Nontraditional Healthcare Practices and their Effects on the Wellbeing of the Patients

Nontraditional Healthcare Practices
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Nontraditional Healthcare Practices
Traditional healthcare refers to the comprehensive practices‚ knowledge, and skills obtained from various experiences‚ theories and belief native to diverse cultures‚ that are acceptably used for health maintenance (Tabish, 2008). People all over the world depend on the traditional healthcare practices for treatment‚ prevention‚ improvement‚ diagnosis and generally for health maintenance‚ for both mental and physical illness. However‚ multiple instances of populations using the nontraditional healthcare practices have been witnessed. Accordingly, this paper discusses some nontraditional healthcare practices with more emphasis put on the relation to the cultures that the practices originate and their effects on the wellbeing of the patients practicing them.
Nontraditional Health Care Practices in Different Cultures
Jamu
Nontraditional healthcare practices are often associated with some form of non-evidence based diagnosis‚ or relation to certain ailments that affect people. Sometimes certain ailments are said to have been caused or have a connection with spiritual reasons, which may require unorthodox procedures to treat. In one way or another‚ the practices tend to come down to some health beliefs that are meant to repair disconnection between the patient and their minds‚ spirit or soul. Eventually‚ the interventions are associated with some form of actions that are resolved to be the remedies for treatment of the ailments.
In Indonesia‚ a predominantly herbal medicine‚ Jamu‚ is extracted and made from natural substances from plants and sometimes blended with animals’ products. The term Jamu is a generalization of various forms of herbal medication made to treat specific kinds of diseases and ailments. Even though various pharmacological research and other publications on Jamu are being made‚ physicians have not yet found them to treat the diseases the traditional herbalists claim to cure. Rather‚ they have had ambivalent opinion and attitude about the Jamu. The users of the herbal medicine often apply some form of faith when using the herbs so as to be cured (Wijaya et al., 2014).
The medicines are often taken orally in form of either drinking liquid‚ pills‚ powder or capsules. Jamu has been popular throughout Indonesia because of the claim that only nobles and royalties used to use the Jamu medicine prescription. Furthermore‚ the herbal medicine is believed to enhance certain conditions that are non-health related such as sexual pleasure enhancement like tightening the vagina and boosting men’s sexual stamina (Wijaya et al., 2014).
Jamu Pahitan‚ a branch of Jamu medicine‚ is believed to enhance body odor elimination‚ lack of appetite‚ lower cholesterol‚ for itching‚ dizziness among others. Jamu Kunci Suruh is believed to strengthen the teeth‚ tighten the vagina and for candidiasis treatment. There are many more forms of Jamu. As mentioned earlier‚ the herbs are usually bitter&sbqu...