therapies, for
whom personal referrals and knowledge about alterna-
tives obtained through the lay referral network have been
found to be 'a powerful legitimizing influence' [50]. But,
although the operation of lay referral networks was
important in the use of traditional South Asian therapies,
on the whole, participants did not appear to have had
access to similar networks in respect of other CAM thera-
pies, revealing, perhaps, the relative isolation of much of
the Bradford South Asian community from the lay referral
networks operating in other sections of society [66].
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Conclusion
Implications for practice
Several arguments have been advanced as to why clini-
cians should be interested in CAM (and ethnomedicine).
First, an increasing number of patients are now using
CAM, both for general health purposes and specifically for
the treatment of epilepsy: clinicians need to be aware that
it may feature among the options being actively consid-
ered by patients. Second, with the growth of the Internet,
unorthodox treatments will continue to garner publicity
and their claims will continue to seem attractive to
patients [11]. Third, it is argued that clinicians owe it to
their patients to investigate the possibility of finding less
toxic ways of improving quality of life in epilepsy [11]
and, fourth, that interest in alternative treatments can
offer new and innovative ways to study epilepsy, 'a group
of conditions that we still know little about despite several
decades of intensive worldwide study' [11]. Finally, and
perhaps most importantly, some CAM treatments have
been found to be harmful in their own right or in interac-
tion with anti-convulsive drugs [67-71]: greater clinical
awareness can prevent adverse interactions.
However, patients may not be forthcoming in telling their
doctors about their use of CAM [12] and this reticence
may be even more pronounced among people who use
ethnomedicine [16]. In the Bradford study, patients
rarely, if ever, discussed the use of ethnomedicine with
medical practitioners. Such reticence has its roots in a his-
tory of colonialism and the promotion of western bio-
medicine, initially as the preserve of the white
colonialists. There remains today a strong class dimension
with biomedicine used primarily by the more affluent and
educated urban population and traditional healers con-
sulted by the less educated, rural poor. In many western
societies, the medical establishment has begun to reach
some form of accommodation with CAM practitioners
(albeit reluctantly) and there has been increasing inter-
penetration of the two sectors [3]. However, the relation-
ship between indigenous practitioners and doctors
practising within the biomedical tradition in India and
Pakistan is still characterised by mutual hostility and mis-
trust. Indigenous practices have come under increasingly
negative scrutiny from the medical profession both in
India and Pakistan and in the UK [56,67-71]. The
National Society for Epilepsy, for example, now issues
specific warnings against the use of Ayurvedic prepara-
tions [13]. Even where health professionals are them-
selves South Asian, class and educational differences and
fear of judgemental attitudes may inhibit open communi-
cation. Where practitioners and their patients do not share
a common language and cultural background, communi-
cation about such sensitive issues is even less likely to be
forthcoming [72].
In common with other non-western groups, among the
Bradford sample, the spheres of ethnomedicine and
orthodox biomedicine were kept distinctly separate [16].
People had long experience of plural systems of health
care and had learned how to make choices: they used the
services of biomedicine where it was perceived to be effi-
cacious [16,73] and were adept at moving between the
different spheres without experiencing dissonance or con-
tradiction [28,30]. Indeed, they avoided potential conflict
by maintaining a strict separation. Health care practition-
ers need to learn about their patients' cultural back-
grounds and to approach these issues with care and
sensitivity, if they are to breach this barrier. They need to
"learn how to ask" [74]. They need to regard traditional
healers as potential allies, rather than competitors and
quacks, and to learn how to work with them to explore
ways in which different approaches can supplement and
complement each other. In the context of globalised
CAM, this momentum is gathering speed; in the context
of South Asian ethnomedicine, the dialogue has yet to
begin.
Competing interests
The author(s) declare that they have no competing inter-
ests.
Authors' contributions
PR contributed to the design and supervision of the study
and wrote the substantive paper.
NS contributed to the design and supervision of the study
and to drafts of the paper.
JW was the grant holder and responsible for management
and supervision of the study.
HI undertook data collection and much of the writing of
the original report.
All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the people we interviewed. We are grateful to Ann
Jacoby, Mark Busby, Nigel Hakin, Dilshad Khan and the members of the
Research Steering Group for their enthusiastic support and to Epilepsy
Action (British Epilepsy Association) who funded the study upon which this
paper is based.
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