Opinion and Usage Regarding Complementary and Alternative Therapies among Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are widely used among the population in Pakistan either separately or in conjunction with convention medical therapies. CAM therapies are used for varying reasons and result in complications as conventional treatment is often delayed resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Objective of the study was to assess the opinions and usage regarding CAM therapies among patients in a tertiary care setup. Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore from April 2018 to June 2018. Sample size was calculated to be 186 which were equally divided between patients in OPD, ER and IPD. A structured questionnaire was administered. SPSS 20 was used for analysis. Results: In this study 112(60.2%) patients had used CAM for an illness whereas 74(39.8%) had never used CAM therapy. Most of the patients 165(88.7%) were able to differentiate between CAM and conventional therapies. Most frequent source of knowledge cited was family and friends 139(74.7%), previous users of CAM 83(44.6%) and media/internet 69(37.1%). Spiritual Healers (Pirs) were the most used modality of CAM at 64(34.4%) followed by hakeem and homeopathy. Most common reasons for using CAM were advice from family and friends, personal will and religious/spiritual reasons. Conclusion: Use of CAM therapies is widely prevalent in our study with more than half the respondents having used a modality of CAM. Users of CAM were found to be generally satisfied with the treatment.

Stakeholders’ perspectives about the impact of training and sensitization of traditional and spiritual healers on mental health and illness: A qualitative evaluation in Ghana

Background: Prayer camps and traditional healers have emerged recently as alternative sources of mental health care in Ghana. To increase their knowledge and collaboration between formal and informal mental health care providers, training and sensitization was organized for them. Aims: This study aimed at assessing beneficiaries’ views about the impact of this intervention. Methods: We adopted narrative approach to qualitative enquiry using purposive sampling strategy to recruit formal and informal mental health care providers in Ghana for an in-depth interview. We analyzed the data thematically using QSR NVivo 12. Results: Participants enhanced their knowledge about mental health and illness. They reported increased collaboration between formal and informal health care providers. Community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) give injections to patients instead of chaining and using shackles as was initially practiced. There are also regular visits by CPNs to traditional and spiritual healers to discuss the care of the mentally ill patients in their facilities. Conclusion: There has been an increased collaboration among healers of mental illness resulting in quick recovery of patients who seek care at traditional and spiritual healers. There is also abolition of chaining and using of shackles by these healers, with increasing respect for the human rights of patients.

The Indigenous Cultural Ways of Diagnosis in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

The primary aim of this study is to make the indigenous cultural ways of identifying diseases known in order to promote and remove the mystery and superstition associated to them. Due to the nature of the study, the purposive sampling technique was largely employed. Interviews and observations were the main data collecting instruments used. The four study areas which are Bongari Shrine at Adumakasekese, Asuo Abresua Shrine of Ahwirewam, Bokankye Akua Gyabon Shrine (currently situated at Mankranso Peposo), and Apomasu Kwao Shrine of Ntensere were purposively selected. The study revealed that the traditional healers use items ranging from natural to artificial such as eggs, talismans, cowries, money and other objects to diagnose various diseases. In diagnosing of diseases, the traditional healers take a holistic approach which are the social, natural, spiritual and the cosmic environment which are not in the case of the orthodox medication. It is therefore important for government and stakeholders to give recognition to these diviners and spiritual healers by putting up nice buildings (clinics and hospitals) and providing them the necessary needs like what they have been doing for the orthodox health centres and if possible integrate the traditional medication into the orthodox ones.

Spiritual care

This chapter includes discussion on the nature of spirituality in a secular and multicultural world. It describes the relationship between religion and spirituality and the role of faith practices, religion, and spiritual assessment. It also outlines the nature of spiritual pain, and its importance in holistic care. The word ‘spirit’ is widely used in our culture. Politicians speak about the ‘spirit’ of their party, veterans talk about the wartime ‘spirit’; religious people discuss the ‘spirit’ as that part of human being that survives death, whereas humanists might regard the human ‘spirit’ as an individual’s essential, but non-religious, life force. Related words are equally common and diverse: footballers describe their team as a spiritual home; spiritual music and spiritual art are fashionable; and there are spiritual healers, spiritual life coaches, spiritual directors, and even spiritually revitalizing beauty products. Spiritual care, particularly of those facing their own death, demands the response of a wise and compassionate ‘spiritual friend’. Not every member of the multidisciplinary team will want to or be equipped to offer this level of spiritual care. But each can contribute to enabling a patient to find a ‘way of being’ that will help them to go through the experience of dying in the way appropriate to them.

Towards a Shariah Compliance Model for Healthcare Centres with reference to Spiritual Healers: Issues and Challenges

Generally, a good healthcare centre comprises of qualified manpower, right policies and right procedures in providing primary care, secondary care and tertiary care for the patients as well as in public health. Other than manpower, healthcare centres must also look at social, religious and cultural factors affecting the recipients of the healthcare services given by the healthcare centres. In this paper, the author will look at some pertinent issues such as the need to have spiritual healers in any healthcare centre to help the patients in dealing with fatal illness. The spiritual healer is to help the patient and give him motivation so that he could have a positive mind throughout his journey in battling with his illness. Sometimes we have patients who refused to listen to the doctor's advice. Thus, the role of the spiritual healer would be important in assisting the healthcare centres and its management to convince him. Another issue is the privacy, respect and trust between patients and doctors as well as with the management of the healthcare centres. One of the duties of the healthcare centres’ management and doctors is, to respect the patient's religion and his faith. These three issues are amongst the important issues which every healthcare centre must look upon. Definitely there are a lot of challenges in addressing the above mentioned issues such as the procedures, methods on how to execute these issues and most importantly the perception of the public. In Islam, health care is one of the five important elements in which the Prophet SAW has mentioned in one hadith to be taken care of. A study has shown that a nation-building efforts has no meaningwithout the best public health and healthcare delivery system to the people.

The Tenacity of Spiritual Healing and Seeing

This chapter examines changes in the field of spiritual healing and seeing in Kokjangak. It first provides an overview of the proliferation of spiritual practices in the post-Soviet period before discussing the uncertainty of the position of spiritual practitioners in Kokjangak. It shows that the foundation of spiritual healing and seeing in Kokjangak was unstable, in part because the actions of jinns (ghosts or spirits) and the effects of mediation were themselves unpredictable. It also discusses the discourses and actions of spiritual healers, their clientele, and other actors to demonstrate how the believability of spiritual healers and clairvoyants is socially mediated and experientially constituted.

REVIEW ON TRADITIONAL ETHNO-VETERINARY MEDICINE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN ETHIOPIA: PRACTICE AND APPLICATION SYSTEM

The objective of the review paper was to highlight indigenous practice to traditional veterinary medicine and medicinal plants used by indigenous people. Traditional medicine has been defined as the sum total of all knowledge and practices whether explicable or not, used in the diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physicals, mental or social imbalances which passes from generation to generation, whether verbally or in writing. The application of traditional medicine to veterinary medicine has been termed as ethnoveterinary medicine. In Ethiopia up to 80% of the population uses traditional medicine due to the cultural acceptability of healers and local pharmacopeias, the relatively low cost of traditional medicine and difficult access to modern health facilities. Some of medicinal plants were Monopsis Sellariodes, solanium anguivi Lam, Vigina spp, Nicotiana tabacum L, Argemone Mexicana L, and Platostoma Rotundifolium etc. and they useful for different diseases. Traditional practitioners include bone setters, birth attendants, tooth extractors, (called yetirs awolaki, 'Wogesha' and yelimd awalaj' respectively in Amharic) herbalists, as well as 'debtera', 'tenquay' (witch doctors), and spiritual healers such as 'weqaby' and 'kalicha'. Healing in Ethiopian traditional medicine is not only concerned with curing of diseases but also with the protection and promotion of human physical, spiritual, social, mental and material wellbeing. Drugs were administered using different routes, the main ones being, topical, oral and respiratory and are stored usually in containers such as bottles, papers, pieces of cloth, leaves and horns, and were kept anywhere at home.